Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Maternal Health Literacy Is Associated with Early Childhood Nutritional Status in India.

BACKGROUND The global burden of child undernutrition is concentrated in South Asia, where gender inequality and female educational disadvantage are important factors. Maternal health literacy is linked to women's education and empowerment, can influence multiple malnutrition determinants, and is rapidly modifiable. OBJECTIVE This study investigated whether maternal health literacy is associated with child undernutrition in 2 resource-poor Indian populations. METHODS We conducted cross-sectional surveys in an urban and a rural site, interviewing 1 woman with a child aged 12-23 mo/household. Multivariate logistic regression analyses were conducted independently for each site. The main exposure was maternal health literacy. We assessed respondents' ability to understand, appraise, and apply health-related information with the use of Indian health promotion materials. The main outcomes were severe stunting, severe underweight, and severe wasting. We classified children as having a severe nutritional deficiency if their z score was <-3 SDs from the WHO reference population for children of the same age and sex. Analyses controlled for potential confounding factors including parental education and household wealth. RESULTS Rural and urban analyses included 1116 and 657 mother-child pairs, respectively. In each site, fully adjusted models showed that children of mothers with high health literacy had approximately half the likelihood of being severely stunted (rural adjusted OR: 0.50; 95% CI: 0.33, 0.74; P = 0.001; urban adjusted OR: 0.58; 95% CI: 0.35, 0.94; P = 0.028) or severely underweight (rural adjusted OR: 0.57; 95% CI: 0.38, 0.87; P = 0.009; urban adjusted OR: 0.48; 95% CI: 0.25, 0.91; P = 0.025) than children of mothers with low health literacy. Health literacy was not associated with severe wasting. CONCLUSIONS In resource-poor rural and urban settings in India, maternal health literacy is associated with child nutritional status. Programs targeting health literacy may offer effective entry points for intervention.
The Popov Criterion for Consensus between Delayed Agents

Abstract We consider consensus algorithms for multi-agent networks with high-order and delayed dynamics of agents. The topology is assumed to be fixed and undirected, however the couplings may be nonlinear and uncertain, we assume only the symmetry condition to be valid. We obtain conditions of stability for such algorithms that are similar in spirit to the celebrated Popov criterion for the stability of Lurie systems.
Sex Differences in Predictions of College Grades from Scholastic Aptitude Test Scores.

In this study we appraised 2 explanations for sex differences in over- and underprediction of college grades by the Scholastic Aptitude Test: sex-related differences in (a) the nature of the grade criterion and (b) the variables associated with academic performance. An entire freshman class at a large state university was studied. Women's grade point average (GPA) was underpredicted (and men's GPA was overpredicted), but only by a small amount. When we adjusted the GPA for differences in grading standards for individual courses, over- and underprediction were not affected, but when we controlled for sex differences in individual-differences variables concerned with academic preparation, studiousness, and attitudes about mathematics, over- and underprediction were reduced
Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis 2-Deficiency Leads to Neuronal Degeneration in Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis through Altered AMPA Receptor Trafficking

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), the most common adult-onset motor neuron disease is caused by a selective loss of motor neurons. One form of juvenile onset autosomal recessive ALS (ALS2) has been linked to the loss of function of the ALS2 gene. The pathogenic mechanism of ALS2-deficiency, however, remains unclear. To further understand the function of alsin that is encoded by the full-length ALS2 gene, we screened proteins interacting with alsin. Here, we report that alsin interacted with glutamate receptor interacting protein 1 (GRIP1) both in vitro and in vivo, and colocalized with GRIP1 in neurons. In support of the physiological interaction between alsin and GRIP1, the subcellular distribution of GRIP1 was altered in ALS2 −/− spinal motor neurons, which correlates with a significant reduction of AMPA-type glutamate receptor subunit 2 (GluR2) at the synaptic/cell surface of ALS2 −/− neurons. The decrease of calcium-impermeable GluR2-containing AMPA receptors at the cell/synaptic surface rendered ALS2 −/− neurons more susceptible to glutamate receptor-mediated neurotoxicity. Our findings reveal a novel function of alsin in AMPA receptor trafficking and provide a novel pathogenic link between ALS2-deficiency and motor neuron degeneration, suggesting a protective role of alsin in maintaining the survival of motor neurons.
AVEC 2013: the continuous audio/visual emotion and depression recognition challenge

Mood disorders are inherently related to emotion. In particular, the behaviour of people suffering from mood disorders such as unipolar depression shows a strong temporal correlation with the affective dimensions valence and arousal. In addition, psychologists and psychiatrists take the observation of expressive facial and vocal cues into account while evaluating a patient's condition. Depression could result in expressive behaviour such as dampened facial expressions, avoiding eye contact, and using short sentences with flat intonation. It is in this context that we present the third Audio-Visual Emotion recognition Challenge (AVEC 2013). The challenge has two goals logically organised as sub-challenges: the first is to predict the continuous values of the affective dimensions valence and arousal at each moment in time. The second sub-challenge is to predict the value of a single depression indicator for each recording in the dataset. This paper presents the challenge guidelines, the common data used, and the performance of the baseline system on the two tasks.
α-melanocyte stimulating hormone modulates the central acyl ghrelin-induced stimulation of feeding, gastrointestinal motility, and colonic secretion

Background Acyl ghrelin-induced intake depends on hypothalamic neuropeptide Y and agouti-related protein (AgRP) neurotransmitters. Intracerebroventricular (ICV) injection of AgRP increases feeding through competitive antagonism at melanocortin receptors. ICV administration of α-melanocyte stimulating hormone (α-MSH), a natural antagonist of AgRP, may modulate the acyl ghrelin-induced orexigenic effect. Objective This study aimed to investigate the modulating effect of α-MSH on the central acyl ghrelin-induced food intake, gastrointestinal motility, and colonic secretion in rats. Methods and procedures We examined the effects of α-MSH and acyl ghrelin on food intake, gastric emptying, small intestinal transit, colonic motility, and secretion in conscious rats with a chronic implant of ICV catheters. Results ICV injection of O-n-octanoylated ghrelin (0.1 nmol/rat) significantly increased the cumulative food intake up to 8 h (P<0.01), enhanced non-nutrient semi-liquid gastric emptying (P<0.001), increased the geometric center and running percentage of small intestinal transit (P<0.001), accelerated colonic transit time (P<0.05), and increased fecal pellet output (P<0.01) and total fecal weight (P<0.01). Pretreatment with ICV injection of α-MSH (1.0 and 2.0 nmol/rat) attenuated the acyl ghrelin-induced hyperphagic effect, fecal pellet output, and total fecal weight, while higher dose of α-MSH (2.0 nmol/rat) attenuated the increase in the geometric center of small intestinal transit (P<0.01). However, neither dose of α-MSH altered acyl ghrelin-stimulated gastroprokinetic effect, increase in the running percentage of small intestinal transit, nor accelerated colonic transit time. Conclusion α-MSH is involved in central acyl ghrelin-elicited feeding, small intestinal transit, fecal pellet output, and fecal weight. α-MSH does not affect central acyl ghrelin-induced acceleration of gastric emptying and colonic transit time in rats.
Islam, identity and professional values: A study of journalists in three Muslim-majority regions

Islam is a religion, but it is also a philosophy. An analysis of surveys in the Arab world, Indonesia and Pakistan reveals that the mission and values of journalists in those Muslim-majority regions closely track Islamic obligations to tell the truth, seek justice and work toward the public interest. This article provides empirical data to bolster the argument that the values of Islam are the prism through which journalists in Muslim-majority countries approach their profession. Those findings add to the body of research supporting the theory that journalistic norms are contextual, shaped by a hierarchy of influences that include global standards and local values such as culture, political climate and religion. But the findings also indicate that in regions where a professional journalistic culture is in the process of emerging, the influence of personal versus professional values is in reverse proportion to those found in more mature journalistic markets.
Using the Health Belief Model to Assess the HIV Education Needs of Junior and Senior High School Students

The purpose of this study was to use the Health Belief Model as a conceptual framework to examine the HIV education needs of seventh, ninth, and eleventh grade students. A statewide stratified random sample was drawn during the Spring of 1988. Results reveal serious misconceptions regarding HIV transmission and the nature of AIDS. High levels of fear of AIDS were reported. While students perceive themselves to be highly susceptible to AIDS they clearly misunderstand the seriousness of the disease. Barriers to preventive actions and social pressures to increase risk were reported. Based on the results specific recommendations regarding the design of effective AIDS education are offered.
The Amino Acid Transporters of the Glutamate/GABA-Glutamine Cycle and Their Impact on Insulin and Glucagon Secretion

Intercellular communication is pivotal in optimizing and synchronizing cellular responses to keep homeostasis and to respond adequately to external stimuli. In the central nervous system (CNS), glutamatergic and GABAergic signals are postulated to be dependent on the glutamate/GABA-glutamine cycle for vesicular loading of neurotransmitters, for inactivating the signal and for the replenishment of the neurotransmitters. Islets of Langerhans release the hormones insulin and glucagon, but share similarities with CNS cells in for example transcriptional control of development and differentiation, and chromatin methylation. Interestingly, CNS proteins involved in secretion of the neurotransmitters and emitting their responses as well as the regulation of these processes, are also found in islet cells. Moreover, high levels of glutamate, GABA, and glutamine and their respective vesicular and plasma membrane transporters have been shown in the islet cells and there is emerging support for these amino acids and their transporters playing important roles in the maturation and secretion of insulin and glucagon. In this review, we will discuss the feasibility of recent data in the field in relation to the biophysical properties of the transporters (Slc1, Slc17, Slc32, and Slc38) and physiology of hormone secretion in islets of Langerhans.
Role of angiotensin II in renal wrap hypertension.

The role of angiotensin II in the development of renal wrap hypertension was studied in rabbits that underwent either bilateral renal cellophane wrap or sham operation. In half the rabbits, angiotensin II production was blocked by continuous administration of enalapril. Four weeks after renal wrapping, mean arterial pressure had risen by 48 +/- 5 mm Hg in untreated rabbits, but by only 25 +/- 4 mm Hg in enalapril-treated rabbits (p less than 0.01). Similar differences were also measured 6 weeks after wrapping. In untreated rabbits, plasma renin activity had increased fourfold 4 and 6 weeks after renal wrapping. There were no significant changes in blood pressure or plasma renin activity following sham operation. Compared with that in sham-operated rabbits, renal blood flow was reduced by 60% in the untreated rabbits 4 weeks after wrapping but by only 30% in the enalapril-treated wrapped rabbits (p less than 0.05). Renal vascular resistances were 5.5 +/- 1.7 mm Hg . ml-1 . min-1 and 1.2 +/- 0.1 mm Hg . min . ml-1 in the untreated wrapped and sham-operated rabbits respectively and 1.9 +/- 0.4 mm Hg . min . ml-1 and 0.8 +/- 1 mm Hg . min . ml-1 in the enalapril-treated wrapped and sham-operated rabbits. Renal wrapping did not alter filtration fraction in untreated rabbits, but markedly reduced it in enalapril-treated rabbits. These results suggest that angiotensin II had two major effects in rabbits after bilateral renal wrapping: it contributed substantially to the increase in blood pressure and caused renal vasoconstriction, primarily at a postglomerular site.
Observation of implied motion in a work of art modulates cortical connectivity and plasticity

Following the discovery of mirror neurons, much attention has been de-voted to understanding the neural responses evoked by observation of implied motion in works of art. Neuroimaging studies have demonstrated that dorsal premotor cortex (PMd) is commonly involved during observation of movements but the role of the inhibitory and excitatory connections between PMd and primary motor cortex (M1) during observation of implied motion remains uncertain. In this study, using high and low frequency repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS), we examined PMd–M1 connectivity and plasticity during observation of Michelangelo’s frescos with and without implied motion (Sistine Chapel, 1508–1512). We found that observation of implied motion in a painting specifically reduces the activity of inhibitory PMd–M1 connections. On the contrary PMd–M1 facilitatory connections, as examined by means of 5-Hz rTMS, were not modulated during observation of the painting. Our data suggest that observation of implied motion in a painting modulates PMd–M1 connectivity and plasticity. These results are consistent with the hypothesis that art with implied motion might be used as a plasticity-based intervention in rehabilitation.
Test–retest reliability of functional near infrared spectroscopy in infants

Abstract. There has been a rapid rise in the number of publications using functional near infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) for human developmental research over the past decade. However test–retest reliability of this measure of brain activation in infants remains unknown. To assess this, we utilized data from a longitudinal cohort who participated in an fNIRS study on social perception at two age points. Thirteen infants had valid data from two sessions held 8.5 months apart (4 to 8 months and 12 to 16 months). Inter- and intrasession fNIRS test–retest reliability was assessed at the individual and group levels using the oxyhemoglobin (HbO2) signal. Infant compliance with the study was similar in both sessions (assessed by the proportion of time infants looked to the stimuli), and there was minimal discrepancy in sensor placement over the targeted area between sessions. At the group level, good spatial overlap of significant responses and signal reliability was seen (spatial overlap was 0.941 and average signal change within an region of interest was r=0.896). At participant level, spatial overlap was acceptable (>0.5 on average across infants) although signal reliability varied between participants. This first study of test–retest reliability of fNIRS in infants shows encouraging results, particularly for group-based analysis.
Behavioral Specification of Real-Time Requirements

This paper aims to present a systematic method to: (1) specify high-level and event based real-time requirements and (2) map the specified requirements to low-level and state-based one. The former indicates the external system behavior while the latter indicates the internal one, which the external behavior are specified in environment events and the internal behavior is specified in software entities and operations such as variables and method calls. The mapping can be used in software development process and software monitoring against safety requirements. Lastly, we apply our method to requirements of a real-time safety critical system called Railroad Crossing Control (RCC).
Loft Living: Culture and Capital in Urban Change

Since its initial publication, Loft Living has become the classic analysis of the emergence of artists as a force of gentrification and the related rise of ""creative city"" policies around the world. This 25th anniversary edition, with a new introduction, illustrates how loft living has spread around the world and that artists' districts - trailing the success of SoHo in New York - have become a global tourist attraction. Sharon Zukin reveals the economic shifts and cultural transformations that brought widespread attention to artists as lifestyle models and agents of urban change, and explains their role in attracting investors and developers to the derelict loft districts where they made their home. Prescient and dramatic, Loft Living shows how a declining downtown Manhattan became a popular ""scene"", how loft apartments became hot commodities for the middle class, and how investors, corporations, and rich elites profited from deindustrializing the city's factory districts and turning them into trendy venues for art galleries, artisanal restaurants, and bars. However, this edition points out that the artists who led the trend are now priced out of the loft market. Even in New York, where the loft living market was born, artists have no legal claim on loft districts, nor do they get any preferential treatment in the harsh real estate market. From the story of SoHo in Lower Manhattan to SoWa in Boston and SoMa in San Francisco, Zukin explains how once-edgy districts are transformed into high-price neighborhoods, and how no city can restrain the juggernaut of rising property values.
Highly linear RF CMOS amplifier and mixer adopting MOSFET transconductance linearization by multiple gated transistors

A highly linear CMOS RF amplifier and mixer circuits adopting MOSFET transconductance linearization by linearly superposing several common-source FET transistors in parallel, combined with some additional circuit techniques such as cascode for amplifier and harmonic tuning for mixer, are reported. Experimental result designed using above techniques shows IP3 improvements at given power consumption by as large as 10 dB for RF amplifier at 900 MHz and 7 dB for Gilbert cell mixer at 2.4 GHz without sacrificing other features such as gain and NF.
Feral Systems: The Likely Effects on Business Analytics Functions in an Enterprise Resource Planning System Environment

This paper looks at a case study of an Enterprise Resource Planning System (ERP) implementation in a geographically dispersed utility company and the approach by middle management to several problems perceived by them to be problematic. Their approach was to develop systems outside the implemented ERP. These are referred to as feral systems and the implication of these in terms of effective business analytics (BA) are discussed. The paper contends that despite the extremely effective databases and sophisticated modules for business analytic functions within most ERP's, middle managers are still in the "just in case of an incident" mode of inventory management and data entered in their own feral systems may be significantly different to the inventory levels recorded in the main ERP. The implications to accurate forecasts from BA modules are also discussed.
Mechanosensitive Cation Channels in Arterial Smooth Muscle Cells Are Activated by Diacylglycerol and Inhibited by Phospholipase C Inhibitor

Abstract— Mechanosensitive cation channels may be involved in the development of the myogenic tone of arteries. The molecular identity of these channels is not clear, but transient receptor potential channels (TRPCs) are good candidates. In the present study, we searched for mechanosensitive channels at the single-channel level in arterial smooth muscle cells using the patch-clamp technique and investigated the channel properties in the light of properties of TRPCs. With 140 mmol/L CsCl in the pipette solution, application of negative pressures to the back of the pipette induced the activation of channels the open probability of which increased with the amount of negative pressure. The current-voltage relationship was linear in symmetrical ionic conditions, and the single-channel conductances for Cs+, K+, and Na+ were 30, 36, and 27 pS, respectively. When NMDG+ was substituted for Cs+ in the pipette solution, inward currents were abolished, whereas outward currents remained active, indicating that the channels were nonselective to cations. The channel activity was blocked by intracellular Gd3+ and 4,4′-diisothiocyanatostilbene-2,2′-disulfonic acid and increased by diacylglycerol and by cyclopiazonic acid. Phospholipase C inhibitor (U73122) inhibited not only channel activity but also the development of myogenic tone induced by stretching of the basilar arteries. These results suggest that the ion channel responsible for the development of myogenic tone is the 30-pS mechanosensitive cation channel that exhibits properties similar to those of TRPCs.
A 28-week comparison of ziprasidone and haloperidol in outpatients with stable schizophrenia.

BACKGROUND Ziprasidone is a novel antipsychotic with a unique pharmacologic profile. This study compared ziprasidone with the conventional antipsychotic haloperidol in outpatients with stable schizophrenia. METHOD Three hundred one outpatients with stable chronic or subchronic schizophrenia (DSM-III-R) were randomized and participated in this double-blind, multicenter, parallel-group clinical study comparing flexible-dose oral ziprasidone, 80-160 mg/day (N = 148), with haloperidol, 5-15 mg/day (N = 153), over 28 weeks. Patients were assessed using the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS), the Clinical Global Impressions-Severity of Illness scale, the Montgomery-Asberg Depression Rating Scale, the Simpson-Angus Scale, the Barnes Akathisia Scale, and the Abnormal Involuntary Movement Scale. RESULTS Modal doses at endpoint were 80 mg/day for ziprasidone and 5 mg/day for haloperidol. Improvements in all mean efficacy variables with both ziprasidone and haloperidol were observed. Significantly more patients were categorized as negative symptom responders (> or = 20% reduction in PANSS negative subscale score) in the ziprasidone group (48%) compared with the haloperidol group (33%) (p < .05). Ziprasidone had clear advantages over haloperidol in all evaluations of movement disorders. Changes in body weight were negligible with both treatments. No pattern of laboratory or cardiovascular changes was observed. CONCLUSION Ziprasidone and haloperidol were both effective in reducing overall psychopathology; ziprasidone demonstrated effective treatment of negative symptoms and was better tolerated than haloperidol. Ziprasidone appears to offer an effective alternative to haloperidol in the long-term treatment of stable outpatients with schizophrenia.