Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Obesity in Indian children: time trends and relationship with hypertension.

BACKGROUND Limited data are available from India regarding the distribution and profile of childhood obesity and hypertension. We examined the time trends in childhood obesity in a representative sample of schoolchildren from Ernakulam District, Kerala and determined the relationship of obesity with blood pressure. METHODS We used a stratified random cluster sampling method to select the children. Anthropometric data were collected from 24 842 students, 5-16 years of age, during 2003-04. Blood pressure and anthropometric data were collected from 20 263 students during 2005-06. Overweight and obesity were defined by body mass index for gender and age. Gender, age and height were considered for determining hypertension. RESULTS The proportion of overweight children increased from 4.94% of the total students in 2003 to 6.57% in 2005 (OR: 1.36; 95% CI: 1.25-1.47; p < 0.0001). The increase was significant in both boys and girls. The proportion of overweight children was significantly higher in urban regions and in private schools, and the rising trend was limited to private schools. Systolic or diastolic incident hypertension was found in 17.34% of overweight children versus 10.1% of the remaining students (OR: 1.87; 95% CI: 1.60-2.17; p < 0.0001). CONCLUSION Childhood obesity showed an increasing trend in a short period of 2 years. Hypertension was common in overweight children. The results suggest the need for greater public awareness and prevention programmes on childhood obesity and hypertension.
Reliability of statistics on violent death and suicide in the former USSR, 1970–1990

The stability of the relationship between trends of violent deaths as a whole, suicides and death from undetermined causes was assessed by quantitative methods for the whole former USSR in the years 1970–1990 and for each of the 15 republics in the former USSR for the years 1984–1990. Semi‐structured interviews during 1989–1996 were performed with 12 professionals involved in the diagnosis and coding of causes of death in the Baltic states and Russia. The quantitative analyses showed that mortality data were reliable for the Slavic (Russia, the Ukraine and Belarus) and Baltic (Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania) republics, and also for Kazakhstan, Kirgizia and Moldova. The Central Asian and Caucasian republics showed greater variation in trends and ratios, indicating a need for further investigations of the reliability of suicide statistics in these regions. It emerged from the interviews that no instructions to falsify data were given. The only instructions given were to treat the data on suicide and murder as ‘top secret’. None the less, certain classification errors might arise in the statistics. The diagnosis ‘undetermined cause of death’ was permissible only as a preliminary diagnosis for 14 days, and there was a risk of criticism for poor‐quality work if too many deaths were classified as being due to undetermined causes. Misclassifications could also occur in cases where there was a wish to conceal murder. Negative attitudes towards suicide, especially in Muslim regions, where suicide is taboo, might also have contributed to under‐reporting of suicide.
Special Education Teachers' Voices on Co-Planning in a Suburban School District.

Special Education Teachers’ Voices on Co-Planning in a Suburban School District by Corinne Jeffers MA, Brenau University, 2009 Dissertation Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Education Walden University September 2017 Abstract Limited co-planning between special education and general education co-teaching partners has been documented in professional literature as a significant problem. Special education teachers do not adequately co-plan for the implementation of accommodations for students with disabilities educated in the general education classroom. The purpose of this study was to collect and analyze the perceptions of special education teachers in oneLimited co-planning between special education and general education co-teaching partners has been documented in professional literature as a significant problem. Special education teachers do not adequately co-plan for the implementation of accommodations for students with disabilities educated in the general education classroom. The purpose of this study was to collect and analyze the perceptions of special education teachers in one suburban elementary school district in the United States regarding co-planning with regular education teachers. The theory of self-efficacy was utilized as the conceptual framework to understand how teachers’ beliefs and experiences influenced planning and goal setting for special education students. Research questions were designed to capture the perceptions of elementary school special education teachers by documenting their roles, beliefs, and self-efficacy for co-planning. In this qualitative case study, 8 elementary school special education teachers currently holding co-teaching assignments in a public school district were interviewed. Interview data were analyzed using thematic analysis. School documents were also analyzed as a method of triangulation. Results were reflective of the theoretical framework in that special education teachers’ believed that their co-planning experience influenced their general teaching efficacy, but not their personal teaching efficacy. They felt more prepared to teach general education students, but maintained their personal expertise in teaching special education students. The implications for social change include enhanced morale for teaching in inclusive classrooms for special education teachers, enhanced social interaction between coteachers and students, and enhanced learning for all students including those with disabilities that might result in opportunities for educational and career advancement. Special Education Teachers’ Voices on Co-Planning in a Suburban School District by
The protein content in crystals and packing coefficients in different space groups.

A precise way of estimating the packing coefficient, i.e. the ratio between the protein and unit-cell volume, or solvent content in protein crystals is given. At present, the solvent content is not given for most proteins in the Protein Data Bank and in many cases where it is given the values are dubious. The mean density of proteins in the crystalline form is around 1.22 g cm(-3), not 1.35 g cm(-3) as usually stated. This is equivalent to 19.5 A(3) per non-H atom. A statistical investigation of the average protein content and packing coefficient in different space groups is presented. The packing coefficients are generally higher in the most frequently occurring space groups than in the uncommon space groups. There is also a remarkable difference in frequency distribution for enantiomorphous pairs of space groups.
Hürthle cell neoplasms of the thyroid: are there factors predictive of malignancy?

OBJECTIVE To determine if any preoperative or intraoperative factors can reliably predict malignancy in patients with Hürthle cell neoplasms. SUMMARY BACKGROUND DATA Most experienced surgeons recommend total thyroidectomy for Hürthle cell carcinomas and reserve thyroid lobectomy for Hürthle cell adenomas. However, delineation between Hürthle cell adenoma versus carcinoma often cannot reliably be made either before or during surgery. METHODS Medical records from 57 consecutive patients who underwent thyroid resections for Hürthle cell neoplasms between October 1984 and April 1995 at The Johns Hopkins Hospital were analyzed to determine if any factors were predictive of malignancy. RESULTS Of the 57 patients with Hürthle cell neoplasms, 37 had adenomas and 20 had carcinomas, resulting in a 35% prevalence of malignancy. Patients with adenomas did not differ from those with carcinoma with respect to age, sex, or history of head and neck irradiation. However, patients with Hürthle cell carcinomas had significantly larger tumors (4.0 +/- 0.4 cm vs. 2.4 +/- 0.2 cm, p < 0.005). Furthermore, although the incidence of malignancy was only 17% for tumors 1 cm or less and 23% for tumors 1 to 4 cm, tumors 4 cm or greater were malignant 65% of the time (p < 0.05). Both fine-needle aspiration and intraoperative frozen section analysis had low sensitivities in the detection of cancer (16% and 23%, respectively). With up to 9 years of follow-up, there has been no tumor-related mortality. CONCLUSIONS These data demonstrate that the size of a Hürthle cell neoplasm is predictive of malignancy. Therefore, at the time of initial exploration for large Hürthle cell neoplasms (>4 cm), definitive resection involving both thyroid lobes should be considered because of the higher probability of malignancy.
How Sustainable Is Big Data?

The rapid growth of “big data” provides tremendous opportunities for making better decisions, where “better” can be defined using any combination of economic, environmental, or social metrics. This essay provides a few examples of how the use of big data can precipitate more sustainable decision‐making. However, as with any technology, the use of big data on a large scale will have some undesirable consequences. Some of these are foreseeable, while others are entirely unpredictable. This essay highlights some of the sustainability‐related challenges posed by the use of big data. It does not intend to suggest that the advent of big data is an undesirable development. However, it is not too early to start asking what the unwanted repercussions of the big data revolution might be.
Plasmid-mediated quinolone resistance in typhoidal Salmonellae: a preliminary report from South India.

BACKGROUND Fluoroquinolones are the drugs extensively employed for the treatment of Salmonella infections. Over the couple of decades that have elapsed since the introduction of fluoroquinolones, resistance to these agents by Enterobacteriaceae family members has become common and widespread. Although fluoroquinolone resistance is mediated by genomic DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid) as well as plasmid DNA, the plasmid-mediated quinolone resistance (PMQR) facilitates higher level resistance by interacting with genomic mechanism and is capable of horizontal spread. MATERIALS AND METHODS During a period of 1-year, 63 typhoidal Salmonellae were isolated from 14,050 blood cultures and one parietal wall abscess. 36 (56.25%) were Salmonella Typhi and 27 (42%) were Salmonella Paratyphi A. They were all screened for resistance by the disc diffusion method and their minimum inhibitory concentrations were determined using agar dilution, broth dilution and E-strip method. Ciprofloxacin resistant isolates were screened for PMQR determinants by polymerase chain reaction assay. RESULTS All the 63 isolates were resistant to nalidixic acid. Among the 36 S. Typhi isolates 20 were resistant to ciprofloxacin, of which 14 carried the plasmid gene qnrB and one carried the aac(6')-Ib-cr gene. qnrA and qnrS genes were not detected. Ciprofloxacin resistance was not seen in any of the S. Paratyphi A isolates. CONCLUSION The antibiotic sensitivity pattern of typhoidal Salmonellae shows an increasing trend of PMQR. The allele B of qnr gene was found to be the predominant cause of PMQR in this study.
Employment Adjustment Over the Business Cycle: The Impact of Competition in the Labor Market

Using linked employer-employee data which covers the majority of U.S. employment, I examine how frictions in the labor market have evolved over time. I estimate that the labor supply elasticity to the firm declined by approximately 0.19 log points (1.20 to 1.01) since the late 1990's, with the steepest declines occurring during the financial crisis. I find that this decline in labor market competition cost workers about 4 percent in lost earnings. I also find evidence that relatively monopsonistic firms smooth their employment behavior, growing at a rate lower than relatively competitive firms in good economic climates and slightly higher during poor economic climates. This conforms with the predictions of recent macroeconomic search models which suggest that frictions in the economy may actually reduce employment fluctuations.
Impact of Derivative Usage on Firm's Risk and Value: a Comparative Analysis of Pakistan and Malaysia

This study empirically examines the effect of derivative usage on firm’s risk and value by employing sample data of Pakistani and Malaysian listed companies for the period of 2004--2010. Supporting the risk management use of derivative instruments, the study finds that the usage of derivative instruments significantly minimizes firm’s risk, with respect to operating cash flow variability in both Pakistan and Malaysia, although the extent of risk reduction is higher in Malaysian firms. While considering variability in earning per share as a firm’s risk, the findings imply that Pakistani firm’s earning per share variability is irrelevant for firm’s derivative usage, whereas Malaysian firms are able to minimize such volatility by using derivative instruments. The results show the insignificant effect regarding the relationship of derivative usage with firm’s value of Malaysian corporations, indicating that as Malaysia has developed capital market and firms are more geographically diversified in comparison to Pakistan, thus their value relevance of derivative usage are limited. While in the case of Pakistan, the use of derivative instruments significantly enhances firm’s value.
&agr;1-Adrenergic Receptor Subtypes in Nonfailing and Failing Human Myocardium

Background—&agr;1-adrenergic receptors (&agr;1-ARs) play adaptive roles in the heart and protect against the development of heart failure. The 3 &agr;1-AR subtypes, &agr;1A, &agr;1B, and &agr;1D, have distinct physiological roles in mouse heart, but very little is known about &agr;1 subtypes in human heart. Here, we test the hypothesis that the &agr;1A and &agr;1B subtypes are present in human myocardium, similar to the mouse, and are not downregulated in heart failure. Methods and Results—Hearts from transplant recipients and unused donors were failing (n=12; mean ejection fraction, 24%) or nonfailing (n=9; mean ejection fraction, 59%) and similar in age (≈44 years) and sex (≈70% male). We measured the &agr;1-AR subtypes in multiple regions of both ventricles by quantitative real-time reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction and radioligand binding. All 3 &agr;1-AR subtype mRNAs were present, and &agr;1A mRNA was most abundant (≈65% of total &agr;1-AR mRNA). However, only &agr;1A and &agr;1B binding were present, and the &agr;1B was most abundant (60% of total). In failing hearts, &agr;1A and &agr;1B binding was not downregulated, in contrast with &bgr;1-ARs. Conclusions—Our data show for the first time that the &agr;1A and &agr;1B subtypes are both present in human myocardium, but &agr;1D binding is not, and the &agr;1 subtypes are not downregulated in heart failure. Because &agr;1 subtypes in the human heart are similar to those in the mouse, where adaptive and protective effects of &agr;1 subtypes are most convincing, it might become feasible to treat heart failure with a drug targeting the &agr;1A and/or &agr;1B.
Parental Education influencing Schooling and Child Labour Decision: Urban India in the New Millennium

This paper uses household level data from National Sample Survey Orgar:ization (NSSO) of India, the 61" (2004 05) round, to show that even with a significant wage incentive for schooling of urban children, the school drop out rate and child labour incidence are not small. The parents' level of education plays an imponant role in reducing this tendency; thus establishing the linkage between social and human capital outcomes in the family. We also look at the incidence of harmful and manual occupations among the child labour. Mother's education appears as the more important factor in curbing the manual work incidences; supponing earlier findings that women's empowerment (one important indicator of which would be female educational level) is indeed becoming instrumental in increasing parental awareness.
Lived Experiences of Women in Academia: Metaphors, Manifestos and Memoir

Lived Experiences of Women in Academia shares meaningful stories of women working in the academy, from numerous disciplines, backgrounds and countries, to unveil the complex and distinct dimensionalities they experience in their life and work. Chapters are written using a range of responsive, personal and aesthetic techniques, including metaphor, manifesto and memoir, with reflections inspired by textiles, online blogs and forums, theatre, creative writing, fiction and popular culture. They engage with themes and ideas including gender roles, family-making, work-life balance, motherhood, institutional violence and harassment and the self and identity, revealing how these uniquely manifest for women in academia. This collection takes account of the experiences of female academics from previous decades and the experiences of those to come, as well as those outside the academic system entirely. Lived Experiences of Women in Academia aims to liberate thinking around the life of a female academic through collaborative storytelling and discussion, to encourage new conversations and connections between women in academia across the globe
Both ATM and ATR promote the efficient and accurate processing of programmed meiotic double-strand breaks.

SUMMARY The ATM and ATR protein kinases play central roles in the cellular response to double-strand breaks (DSBs) by regulating DNA repair, cell-cycle arrest and apoptosis. During meiosis, SPO11-dependent DSBs are generated, initiating recombination between homologous chromosomes. Previous studies in mice and plants have shown that defects in ATM result in the appearance of abnormally fragmented chromosomes. However, the role of ATR in promoting normal meiosis has not yet been elucidated. Employing null Arabidopsis mutants of ATR and ATM, we demonstrate here that although atr mutants display no obvious defects in any phase of meiotic progression, the combination of defects in atr and atm exacerbates the fragmentation observed in the atm single mutant, prevents complete synapsis of chromosomes, and results in extensive and persistent interactions between non-homologous DNAs. The observed non-homologous interactions require the induction of programmed breaks: the combination of either the atm single or the atr atm double mutant with a spo11 defect eliminates the ectopic interactions observed in the double mutant, as well as significantly reducing the fragmentation seen in atm or in atr atm. Our results suggest that ATM is required for the efficient processing of SPO11-dependent DSBs during meiosis. They also indicate that ATM and ATR act redundantly to inhibit sustained interactions between non-homologous chromatids, and that these ectopic interactions require SPO11 activity.
Apoptosis mediated by the Fas system in the fulminant hepatitis by hepatitis B virus

The pathogenesis of the fulminant hepatitis B is poorly understood and both viral factors and the hosts immune response play a role. Previous studies in liver tissues of patients with chronic hepatitis B showed overexpression of Fas antigen and this was correlated with the activity of the hepatitis. The present study was done to determine the role of Fas in fulminant hepatitis B and the virological characteristics of hepatitis B infection.
A population-based approach for the definition of chronic kidney disease: the CKD Prognosis Consortium.

INTRODUCTION The Kidney Disease: Improving Global Outcomes (KDIGO) foundation promoted the establishment of the Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD) Prognosis Consortium to meta-analyze the association of estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) and albuminuria with incidence of various outcomes in samples of general populations from all over the world. METHODS Variables in meta-analysis included eGFR by the Modification of Diet in Renal Disease (MDRD) Study equation, the urinary albumin to creatinine ratio (uACR) as index of albuminuria, together with proteinuria at dipstick urinalysis and classical markers of cardiovascular risk. Overall, 105,872 participants had uACR measurements, and 1,128,310 participants had dipstick measurements. RESULTS The association with mortality was continuous over the whole range of uACR/proteinuria and J-shaped for eGFR which was associated with an excess risk for values <75 and ≥120 ml/min per 1.73 m². Results were similar for the association of eGFR or uACR/proteinuria with renal failure. The associations of eGFR and uACR/proteinuria with death or renal failure were independent of each other. Findings were consistent across population samples from North America, Asia, Oceania and Europe, as well as in individuals with age <65 years and individuals with age ≥65 years. CONCLUSIONS Data support the threshold of 60 ml/min for CKD definition but suggest that eGFR in the range 60-74 ml/min could represent the early stages of CKD. This first set of results of the CKD Prognosis Consortium represents an important step in the evidence-based definition of CKD. Conclusions should be reevaluated with eGFR calculation by equations less biased for normal-high eGFR.
Effect of Steady‐State Enoxacin on Single‐Dose Pharmacokinetics of Roflumilast and Roflumilast N‐Oxide

Roflumilast is an oral phosphodiesterase 4 (PDE4) inhibitor for the treatment of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). It is metabolized by CYP1A2 and CYP3A4 to its primary metabolite, roflumilast N‐oxide, through which >90% total PDE4 inhibitory activity (tPDE4i) is mediated. Fluoroquinolones, of which enoxacin is the most potent CYP1A2 inhibitor, are used to treat COPD exacerbations. This phase I, open, nonrandomized, fixed‐sequence, 2‐period study evaluated the effects of steady‐state enoxacin on the single‐dose pharmacokinetics of roflumilast and roflumilast N‐oxide. Twenty healthy participants received roflumilast, 500 μg once daily, on days 1 and 12, and enoxacin, 400 mg twice daily, on days 7 to 18. Pharmacokinetic profiles were obtained for days 1 to 6 and 12 to 19. The safety and tolerability of all treatments were also assessed. In 19 evaluable participants, coadministration led to 56% higher mean systemic exposure, 20% higher mean peak concentrations, and 36% lower mean apparent oral clearance compared with roflumilast alone. For roflumilast N‐oxide, 23% higher mean systemic exposure and 14% lower mean peak concentrations were seen after coadministration. Roflumilast was well tolerated both alone and in combination with enoxacin. A weak interaction was shown between roflumilast and enoxacin, as mean tPDE4i increased by 25%, but is unlikely to have clinical relevance.
Equivalent circuit-based analysis of CMUT cell dynamics in arrays

Capacitive micromachined ultrasonic transducers (CMUTs) are usually composed of large arrays of closely packed cells. In this work, we use an equivalent circuit model to analyze CMUT arrays with multiple cells. We study the effects of mutual acoustic interactions through the immersion medium caused by the pressure field generated by each cell acting upon the others. To do this, all the cells in the array are coupled through a radiation impedance matrix at their acoustic terminals. An accurate approximation for the mutual radiation impedance is defined between two circular cells, which can be used in large arrays to reduce computational complexity. Hence, a performance analysis of CMUT arrays can be accurately done with a circuit simulator. By using the proposed model, one can very rapidly obtain the linear frequency and nonlinear transient responses of arrays with an arbitrary number of CMUT cells. We performed several finite element method (FEM) simulations for arrays with small numbers of cells and showed that the results are very similar to those obtained by the equivalent circuit model.