Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Symptoms and pregnancy outcomes associated with extreme weight loss among women with hyperemesis gravidarum.

OBJECTIVE To report the weight loss and associated symptoms experienced by a large cohort of women with hyperemesis gravidarum (HG). METHODS Data were obtained from an HG website registry, where women with HG were recruited on-line. Respondents were included if they experienced at least 1 live birth>27 weeks' gestation. Extreme weight loss was defined as a loss of >15% of prepregnancy weight. RESULTS Of the 819 women surveyed, 214 (26.1%) met criteria for extreme weight loss. These women were twice as likely to be Hispanic or nonwhite. Extreme weight loss (p<0.001) was associated with indicators of the severity of HG, such as hospitalization and use of parenteral nutrition, and with multiple symptoms during pregnancy, such as gallbladder and liver dysfunction, renal failure, and retinal hemorrhage. Among all women surveyed, 22.0% reported that symptoms lasted throughout pregnancy; this finding was nearly twice as likely among women with extreme weight Loss: 63 of 214 (29.4%) vs. 117 of 605 (19.3%) (OR=1.73, 95% CI 1.2-2.5, p=0.003). For some women, symptoms continued postpartum and included food aversions, muscle pain, nausea, and posttraumatic stress. Approximately 16% of babies were born prematurely, and 8% reportedly weighed <2500 g. Among women with extreme weight loss, 9.3% reported having a child with a behavioral disorder. CONCLUSIONS Extreme weight loss is common among women with HG, suggesting that HG is a form of prolonged starvation in pregnancy and that the long-term effects of this condition on women and their offspring warrant further investigation.
Feeding the poor : assessing federal food aid

In the midst of the welfare reform revolution, Peter H. Rossi examines five major food assistance programs, whose combined annual budgets approach $40 billion. His comprehensive assessment of the research concerning the impact of these programs describes their historical origins, goals, and operations and then uses the best available research to assess their impact and effectiveness.
Geographic Variations in Cardiovascular Health in the United States: Contributions of State- and Individual-Level Factors

Background Improving cardiovascular health (CVH) of all Americans by 2020 is a strategic goal of the American Heart Association. Understanding the sources of variation and identifying contextual factors associated with poor CVH may suggest important avenues for prevention. Methods and Results Cross-sectional data from the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System for the year 2011 were linked to state-level coronary heart disease and stroke mortality data from the National Vital Statistics System and to state-level measures of median household income, income inequality, taxes on soda drinks and cigarettes, and food and physical activity environments from various administrative sources. Poor CVH was defined according to the American Heart Association definition using 7 self-reported CVH metrics (current smoking, physical inactivity, obesity, poor diet, hypertension, diabetes, and high cholesterol). Linked micromap plots and multilevel logistic models were used to examine state variation in poor CVH and to investigate the contributions of individual- and state-level factors to this variation. We found significant state-level variation in the prevalence of poor CVH (median odds ratio 1.32, P<0.001). Higher rates of poor CVH and cardiovascular disease mortality were clustered in the southern states. Minority and low socioeconomic groups were strongly associated with poor CVH and explained 51% of the state-level variation in poor CVH; state-level factors explained an additional 28%. State-level median household income (odds ratio 0.89; 95% CI 0.84–0.94), taxes on soda drinks (odds ratio 0.94; 95% CI 0.89–0.99), farmers markets (odds ratio 0.91; 95% CI 0.85–0.98), and convenience stores (odds ratio 1.09; 95% CI 1.01–1.17) were predictive of poor CVH even after accounting for individual-level factors. Conclusions There is significant state-level variation in poor CVH that is partly explained by individual- and state-level factors. Additional longitudinal research is warranted to examine the influence of state-level policies and food and physical activity environments on poor CVH.
Type II transglutaminase stimulates epidermal cancer stem cell epithelial-mesenchymal transition

Type II transglutaminase (TG2) is a multifunctional protein that has recently been implicated as having a role in ECS cell survival. In the present study we investigate the role of TG2 in regulating epithelial mesenchymal transition (EMT) in ECS cells. Our studies show that TG2 knockdown or treatment with TG2 inhibitor, results in a reduced EMT marker expression, and reduced cell migration and invasion. TG2 has several activities, but the most prominent are its transamidase and GTP binding activity. Analysis of a series of TG2 mutants reveals that TG2 GTP binding activity, but not the transamidase activity, is required for expression of EMT markers (Twist, Snail, Slug, vimentin, fibronectin, N-cadherin and HIF-1α), and increased ECS cell invasion and migration. This coupled with reduced expression of E-cadherin. Additional studies indicate that NF&#ξ03BA;B signaling, which has been implicated as mediating TG2 impact on EMT in breast cancer cells, is not involved in TG2 regulation of EMT in skin cancer. These studies suggest that TG2 is required for maintenance of ECS cell EMT, invasion and migration, and suggests that inhibiting TG2 GTP binding/G-protein related activity may reduce skin cancer tumor survival.
Quad Tilt Wing VTOL UAV: Aerodynamic Characteristics and Prototype Flight Test

A QTW VTOL UAV, featured tandem tilt wings and propellers mounted at the mid-span of each wing, is one of the most promising UAV configurations having both a VTOL capability and high cruise performance. A small prototype QTW UAV has been constructed to prove the concept and full transition between vertical and horizontal flight has been successfully demonstrated under remote manual control. The essential aerodynamic characteristics of the QTW derived from wind tunnel data are summarized in this paper, and a tandem wing concept which achieves both hovering and cruising stability has been applied to design the prototype UAV. A flight control system allowing continuous control through all flight phases enabled a pilot to perform vertical take-off, accelerating transition, cruise, decelerating transition and hover landing, with sufficient flying qualities.
Variations on a Theme: Diverse N-Acyl Homoserine Lactone-Mediated Quorum Sensing Mechanisms in Gram-Negative Bacteria

Many Gram-negative bacteria employ a mechanism of cell–cell communication known as quorum sensing (QS). The role of QS is to enable the cells in a culture to coordinate their gene expression profile with changes in the population cell density. The best characterized mechanisms of QS employ N-acylated homoserine lactones (AHLs) as signalling molecules. These AHLs are made by enzymes known as Luxl homologs, and accumulate in the culture supernatant at a rate proportional to the increase in cell density. Once the AHL concentration exceeds a certain threshold value, these ligands bind to intracellular receptors known as LuxR homologs. The latter are transcriptional regulators, whose activity alters upon binding the AHL ligand, thereby eliciting a change in gene transcription. Over the last five years, it has become increasingly obvious that this is a rather simplistic view of AHL-dependent QS, and that in fact, there is considerable diversity in the way in which Luxl-R homologs operate. The aim of the current review is to describe these variations on the basic theme, and to show how functional genomics is revolutionizing our understanding of QS-controlled regulons.
Interesting Metrics Based Adaptive Prediction Technique for Knowledge Discovery

1 anbukkarasy@gmail.com Abstract - Prediction is considered as an important factor to predict the future results from the existing information. Decision tree methodology is widely used for predicting the results. But this is not efficient to handle the large, heterogeneous or multi-featured type of data sources. So an adaptive prediction method is proposed by combining the statistical analysis approach of the data mining methods along with the decision tree prediction methodology. So when dealing with large and multi-server based data, the prediction can be done more effectively and less time consuming than the existing prediction methods. For the statistical analysis, incremental clustering and multiple interesting measures are used for a better prediction.
The Effects of Donepezil in Alzheimer’s Disease – Results from a Multinational Trial1

Donepezil has been shown to be well tolerated and to improve cognition and global function in patients with mild to moderately severe Alzheimer’s disease (AD). The current trial was undertaken to investigate further the efficacy and safety of donepezil, in a multinational setting, in patients with mild to moderately severe AD. This 30-week, placebo-controlled, parallel-group study consisted of a 24-week, double-blind treatment phase followed by a 6-week, single-blind, placebo washout. Eight hundred and eighteen patients with mild to moderately severe AD were randomly allocated to treatment with single, daily doses of 5 or 10 mg donepezil, or placebo. The two primary efficacy measures were: a cognitive performance test, the Alzheimer’s Disease Assessment Scale-cognitive subscale (ADAS-cog) and a global evaluation, the Clinician’s Interview-Based Impression of Change with caregiver input (CIBIC plus). Secondary outcome measures included the Sum of the Boxes of the Clinical Dementia Rating Scale (CDR-SB), a modified Interview for Deterioration in Daily living activities in Dementia (IDDD) and a patientrated quality of life assessment. Statistically significant improvements in cognitive and global function were observed, as evaluated by ADAS-cog and CIBIC plus, respectively, in both the 5 and 10 mg/day donepezil groups, compared with placebo. Treatment-associated changes were also observed in functional skills, as shown by improved scores on the CDR-SB and the complex-tasks component of the IDDD. A dose–response effect was evident, with the 10 mg/day donepezil group demonstrating greater benefits in all outcome measures than the 5 mg/day group. Donepezil was well tolerated by this patient population and did not produce any clinically significant laboratory test abnormalities. The results of this study confirm that donepezil is effective and well tolerated in treating the symptoms of mild to moderately severe AD.
Comparative Regionalism - A New Research Agenda

After the end of the Cold War, students of International Relations observed an expansion of inter-state activities at the regional level. Regional and sub-regional groupings appeared to gain momentum as the way in which countries cooperate and should cooperate to pursue peace, stability, wealth and social justice. The surge and resurgence of regionalism has triggered the proliferation of concepts and approaches. The focus of this paper will be on processes and structures of state-led regionalism driven by the delegation of policies and political authority to regional institutions. Based on this understanding of regionalism, the existing literature will be reviewed with regard to three general questions. These questions do not only require research across regions but also allow developing a common research agenda to accumulate knowledge generated about specific regions. First, what are the outcomes of regionalism? How can we describe and compare the results of the delegation of policies and political authority? Second, what are the drivers of regionalism? Why do some governments choose to delegate policies and political authority while others do not? Finally, what are the internal effects of regionalism? How does the delegation of policies and political authority impact back on the domestic structures of the states involved?
Does COMT genotype influence the effects of d‐amphetamine on executive functioning?

In a widely cited study, Mattay et al. reported that amphetamine (0.25 mg/kg oral, or 17 mg for a 68 kg individual) impaired behavioral and brain indices of executive functioning, measured using the Wisconsin Card Sorting Task (WCST) and N‐Back working memory task, in 6 individuals homozygous for the met allele of the val158met polymorphism in the catechol‐O‐methyltransferase (COMT) gene, whereas it improved executive functioning in 10 individuals homozygous for the more active val allele. We attempted to replicate their behavioral findings in a larger sample, using similar executive functioning tasks and a broader range of amphetamine doses. Over four sessions, n = 200 healthy normal adults received oral placebo, d‐amphetamine 5, 10, and 20 mg (average of 0.07, 0.15 and 0.29 mg/kg), under counterbalanced double‐blind conditions and completed WCST and N‐back tests of executive functioning. Amphetamine had typical effects on blood pressure and processing speed but did not affect executive functioning. COMT genotype (val158met) was not related to executive functioning under placebo or amphetamine conditions, even when we compared only the homozygous val/val and met/met genotypes at the highest dose of amphetamine (20 mg). Thus, we were not able to replicate the behavioral interaction between COMT and amphetamine seen in Mattay et al. We discuss possible differences between the studies and the implications of our findings for the use of COMT genotyping to predict clinical responses to dopaminergic drugs, and the use of intermediate phenotypes in genetic research.
Optimal training for Time-Division Duplexed systems with transmit beamforming

In this paper, we perform a large system analysis of regularized channel inversion (RCI) beamforming with channel uncertainty in Time-Division Duplexed (TDD) training based broadcast channels. In the analysis, we consider the problem of finding the optimal training period and power allocation for the uplink training and data transmission. Each user sends training symbols orthogonally via uplink transmission. Neglecting uplink data transmission and so there is no power adaptation in the training process, the optimal training period is equal to or larger than the number of users. Next we consider the uplink communication and allocate the available power between uplink training and data transmission. We found that the optimal training period is equal to the number of users. The optimal period for downlink or uplink data transmission and the optimal power allocation can be obtained using standard numerical optimization algorithm.
Can Entrepreneurship Be Taught?

Is entrepreneurship an innate ability or an acquired skill? Can entrepreneurial acumen be achieved and enhanced through education and training, or are certain people “born” to be entrepreneurs or to act entrepreneurially? Economists and management theorists give widely divergent answers to these questions. This paper reviews the major approaches to teaching entrepreneurship, primarily at the undergraduate level, and relates them to economic theories of entrepreneurship. Surprisingly, we find little connection between the leading approaches to entrepreneurship education and economists' understanding of the entrepreneurial function. We assess likely explanations for the lack of contact between these two groups of scholars and suggest possible improvements.
Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts: An Organizational and Historical Approach to Understanding Socialization and Gendered Leadership

In this research, I examine the concept of leadership as it is constructed in the youthbased organizations of Girl Scouts and Boy Scouts. How boys and girls are taught to lead as children in these single-sex, youth-based organizations has clear connections to prominent “masculine” and “feminine” styles of leadership, and I argue that these organizations assist in perpetuating gender inequality in the workplace in this way. Using historical content analysis and a modified grounded theory approach, I evaluate Boy Scout and Girl Scout handbooks printed over the past 100 years. I argue that through the process of “doing” leadership, the emotion work involved in becoming a boy or girl leader, and through promoting a sense of belonging, these organizations strategically strive to develop boys and girls with leadership styles that are gendered in nature. INDEX WORDS: Gender, Leadership, Girl Scouts, Boy Scouts, Content analysis, Emotion work, Belonging, Inequality BOY SCOUTS AND GIRL SCOUTS: AN ORGANIZATIONAL AND HISTORICAL APPROACH TO UNDERSTANDING SOCIALIZATION AND GENDERED LEADERSHIP STYLES
The red giant branch tip and bump of the Leo II dwarf spheroidal galaxy

We present V and I photometry of a 9.4 x 9.4 arcmin 2 field centred on the dwarf spheroidal galaxy Leo II. The tip of the red giant branch (TRGB) is identified at I TRGB = 17.83 ± 0.03 and adopting ([M/H]) = -1.53 ± 0.2 from the comparison of RGB stars with Galactic templates, we obtain a distance modulus (m - M) 0 = 21.84 ± 0.13, corresponding to a distance D = 233 ± 15 kpc. Two significant bumps have been detected in the luminosity function of the RGB. The fainter bump (Bl, at V = 21.76 ± 0.05) is the RGB bump of the dominant stellar population while the actual nature of the brightest one (B2, at V = 21.35 ± 0.05) cannot be firmly assessed on the basis of the available data; it may be due to the asymptotic giant branch clump of the main population or it may be a secondary RGB bump. The luminosity of the main RGB bump (Bl) suggests that the majority of RGB stars in Leo II belong to a population that is ≥4 Gyr younger than the classical Galactic globular clusters. The stars belonging to the He-burning red clump are shown to be significantly more centrally concentrated than RR Lyrae and blue horizontal branch stars, probing the existence of an age/metallicity radial gradient in this remote dwarf spheroidal.
The Pursuit of Increased Learning: Coalescing Assessment Strategies at a Large Research University. IR Applications. Volume 30.

Assessment drives significant change in higher education. Colleges and universities are being asked to (a) publish expected learning outcomes for each of their programs; (b) provide evidence that the expected learning outcomes are realized by students; and (c) demonstrate how such data collection and analyses lead to continuous improvement of student learning, the curriculum, and the university. This is a significant challenge, especially for large schools with many students. This paper presents (a) a working yet evolving model of an institutional assessment and analysis plan; (b) obstacles and challenges associated with implementing the plan; (c) innovative strategies—some technological—employed to address the obstacles and challenges; (d) a collegewide application of a systems approach to assessment; and (e) lessons learned and future strategies. Institutional, collegewide, discipline-specific, and individual faculty perspectives to a systems approach of bridging assessment, learning outcomes, and accreditation will be presented. The importance of student involvement throughout the process is highlighted. Brigham Young University (BYU) serves over 30,000 students across 11 colleges and 56 academic departments, offering over 400 degree-granting programs. During BYU’s recent decennial regional accreditation, emphasis on assessment strategies and learning outcomes accountability was appropriately far reaching and has generated extensive response across the university community.
Simulator Sickness Research Summary

Simulator Sickness (SS) is a form of Motion Sickness (MS) that does not require true motion – but does require a wide field of view (FOV) visual display [5, 46, 64]. Like all varieties of MS, an intact vestibular system is necessary to experience SS [12]. It has been called visually induced motion sickness [3, 52, 48] and Cinerama sickness [3, 5, 52]. The term “vection” is used to describe a visually induced sense of self-motion. Vection is “. produced by the nearly uniform motion of a large part of the visual field . When the entire field moves, subjects soon begin to feel that the relative motion is their own” (Young [64], p. 98). Whether found in a flight simulator, Cinerama theatre, IMAX theatre, or virtual reality simulation, vection causes a MS-like discomfort for a substantial minority of participants. This unpleasant experience is now universally referred to as SS. Further, these MS-like symptoms are now referred to as SS whether the simulator is a fixedbase model, and has no true motion, or a motion-base one with a (limited) range of movement. In other words, if the discomfort occurs in a simulator of any kind it will be called SS in the literature.
Exchange Rate Misalignment and Economic Development: The Case of Pakistan

Abstract Recent findings in the economic growth literature suggest that developing countries need to keep a devalued exchange rate to stimulate their long-run economic growth. In light of this view, we assess the alignment of the real exchange rate of Pakistan, a developing country where sustained economic growth has proved to be elusive during the last two decades. After finding that the Pakistan rupee has been significantly and increasingly overvalued in real terms from 2005 – significantly above the over-valuation detected by International Monetary Fund (IMF) –, we simulate the general equilibrium effects of an eventual re-alignment of the Pakistani real exchange rate with economic fundamentals, and find that realignment would not only lead to a sizable increase in the relative size of the tradable sector - where productivity increases tend to be faster – but also to an associated re-distribution of income in favor of the urban poor and the (relatively disadvantaged) rural households. These findings reinforce recent arguments in the growth literature, and suggest the need for the Pakistani government to achieve – and sustain – a devalued exchange rate to boost its economic development prospects.
Distributed space-time coding for regenerative relay networks

Cooperation among mobile users (MUs) in a wireless network can be very useful to reduce the total radiated power necessary to insure the delivery of the information with the desired quality of service. A systematic framework for achieving such a gain consists in making the cooperating nodes act as the antennas of a virtual transmit array, operating according to a distributed space-time coding (DSTC) strategy. However, cooperation implies the allocation of dedicated resources, typically power and time slots, for the exchange of data between source and intermediate nodes (relays). It is then necessary to design the system properly to make possible a final net gain, taking into account all resources involved in the communication. In this paper, we consider regenerative relays and we analyze the effect of intermediate decision errors at the relay nodes. We derive the optimal maximum-likelihood (ML) detector, at the final destination, in case of binary phase-shift keying (BPSK) transmission, and a suboptimal scalar detector, whose bit-error rate (BER) is expressed in (approximate) closed form. Since with DSTC the transmit antennas are not colocated, we show how to allocate the power among source and relay terminals in order to minimize the average BER at the final destination. Finally, we compare alternative cooperation and decoding strategies.