Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Effects of IMF programs on school enrollment in developing countries

The IMF is one of the most heavily criticized international financial institutions in the world and has been accused of having a negative effect on education. By using multi-level analyses, this paper estimates the effects of IMF supported programs on the growth in school enrollment in developing countries at the district level for girls and boys aged 9-11 and 12-14. Using data on 44 countries, containing 431 districts between 1997-2007, effects of IMF programs are measured in three ways. Effects are estimated for whether or not a country has an IMF program, followed by a comparison between short and long-term programs. The effects of different program characteristics are also estimated. Results indicate that short-term IMF programs have significant positive effects on the growth in school enrollment for girls and boys aged 9-11. These effects are more positive in more rural areas and in less developed regions. Labor market reforms are found to have strong negative significant effects for girls and boys in both age groups, with stronger effects in more urban and more developed districts. Policies to decrease the level of corruption, the level of public debt and increases in net international reserves have positive effects on the growth in schooling, with stronger effects for different interactions.
Quantum Communication Cannot Simulate a Public Coin

We study the simultaneous message passing model of communication complexity. Building on the quantum fingerprinting protocol of Buhrman et al., Yao recently showed that a large class of efficient classical public-coin protocols can be turned into efficient quantum protocols without public coin. This raises the question whether this can be done always, i.e. whether quantum communication can always replace a public coin in the SMP model. We answer this question in the negative, exhibiting a communication problem where classical communication with public coin is exponentially more efficient than quantum communication. Together with a separation in the other direction due to Bar-Yossef et al., this shows that the quantum SMP model is incomparable with the classical public-coin SMP model. In addition we give a characterization of the power of quantum fingerprinting by means of a connection to geometrical tools from machine learning, a quadratic improvement of Yao's simulation, and a nearly tight analysis of the Hamming distance problem from Yao's paper.
123I-MIBG myocardial scintigraphy in patients with "takotsubo" cardiomyopathy.

UNLABELLED The clinical characteristics of reversible left ventricular dysfunction due to "takotsubo" cardiomyopathy have been described, but the origin of this condition remains unclear. This study investigated (123)I-metaiodobenzlguanidine ((123)I-MIBG) myocardial scintigraphy in patients with takotsubo cardiomyopathy. METHODS Eight consecutive patients with takotsubo cardiomyopathy were studied. Left ventricular wall motion was monitored by echocardiography until wall motion normalized. (123)I-MIBG myocardial scintigrams were performed within 3 d of admission (0 mo) and after the improvement of left ventricular dysfunction (3 mo). Early images were obtained at 30 min after radioisotope injection and delayed images were obtained after 4 h. The heart-to-mediastinum ratio (H/M ratio) and the washout rate were calculated. RESULTS The mean left ventricular ejection fraction improved significantly (from 42.8% +/- 8.7% to 66.5% +/- 7.9%; P < 0.0001) and normalized after 19.4 +/- 5.4 hospital days. The early H/M ratio was significantly higher than the late ratio at 0 mo (2.16 +/- 0.25 vs. 1.89 +/- 0.24, respectively; P < 0.05), but not at 3 mo. The washout rate was significantly greater at 0 mo than at 3 mo (39.1% +/- 10.2% vs. 25.4% +/- 6.3%, respectively; P < 0.05). CONCLUSION In patients with takotsubo cardiomyopathy, initial (123)I-MIBG myocardial scintigraphy depicted a unique pattern of ventricular asynergy and indicated the existence of cardiac sympathetic hyperactivity, although coronary blood flow was maintained. These findings strongly suggest that takotsubo cardiomyopathy could be caused by neurogenic myocardial stunning.
Guideline for the Evaluation of Cholestatic Jaundice in Infants: Recommendations of the North American Society for Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition

For the primary care provider, cholestatic jaundice in infancy, defined as jaundice caused by an elevated conjugated bilirubin, is an uncommon but potentially serious problem that indicates hepatobiliary dysfunction. Early detection of cholestatic jaundice by the primary care physician and timely, accurate diagnosis by the pediatric gastroenterologist are important for successful treatment and a favorable prognosis. The Cholestasis Guideline Committee of the North American Society for Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition has formulated a clinical practice guideline for the diagnostic evaluation of cholestatic jaundice in the infant. The Cholestasis Guideline Committee, consisting of a primary care pediatrician, a clinical epidemiologist (who also practices primary care pediatrics), and five pediatric gastroenterologists, based its recommendations on a comprehensive and systematic review of the medical literature integrated with expert opinion. Consensus was achieved through the Nominal Group Technique, a structured quantitative method. The Committee examined the value of diagnostic tests commonly used for the evaluation of cholestatic jaundice and how those interventions can be applied to clinical situations in the infant. The guideline provides recommendations for management by the primary care provider, indications for consultation by a pediatric gastroenterologist, and recommendations for management by the pediatric gastroenterologist. The Cholestasis Guideline Committee recommends that any infant noted to be jaundiced at 2 weeks of age be evaluated for cholestasis with measurement of total and direct serum bilirubin. However, breast-fed infants who can be reliably monitored and who have an otherwise normal history (no dark urine or light stools) and physical examination may be asked to return at 3 weeks of age and, if jaundice persists, have measurement of total and direct serum bilirubin at that time. This document represents the official recommendations of the North American Society for Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition on the evaluation of cholestatic jaundice in infants. The American Academy of Pediatrics has also endorsed these recommendations. These recommendations are a general guideline and are not intended as a substitute for clinical judgment or as a protocol for the care of all patients with this problem.
Nanoscale spatial organization of the HoxD gene cluster in distinct transcriptional states

Significance Ultrastructural chromatin dynamics may play a key role in regulating transcriptional activation. Here we have used super-resolution microscopy to study the folding mechanics of the HoxD cluster, as assayed by following the elongation of chromatin in single cells with different status of Hox gene activation. We observed that the spatial separation of Hoxd genes is strongest in those tissues where they are highly expressed. We also document that the opening of chromatin precedes transcription and that the strongest elongations are observed at the location of the boundary between two major topologically associating domains (TADs). These results shed light on how spatial compartmentalization is achieved, likely to accompany efficient chromatin reorganization upon activation of transcriptional switches. Chromatin condensation plays an important role in the regulation of gene expression. Recently, it was shown that the transcriptional activation of Hoxd genes during vertebrate digit development involves modifications in 3D interactions within and around the HoxD gene cluster. This reorganization follows a global transition from one set of regulatory contacts to another, between two topologically associating domains (TADs) located on either side of the HoxD locus. Here, we use 3D DNA FISH to assess the spatial organization of chromatin at and around the HoxD gene cluster and report that although the two TADs are tightly associated, they appear as spatially distinct units. We measured the relative position of genes within the cluster and found that they segregate over long distances, suggesting that a physical elongation of the HoxD cluster can occur. We analyzed this possibility by super-resolution imaging (STORM) and found that tissues with distinct transcriptional activity exhibit differing degrees of elongation. We also observed that the morphological change of the HoxD cluster in developing digits is associated with its position at the boundary between the two TADs. Such variations in the fine-scale architecture of the gene cluster suggest causal links among its spatial configuration, transcriptional activation, and the flanking chromatin context.
Real-time salient object detection

Salient object detection techniques have a variety of multimedia applications of broad interest. However, the detection must be fast to truly aid in these processes. There exist many robust algorithms tackling the salient object detection problem but most of them are computationally demanding. In this demonstration we show a fast salient object detection system implemented in a conventional PC environment. We examine the challenges faced in the design and development of a practical system that can achieve accurate detection in real-time.
Preservation of Differentiation and Clonogenic Potential of Human Hematopoietic Stem and Progenitor Cells during Lyophilization and Ambient Storage

Progenitor cell therapies show great promise, but their potential for clinical applications requires improved storage and transportation. Desiccated cells stored at ambient temperature would provide economic and practical advantages over approaches employing cell freezing and subzero temperature storage. The objectives of this study were to assess a method for loading the stabilizing sugar, trehalose, into hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells (HPC) and to evaluate the effects of subsequent freeze-drying and storage at ambient temperature on differentiation and clonogenic potential. HPC were isolated from human umbilical cord blood and loaded with trehalose using an endogenous cell surface receptor, termed P2Z. Solution containing trehalose-loaded HPC was placed into vials, which were transferred to a tray freeze-dryer and removed during each step of the freeze-drying process to assess differentiation and clonogenic potential. Control groups for these experiments were freshly isolated HPC. Control cells formed 1450±230 CFU-GM, 430±140 BFU-E, and 50±40 CFU-GEMM per 50 µL. Compared to the values for the control cells, there was no statistical difference observed for cells removed at the end of the freezing step or at the end of primary drying. There was a gradual decrease in the number of CFU-GM and BFU-E for cells removed at different temperatures during secondary drying; however, there were no significant differences in the number of CFU-GEMM. To determine storage stability of lyophilized HPC, cells were stored for 4 weeks at 25°C in the dark. Cells reconstituted immediately after lyophilization produced 580±90 CFU-GM (∼40%, relative to unprocessed controls p<0.0001), 170±70 BFU-E (∼40%, p<0.0001), and 41±22 CFU-GEMM (∼82%, p = 0.4171), and cells reconstituted after 28 days at room temperature produced 513±170 CFU-GM (∼35%, relative to unprocessed controls, p<0.0001), 112±68 BFU-E (∼26%, p<0.0001), and 36±17 CFU-GEMM (∼82%, p = 0.2164) These studies are the first to document high level retention of CFU-GEMM following lyophilization and storage for 4 weeks at 25°C. This type of flexible storage stability would potentially permit the ability to ship and store HPC without the need for refrigeration.
Helicobacter pylori, Anemia, and Iron Deficiency: Relationships Explored Among Alaska Native Children

Background: Attempts to understand determinants of anemia and iron deficiency have led researchers to examine the role of Helicobacter pylori infection. The current study assessed determinants of anemia and iron deficiency, including H. pylori, in Alaska Native children. Methods: In 1999, a population-based survey was conducted among 86 children (67% response rate), mean age of 43.7 months (standard deviation = 16.8 months). Samples of breath, stool, and venous blood were obtained from children for measures of anemia, iron deficiency, H. pylori, fecal blood loss, and current inflammation. Standardized interviews with parents provided information on demographics, illness, and intake of dietary iron, iron-absorption inhibitors, and enhancers. Results: Of the 86 children studied, 17.4% were anemic and 38.6% were iron deficient. Forty-one percent of the cohort had H. pylori-specific IgG antibodies, 86% tested positive by the urea breath test (UBT), and 80% tested positive by the stool antigen test. Presence of H. pylori antibodies emerged as a significant risk factor for anemia and iron deficiency in adjusted analyses controlling for demographic factors, current inflammation, and antibiotic use. In contrast, children with positive UBT or stool antigen results were significantly less likely to have anemia or iron deficiency than those with negative results. Conclusions: Results from different measures of H. pylori may reflect different stages of infection. Relationships between H. pylori and anemia/iron deficiency may depend on the phase of infection measured, with serologic tests reflecting established H. pylori infection associated with anemia/iron deficiency, and UBT and stool antigen results reflecting an earlier stage of infection.
School Shootings and Student Performance

In this paper, we study how high school students reacted to the shocking news of a school shooting. The shooting coincided with national high-school matriculation exams. As there were exams both before and after the shooting, we can perform a difference-in-differences analysis to uncover how the school shooting affected the test scores compared to previous years. We find that the average score of young men declined due to the school shooting, whereas we do not observe a similar pattern for women.
Thromboembolic Risk, Bleeding Outcomes and Effect of Different Antithrombotic Strategies in Very Elderly Patients With Atrial Fibrillation: A Sub‐Analysis From the PREFER in AF (PREvention oF Thromboembolic Events–European Registry in Atrial Fibrillation)

Background Increasing age predisposes to both thromboembolic and bleeding events in patients with atrial fibrillation; therefore, balancing risks and benefits of antithrombotic strategies in older populations is crucial. We investigated 1‐year outcome with different antithrombotic approaches in very elderly atrial fibrillation patients (age ≥85 years) compared with younger patients. Methods and Results We accessed individual patients’ data from the prospective PREFER in AF (PREvention oF thromboembolic events‐European Registry in Atrial Fibrillation), compared outcomes with and without oral anticoagulation (OAC), and estimated weighed net clinical benefit in different age groups. A total of 6412 patients, 505 of whom were aged ≥85 years, were analyzed. In patients aged <85 years, the incidence of thromboembolic events was 2.8%/year without OAC versus 2.3%/year with OAC (0.5% absolute reduction); in patients aged ≥85 years, it was 6.3%/year versus 4.3%/year (2% absolute reduction). In very elderly patients, the risk of major bleeding was higher than in younger patients, but similar in patients on OAC and in those on antiplatelet therapy or without antithrombotic treatment (4.0%/year versus 4.2%/year; P=0.77). OAC was overall associated with weighted net clinical benefit, assigning weights to nonfatal events according to their prognostic implication for subsequent death (−2.19%; CI, −4.23%, −0.15%; P=0.036). We found a significant gradient of this benefit as a function of age, with the oldest patients deriving the highest benefit. Conclusions Because the risk of stroke increases with age more than the risk of bleeding, the absolute benefit of OAC is highest in very elderly patients, where it, by far, outweighs the risk of bleeding, with the greatest net clinical benefit in such patients.
Low Density Lattice Codes

Low density lattice codes (LDLC) are novel lattice codes that can approach the capacity of the additive white Gaussian noise (AWGN) channel and be decoded efficiently. In LDLC a codeword x is generated directly at the n-dimensional Euclidean space as a linear transformation of a corresponding integer message vector b, i.e., x = Gb, where H = G -1 is restricted to be sparse. The fact that H is sparse is utilized to develop a linear-time iterative decoding scheme which attains, as demonstrated by simulations, good error performance within ~ 0.5 dB from capacity at block length of n = 100,000 symbols. The paper also discusses convergence results and implementation considerations
Relational Marginal Problems: Theory and Estimation

In the propositional setting, the marginal problem is to find a (maximum-entropy) distribution that has some given marginals. We study this problem in a relational setting and make the following contributions. First, we compare two different notions of relational marginals. Second, we show a duality between the resulting relational marginal problems and the maximum likelihood estimation of the parameters of relational models, which generalizes a well-known duality from the propositional setting. Third, by exploiting the relational marginal formulation, we present a statistically sound method to learn the parameters of relational models that will be applied in settings where the number of constants differs between the training and test data. Furthermore, based on a relational generalization of marginal polytopes, we characterize cases where the standard estimators based on feature's number of true groundings needs to be adjusted and we quantitatively characterize the consequences of these adjustments. Fourth, we prove bounds on expected errors of the estimated parameters, which allows us to lower-bound, among other things, the effective sample size of relational training data.
Focus on : Promoting Cardiovascular Health ( I ) Promoting Cardiovascular Health Worldwide : Strategies , Challenges , and Opportunities

Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death in the world, affecting not only industrialized but, above all, lowand middle-income countries, where it has overtaken infectious diseases as the first cause of death and its impact threatens social and economic development. The increased prevalence of cardiovascular disease in recent years together with projected mortality for the coming decades constitute an irrefutable argument for the urgent implementation of well-planned interventions to control the pandemic of cardiovascular diseases, especially in the more economically deprived countries. The combination of behavioral, social, environmental, and biological factors, and others related to health care systems, that contribute to the development of cardiovascular diseases requires a multi-sector strategy that promotes a healthy lifestyle, reduces cardiovascular risk factors, and cuts mortality and morbidity through quality health care services. These proposals should be guided by leaders in the scientific community, government, civil society, private sector, and local communities. 2014 Sociedad Española de Cardiologı́a. Published by Elsevier España, S.L. U. All rights reserved. Promoción de la salud cardiovascular global: estrategias, retos y oportunidades
Modeling and Extracting Load Intensity Profiles

Today's system developers and operators face the challenge of creating software systems that make efficient use of dynamically allocated resources under highly variable and dynamic load profiles, while at the same time delivering reliable performance. Benchmarking of systems under these constraints is difficult, as state-of-the-art benchmarking frameworks provide only limited support for emulating such dynamic and highly variable load profiles for the creation of realistic workload scenarios. Industrial benchmarks typically confine themselves to workloads with constant or stepwise increasing loads. Alternatively, they support replaying of recorded load traces. Statistical load intensity descriptions also do not sufficiently capture concrete pattern load profile variations over time. To address these issues, we present the Descartes Load Intensity Model (DLIM). DLIM provides a modeling formalism for describing load intensity variations over time. A DLIM instance can be used as a compact representation of a recorded load intensity trace, providing a powerful tool for benchmarking and performance analysis. As manually obtaining DLIM instances can be time consuming, we present three different automated extraction methods, which also help to enable autonomous system analysis for self-adaptive systems. Model expressiveness is validated using the presented extraction methods. Extracted DLIM instances exhibit a median modeling error of 12.4% on average over nine different real-world traces covering between two weeks and seven months. Additionally, extraction methods perform orders of magnitude faster than existing time series decomposition approaches.
Viscosity Studies of Binary Liquid Mixture of Methyl Acrylate and Benzene and Substituted Halo Benzenes at 313.15k

Studied the binary liquid mixtures of Methyl Acrylate with Benzene (B), and Substituted Halo Benzene molecules like Chloro Benzene (CB) and Bromo Benzene (BB) at 313.15K. Initially, the density and viscosities of the mixtures are measured and this data is utilized to calculate excess properties like excess molar volume (VE), excess viscosity (ηE), and excess Gibbs free energy (ΔG*E). These excess parameter values are fitted in the Redlich–Kister Polynomial equation and the intermolecular interaction is discussed.
Deletions in GRID2 lead to a recessive syndrome of cerebellar ataxia and tonic upgaze in humans

Objective: To identify the genetic cause of a syndrome causing cerebellar ataxia and eye movement abnormalities. Methods: We identified 2 families with cerebellar ataxia, eye movement abnormalities, and global developmental delay. We performed genetic analyses including single nucleotide polymorphism genotyping, linkage analysis, array comparative genomic hybridization, quantitative PCR, and Sanger sequencing. We obtained eye movement recordings of mutant mice deficient for the ortholog of the identified candidate gene, and performed immunohistochemistry using human and mouse brain specimens. Results: All affected individuals had ataxia, eye movement abnormalities, most notably tonic upgaze, and delayed speech and cognitive development. Homozygosity mapping identified the disease locus on chromosome 4q. Within this region, a homozygous deletion of GRID2 exon 4 in the index family and compound heterozygous deletions involving GRID2 exon 2 in the second family were identified. Grid2-deficient mice showed larger spontaneous and random eye movements compared to wild-type mice. In developing mouse and human cerebella, GRID2 localized to the Purkinje cell dendritic spines. Brain MRI in 2 affected children showed progressive cerebellar atrophy, which was more severe than that of Grid2-deficient mice. Conclusions: Biallelic deletions of GRID2 lead to a syndrome of cerebellar ataxia and tonic upgaze in humans. The phenotypic resemblance and similarity in protein expression pattern between humans and mice suggest a conserved role for GRID2 in the synapse organization between parallel fibers and Purkinje cells. However, the progressive and severe cerebellar atrophy seen in the affected individuals could indicate an evolutionarily unique role for GRID2 in the human cerebellum.