Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Economies of Scale, the Lunch-Breakfast Ratio, and the Cost of USDA School Breakfasts and Lunches

Through USDA’s National School Lunch and Breakfast Programs, schools receive financial support to assist them in serving nutritious meals to students. Meal reimbursements are provided to a school food authority (SFA) on the basis of a child’s financial need, allowing schools to provide healthy meals to low-income students for free or at a reduced price. Reimbursement rates are set nationwide, yet variation in school location, size, and other factors may influence the costs to schools for providing meals, with implications for the adequacy of reimbursement. Previous ERS research using data from the 2002-03 school year found that school food service costs vary by location. This study uses those same data to build on that research by examining breakfast and lunch costs separately to assess how economies of scale and the balance between the number of breakfasts and lunches served affect costs. Costs of both breakfasts and lunches vary considerably across SFAs. Economies of scale exist for both breakfasts and lunches but are much stronger for breakfasts. The balance between breakfasts and lunches served also affects costs, with the cost per breakfast dropping dramatically as the number of breakfasts and lunches served become more balanced.
Hepatitis E virus reinfections in solid-organ-transplant recipients can evolve into chronic infections.

BACKGROUND Hepatitis E virus (HEV) infections are a major cause of acute hepatitis in developing and industrialized countries. Little is known about anti-HEV immunity in solid-organ recipients. METHODS We screened 263 solid-organ recipients for anti-HEV immunoglobulin G (IgG) at transplantation. They were followed up for 1 year and tested for HEV RNA and anti-HEV antibodies 1 year after transplantation and if their liver enzyme activities increased. RESULTS A total of 38.4% had anti-HEV IgG at transplantation. The mean concentrations (±SD) of anti-HEV IgG at transplantation (8 ± 17.5 U/mL) and 1 year later (6.4 ± 12.0 U/mL, P = .4) were similar. There were 3 de novo HEV infections during the 1-year follow-up among patients who were HEV seronegative before transplantation, giving an annual incidence of 2.1%. We also identified 3 HEV reinfections among patients who were seropositive before transplantation through detection of HEV RNA, for an annual incidence of 3.3%. Their anti-HEV IgG concentrations were 0.3, 2.1, and 6.2 World Health Organization (WHO) units/mL before transplantation. Reinfection of the patient with the lowest IgG concentration at transplantation had evolved to a chronic infection. CONCLUSIONS Low anti-HEV antibodies (<7 WHO units/mL) seemed not to protect solid-organ recipients. HEV reinfection in immunocompromised patients can lead to chronic infection, as in primary infections.
The Impact of Retirement on Health in Canada

Dans cette étude empirique, j’analyse l’effet de la retraite sur la santé, en utilisant l’état de santé autodéclaré comme outil de mesure. Je m’appuie sur sept séries de données longitudinales de l’Enquête nationale sur la santé de la population, qui couvrent les années 1994 à 2006. Pour tenir compte de biais dus à des hétérogénéités individuelles spécifiques non observées, j’ai recours à la méthode des effets fixes. Les résultats indiquent que la retraite a un effet positif mais non significatif sur l’état de santé, autant globalement que pour des sous-groupes basés sur le sexe et le revenu.
The Role of Physical Activity on Mood State and Functional Skills of Elderly Women

Introduction: Ageing is associated with several physical, psychological and behavioral changes. These changes are closely related with global health and functional capacity in the elderly. Mood disturbances are common among the elderly and may significantly increase apathy, resulting in decreased habitual physical activity levels. Materials and Methods: The purpose of this cross-sectional study was to evaluate the mood state and functional motor capacities of elderly women engaged in a public physical activity program in Brazil and compare them with physically inactive elderly. Thirty elderly women were included in the study and categorized into two groups: physically active group, composed of participants enrolled on a public physical activity program (n = 16, 69±5 years) and physically inactive group (n = 14, 68±4 years). Total mood disturbance was assessed using the Profile of Mood States, whereas functional motor capacity was evaluated with the Sitting and Rising test. Independent t test and Mann-Whitney U] were used to compare groups. Results: The physically active group had lower total mood disturbance (p=0.02), confusion (p<0.01), tension (p<0.01), hostility (p=0.05) and fatigue (p=0.01) compared to the physically inactive group. There were no group differences regarding vigor, depression and sitting and rising performance (p>0.05). Conclusion: Lack of difference in functional motor capacity between the physically active and inactive elderly may be explained by the absence of exercise systematization in these programs.
Regulation of Iron Homeostasis Mediated by the Heme-binding Protein Dap1 (Damage Resistance Protein 1) via the P450 Protein Erg11/Cyp51*

Fungal infections arise frequently in immunocompromised patients, and sterol synthesis is a primary pathway targeted by antifungal drugs. In particular, the P450 protein Erg11/Cyp51 catalyzes a critical step in ergosterol synthesis, and the azole class of antifungal drugs inhibits Erg11. Dap1 is a heme-binding protein related to cytochrome b5 that activates Erg11, so that cells lacking Dap1 accumulate the Erg11 substrate and are hypersensitive to Erg11 inhibitors. Heme binding by Dap1 is crucial for its function, and point mutants in its heme-binding domain render Dap1 inactive for sterol biosynthesis and DNA damage resistance. Like Dap1, the human homologue, PGRMC1/Hpr6, also regulates sterol synthesis and DNA damage resistance. In the present study, we demonstrate that the Dap1 heme-1 domain is required for growth under conditions of low iron availability. Loss of Dap1 is suppressed by elevated levels of Erg11 but not by increased heme biosynthesis. Dap1 localizes to punctate cytoplasmic structures that co-fractionate with endosomes, and Dap1 contributes to the integrity of the vacuole. The results suggest that Saccharomyces cerevisiae Dap1 stimulates a P450-catalyzed step in sterol synthesis via a distinct localization from its homologues in Schizosaccharomyces pombe and mammals and that this function regulates iron metabolism.
Assessing field performance of flexible PV modules for moisture induced degradation from accelerated testing

The work presented here is aimed at assessing the field performance of flexible photovoltaic (PV) modules with regard to moisture-induced degradation through the use of accelerated testing. A semi-empirical framework for such assessment is developed using a combination of empirical and analytical models. Testing at different temperature and humidity conditions is carried out for representative flexible copper indium gallium selenide (CIGS) based PV module configurations. Test results highlight the limitations of such accelerated testing and it is shown that for the high-moisture-barrier systems tested, the test times can become prohibitive for establishing humidity dependence through accelerated testing. Through the use of empirical models based on the theory of rate processes, a method is proposed to translate test results to field performance using typical meteorological year (TMY) data.
Mild Hypercholesterolemia, Normal Plasma Triglycerides, and Normal Glucose Levels Across Dementia Staging in Alzheimer’s Disease

We examined retrospectively the concurrent relationships between fasting plasma total cholesterol, triglycerides, and glucose levels, and Alzheimer’s disease (AD), in a clinical setting-based study. Total cholesterol level was higher in patients with AD compared to elderly controls; triglycerides or glucose levels did not significantly differ between the 2 groups. Respective plotted trajectories of change in cholesterol level across age were fairly parallel. No significant difference in total cholesterol levels was recorded between patients with AD classified by the Clinical Dementia Rating (CDR) score subgroups. These results suggest that patients with AD have relative mild total hypercholesterolemia, normal triglyceridemia, and normal fasting plasma glucose level. Mild total hypercholesterolemia seems to be permanent across age, and across dementia severity staging, and fairly parallels the trajectory of age-related change in total cholesterolemia of healthy controls. We speculate that these biochemical parameters pattern may be present long before—a decade at least—the symptomatic onset of the disease.
Efficiency calculation of THz photoconductive antennas in a pulsed system

To design terahertz (THz) photoconductive antennas with high output power and/or high optical-THz conversion efficiency, the photoconductor property is an important consideration. In this paper, the effect of using approximate and precise source conductance equations on obtaining optical-THz conversion efficiency of the antenna is investigated. It is shown that based on these two equations, before the occurrence of saturation at high optical powers, the total optical-THz conversion efficiencies are different. This is due to the difference in matching between the source and the antenna. Moreover, optimum optical-THz conversion efficiency in relation to input optical power and limiting parameters on radiated THz power are addressed. This analysis provides information on tuning the system for the suitable input optical power; hence optimum optical-THz conversion efficiencies can be obtained from the device. Furthermore, the efficiency expression derived in [1] is further modified using the new source conductance definition and equivalent circuit method, the results obtained using the improved expression better match with experiment results reported in literature.
β-Blockade Therapy for Supraventricular Tachyarrhythmias After Coronary Surgery: A Propranolol Withdrawal Syndrome?

A high incidence of cardiac arrhythmias and hypertension has been noted after coronary artery bypass surgery in patients previously treated with oral propranolol. Forty-two patients undergoing coronary bypass surgery had propranolol withdrawal 10 hours before surgery and were randomized into a group treated with propranolol immediately postoperatively, and a nontreatment group. Patients treated with prophylactic propranolol had a significantly lower incidence of postoperative supraventricular arrhythmias compared to patints who received no prophylaxis. All the arrhythmias responded rapidly to 1 mg of intravenous propranolol therapy, whether it was used as a primary treatment or as a supplement to prophylactic propranolol. The findings suggest that (1) there is a high incidence of supraventricular arrhythmias and sinus tachycardia after coronary artery bypass which might reflect an abrupt propranolol withdrawal, and (2) that perioperative prophylactic or supplementary propranolol therapy will successfully prevent or treat most of these arrhythmias.
A compact model for RRAM including random telegraph noise

In this paper, we develop a RRAM compact model accounting for random telegraph noise (RTN) effect. In particular, we develop a Monte Carlo method to effectively capture the behaviors of the traps in the tunneling gap, which can be used to predict the current fluctuation caused by RTN. The model is validated with experimental data under various operating conditions. The model can be applied to study RRAM circuit reliability for efficient design space explorations.
Methane emissions from stabilization ponds for municipal wastewater treatment in Mexico

Abstract Wastewater treatment (WWT) is applied for environmental protection and water reclamation. However, this activity has been identified as a source of methane (CH4), contributing to climate change. WWT (municipal and industrial) is estimated to produce 8 to 11% to overall CH4 emissions. In order to apply effective mitigation strategies in the water sector, a more precise inventory of CH4 emission should be accomplished. The application of the Tier 1 methodology in the Guidelines for National Greenhouse Gas Inventories of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) results in rough estimations, as default emission factors are used. An effort should be done for determining actual emission factors for the more representative treatment processes in a given region or country. In this work, a detailed inventory of CH4 emissions form municipal wastewater management in Mexico was obtained, based on the Tier 1 IPCC methodology. In addition, on-site CH4 emission measurements in five stabilization ponds (SP) were realized. The total CH4 emissions generated by municipal WWT in Mexico were 600.4 Gigagrams (Gg) for year 2010. Also, the IPCC (theoretical) estimations showed that CH4 emissions were overestimated if compared with the results obtained in the five sampled facilities. The on-site emission factors obtained showed wide variation as they are specific to each sampled system and to their particular environmental and operating conditions. In Mexico, the value of 0.431 kg CH4/kg BOD removed (0.110 kg CH4/m3 treated water) may be used for SP with good operational practices.
The Effect of Financial Constraints on Income Shifting by U.S. Multinationals

ABSTRACT: When a U.S. multinational corporation shifts income from the U.S. to foreign jurisdictions, it incurs costs and reaps benefits. The benefits may be reduced if the shifted income must be returned to the U.S. as a dividend in the short term and face the same U.S. tax it would have if the income had not been shifted. Firms, then, have incentive to defer repatriation of earnings and to fund domestic cash needs with external financing. The cost of external financing, however, is increasing in financial constraints, leading to the prediction that constrained firms will be unable to defer repatriation and, therefore, will reap no benefits from shifting. Using a new methodology for measuring income shifting, we find, consistent with predictions, that financially constrained firms shift less income from the U.S. to foreign countries than their unconstrained peers. We estimate that financially constrained firms shift out 20 percent less of pre-shifted income than unconstrained firms. Translating this perc.
Present significance of resistance to trimethoprim and sulphonamides in coliforms, Staphylococcus aureus, and Streptococcus faecalis

The incidence of trimethoprim resistance in coliforms and multiresistant strains of Staphylococcus aureus isolated in Bristol from 1970 to 1972 is low—2·3 and 1·0% respectively. The resistance is probably intrinsic; there is no evidence that it is R-factor or plasmid mediated. A single mechanism that confers resistance to both trimethoprim and sulphamethoxazole has not been detected. Normal growing one-step mutants of S. aureus and Escherichia coli resistant to trimethoprim could not be isolated in vitro. For these reasons cotrimoxazole should retain its usefulness against these bacteria for some years. However, contrimoxazole was found not to be bactericidal against many coliforms. The usefulness of cotrimoxazole against Streptococcus faecalis seems limited because mutants resistant to trimethoprim occurred at high frequency in one step.
Wages and Labor Market Slack: Making the Dual Mandate Operational

In this paper we examine the impact of rises in inactivity on wages in the US economy and find evidence of a statistically significant negative effect. These nonparticipants exert additional downward pressure on wages over and above the impact of the unemployment rate itself. This pattern holds across recent decades in the US data, and the relationship strengthens in recent years when variation in participation increases. We also examine the impact of long-term unemployment on wages and find it has no different effect from that of short-term unemployment. Our analysis provides strong empirical support, we argue, for the assessment that continuing labor market slack is a key reason for the persistent shortfall in inflation relative to the Federal Open Market Committee’s (FOMC) 2 percent inflation goal. Further, we suggest our results point towards using wage inflation as an additional intermediate target for monetary policy by the FOMC.
Mood disturbances and cognitive functioning in Parkinson's disease: The effects of disease duration and side of onset of motor symptoms

Some research has supported differences in mood functioning in patients with Parkinson's disease (PD) whose motor symptoms begin at the left or right hemibody. Also, a relationship between disease duration and mood disturbances has been reported, but only for PD patients with right hemibody onset. There have been no investigations reported examining the potential interactions between side of onset of motor symptoms, mood, and disease duration on cognitive functioning. Hence, the purpose of this investigation was to determine whether the interaction between mood and disease duration differentially affects cognitive functioning in patients with PD whose motor symptoms begin at the left and right hemibody. A total of 33 PD patients with left hemibody onset and 29 PD patients with right hemibody onset were given a battery of tests to evaluate mood functioning and general cognitive functioning. As predicted, the results indicated that the interaction of disease duration and mood significantly predicted cognitive functioning for PD patients with right hemibody onset of symptoms but not for PD patients with left hemibody onset of symptoms. Interestingly, an unexpected finding was a significant positive relationship between disease duration and energy level for patients with left hemibody onset but not for patients with right hemibody onset. These results indicate that mood problems and disease duration interact to significantly affect cognitive functioning but only for those PD patients who experience a right hemibody onset of symptoms.
Protocol liver biopsies in long-term management of patients transplanted for hepatitis B-related liver disease.

AIM To evaluate the long-term histological outcome of patients transplanted for HBV-related liver disease and given HBIg prophylaxis indefinitely after LT. METHODS Forty-two consecutive patients transplanted for hepatitis B were prospectively studied. HBsAg, HBV-DNA and liver function tests were evaluated in the serum 3, 6 and 12 mo after LT and then yearly. LB was obtained 6 and 12 mo after LT and yearly thereafter. Chronic hepatitis (CH) B after LT was classified as minimal, mild, moderate or severe. RESULTS HBV recurred in 7/42 (16.6%) patients after 6-96 mo of follow-up. A hundred and eighty-seven LB were evaluated. Four of 7 patients with graft reinfection, all with unknown HBV DNA status before LT, developed cirrhosis at 12-36 mo of follow-up. Of the 122 LB obtained from 28 HBsAg+/HCV- recipients with no HBV recurrence after LT, all biopsies were completely normal in only 2 patients (7.1%), minimal/non-specific changes were observed in 18 (64.2%), and at least 1 biopsy showed CH in the remaining 8 (28.5%). Twenty-nine LB obtained from 7 patients transplanted for HBV-HCV cirrhosis and remaining HBsAg- after LT revealed recurrent CH-C. Actuarial survival was similar in patients with HBsAg+ or HBsAg- liver diseases. CONCLUSION Though protocol biopsies may enable the detection of graft dysfunction at an early stage, the risk of progression and the clinical significance of these findings remains to be determined.
N450 and LPC Event-Related Potential Correlates of an Emotional Stroop Task with Words Differing in Valence and Emotional Origin

Affective meaning of verbal stimuli was found to influence cognitive control as expressed in the Emotional Stroop Task (EST). Behavioral studies have shown that factors such as valence, arousal, and emotional origin of reaction to stimuli associated with words can lead to lengthening of reaction latencies in EST. Moreover, electrophysiological studies have revealed that affective meaning altered amplitude of some components of evoked potentials recorded during EST, and that this alteration correlated with the performance in EST. The emotional origin was defined as processing based on automatic vs. reflective mechanisms, that underlines formation of emotional reactions to words. The aim of the current study was to investigate, within the framework of EST, correlates of processing of words differing in valence and origin levels, but matched in arousal, concreteness, frequency of appearance and length. We found no behavioral differences in response latencies. When controlling for origin, we found no effects of valence. We found the effect of origin on ERP in two time windows: 290–570 and 570–800 ms. The earlier effect can be attributed to cognitive control while the latter is rather the manifestation of explicit processing of words. In each case, reflective originated stimuli evoked more positive amplitudes compared to automatic originated words.
Co‐ordinated expression of phycobiliprotein operons in the chromatically adapting cyanobacterium Calothrix PCC 7601: a role for RcaD and RcaG

In the cyanobacterium Calothrix sp. PCC 7601 the cpc2 operon encoding phycocyanin 2 (PC2) is expressed if red radiations are available. RcaD was previously identified in extracts from red‐light‐grown cells as an alkaline phosphatase‐sensitive protein that binds upstream of the transcription start point (TSP) of the cpc2 operon. In this work, RcaD was purified, and the corresponding gene cloned with a PCR probe obtained using degenerated primers based on RcaD peptide sequences (accession no. AJ319541). Purified RcaD binds to the cpc2 promoter region and also to those of the constitutive cpc1 and apc1 operons that encode phycocyanin 1 and allophycocyanin. Escherichia coli‐overexpressed RcaD can bind to the cpc2 promoter region. The rcaD gene is upstream of an open reading frame (ORF) termed rcaG. Co‐transcription of both genes was demonstrated by reverse transcription (RT)‐PCR experiments, and found to be independent of the light wavelengths. A single TSP was mapped. Sequence features of RcaD and RcaG led us to propose a functional relationship between these two proteins. A rcaD mutant generated by allelic exchange exhibited altered expression of the cpc2, cpeBA, apc1 and cpc1 operons upon green to red‐light shifts. RcaD seems to be a co‐activator co‐ordinating the transcription of the phycobiliprotein operons upon changes in light spectral quality.
The perception of continuity of care from the perspective of patients with diabetes.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES Traditional indices of continuity of care typically capture frequency of physician visits but lack information regarding how patients themselves perceive continuity of care. The present study's objectives were (1) to examine the meaning of continuity of care from the perspective of patients with diabetes and (2) to understand the factors that enhance or detract from continuity of care. METHODS Seven focus groups with 46 adult patients were held at a health service organization in Northern Ontario. All focus group interviews were tape recorded, transcribed verbatim, and analyzed using a phenomenological approach. Triangulation occurred through participant feedback of transcript summaries and consensus of themes by the multidisciplinary research team. RESULTS Patients conceptualized continuity of care in a broad and multifaceted manner that was comprised of five components: (1) access to services, (2) interactions with physician, (3) interactions with other health care providers, (4) personal self responsibility, and (5) communication. CONCLUSIONS Continuity of care was perceived by patients to include a wider range of components than what is traditionally associated with continuity of care. The emphasis on personal self responsibility by some patients provides a deeper understanding of what patients feel encompass continuity of care.