Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Maternal Metabolomic Profile and Fetal Programming of Offspring Adiposity: Identification of Potentially Protective Lipid Metabolites

SCOPE The fetal programming paradigm posits that the origins of obesity can be traced, in part, to the intrauterine period of life. However, the mechanisms underlying fetal programming are not well understood, and few studies have measured offspring adiposity in the neonatal period. The aim of this study is to identify maternal metabolites, and their determinants, that are associated with neonatal adiposity. METHODS AND RESULTS A targeted metabolomics approach is applied to analyze plasma samples collected across gestation from a well-characterized cohort of 253 pregnant women participating in a prospective study at the University of California, Irvine. Whole-body dual X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) imaging of body composition is obtained in N = 121 newborns. Statistical models are adjusted for potential confounders and multiple testing. The authors identify six alkyl-linked phosphatidylcholines (PCae), containing fatty acid 20:4, that are significantly and negatively associated with neonatal body fat percentage. Factors indicating higher socioeconomic status, non-Hispanic ethnicity, and higher nonesterified fatty acid percentages are positively associated with these PCae. CONCLUSIONS The polyunsaturated fatty acid 20:4 contained in PCae may exert a beneficial effect with respect to future propensity for obesity development. Prepregnancy and early pregnancy factors are determinants of these PCae, highlighting the importance of addressing preconceptional conditions for fetal programming of newborn adiposity.
Prevalence of QTc prolongation in adult Nigerians with chronic heart failure.

BACKGROUND The heart rate corrected QT interval (QTc) on the electrocardiogram (ECG) has been proposed as a risk factor for ventricular arrhythmias and death in apparently healthy populations, patients with myocardial infarction and diabetes mellitus. However, data on the significance of QTc prolongation in heart failure are scarce. OBJECTIVE Our objective was to examine the prevalence of QTc prolongation in adult Nigerians with heart failure and its association with arrhythmias. METHODS Ninety consecutive patients with heart failure were recruited along with 90 age-and sex-matched controls. All the subjects had a 12-lead ECG and a rhythm strip (lead II). The latter was used to calculate the QTc using the Bazett's formula. Left ventricular systolic and diastolic functions were assessed using a 2D guided m-mode and Doppler echocardiogram respectively. RESULTS The mean age of the patients was 51.9 (16) years compared with 50.3 (15.2) years for the control group, p = 0.47. Mean left ventricular ejection fraction was significantly lower in the patients than in the controls (38.9 (11)% versus 72.2 (8)%), p = 0.001. The mean QTc was significantly prolonged in the patients than in the controls (0.472 (0.036) versus 0.390(0.032) respectively), p = 0.001. The prevalence of QTc prolongation was 63% in the patients against 4.4% in the controls. There was a significant association between ventricular arrhythmias and QTc prolongation. CONCLUSION The results of this study shows that there is a high prevalence of QTc prolongation in adult Nigerians with heart failure and this may be harbinger for ventricular arrhythmias and sudden death.
THE FINANCIAL IMPACT OF LENDER-OF-LAST-RESORT BORROWING FROM THE FEDERAL RESERVE DURING THE FINANCIAL CRISIS

The U.S. Federal Reserve (Fed) was reluctant to release the names of firms that borrowed, and the amounts borrowed, from the emergency loan facilities during the financial crisis. We show that when the details of this information were finally made public by the Fed, there was no stock market reaction, contrary to the thought that this was valuable information. However, further investigation shows that stock returns for publicly traded borrowing institutions declined significantly and almost immediately after the Fed borrowing was initiated, although the information had not been made public by the Fed at the time. The underperformance of borrowing institutions was greatest for those that received the largest loans or had the largest amount of loans outstanding. This evidence is consistent with the idea that investors were able to trade on the information about the Fed’s emergency loan program, although the Fed purposely tried to keep the information private.
Hammerhead ribozymes targeted against cyclin E and E2F1 cooperate to down‐regulate coronary smooth muscle cell proliferation

Anti‐proliferative drugs released from endo‐vascular stents have substantially contributed to reduce in‐stent restenosis rates in coronary arteries bearing single primary lesions by down‐regulating coronary smooth muscle cell (CSMC) growth. However, the considerably lower drug efficacy shown in treatment of more complex coronary lesions suggests that alternative anti‐proliferative approaches can be beneficial. Thus, we explored the use of hammerhead ribozymes as tools to knock down cyclin E and E2F1, two potent activators of cell proliferation which cooperate to promote the G1 to S phase transition.
Global stability of TCP Vegas without network delay

Ignoring network delays and with appropriate queue management at the links, we prove that the network with Vegas sources is globally asymptotically stable. To avoid the theoretical difficulties associated with the original discontinuous Vegas algorithm, we use its continuous approximations for stability analysis. The continuous versions of Vegas are parameterized and can be made arbitrarily close to the original discontinuous Vegas.
Understanding Adolescents' Sugary Beverage Consumption: A Review and Application of the Theory of Planned Behavior

Introduction: Efforts to reduce unhealthy dietary intake behaviors in youth are urgently needed. Theory-based interventions can be effective in promoting behavior change; one promising model is the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB). Purpose: To determine, using a systematic literature review, how the TPB has been applied to investigate dietary behaviors, and to evaluate which constructs are associated with dietary behavioral intentions and behaviors in youth. Methods: Publications were identified by searching electronic databases, contacting experts in the field, and examining an evolving Internet-based TPB-specific bibliography. Studies including participants aged 2-18 years, all TPB constructs discernable and measured with a description of how the variables were assessed and analyzed, were published in English and peer-reviewed journals, and focused on nutrition-related behaviors in youth were identified. Accompanying a descriptive statistical analysis was the calculation of effect sizes where possible, a two-stage meta-analysis, and a quality assessment using tenants from the Consolidated Standards of Reporting Trials (CONSORT) and Strengthening the Reporting of Observational Studies in Epidemiology (STROBE) statements. Results: Thirty-four articles, including three intervention studies, were reviewed. The TPB most often used to evaluate healthy eating and sugary snack and beverage consumption. Attitude had the strongest relationship with dietary behavioral intention (mean r=0.52), while intention was the most common predictor of behavior performance (mean r=0.38; both p<0.001). All three interventions revealed beneficial outcomes when using the TPB (e.g. η=0.51 and ds=0.91, 0.89, and 0.79); extending the TPB with implementation intentions may enhance its effectiveness (e.g. η=0.76). Conclusions: Overall, the TPB may be an effective framework to predict and understand child and adolescent nutritionrelated behaviors, allowing for the development of tailored initiatives targeting poor dietary practices in youth. However, support from the literature is primarily from observational studies and a greater effort towards examining these relationships within intervention studies is needed.
Type I and Type III Collagen Interactions during Fibrillogenesis a

There is some evidence that type I and type III collagens may be present in the same fibril. In order to demonstrate this, double labeling immunofluorescence microscopy and immunoelectron microscopy were performed with antibodies directed against the collagen molecule and the aminopropeptide domains of type I and type III procollagens using embryonic (postabortion) and adult human skin. Double indirect and protein A immunoelectron microscopy were carried out with 5- and 15-nm gold particles. Skin extracts were also studied by immunoblotting. Double immunofluorescence microscopy with antibodies against type I and type III collagen molecules revealed patterns of fluorescence that were identical in both fetal and adult skins. Immunofluorescence microscopy using an antibody directed against the aminopropeptide of type III procollagen labeled the entire dermis in both embryonic and adult skins. In contrast, although the aminopropeptide of type I procollagen was present throughout embryonic dermis, it was markedly reduced in adult dermis, except for the epidermo-dermal junction. Double immunoelectron microscopy of fetal skin revealed labeling of the aminopropeptide of type I and type III procollagens on the same thin (20-30 nm) fibrils. Large type I fibrils (90-100 nm) were coated with type III collagen molecules and their corresponding aminopropeptide but not with the aminopropeptide of type I procollagen. The aminopropeptide of type I procollagen was present on thin fibrils only at the epidermo-dermal junction in adult skin. Immunoblotting of skin extracts revealed the presence of both pN-type III procollagen (collagen plus the aminopropeptide) and pN-type I procollagen in fetal skin, but only pN-type III in adult skin. This study demonstrates that type I and type III collagens coexist within the same fibril and that the aminopropeptide of type III procollagen is present at the surface of type I collagen fibrils that apparently have reached full growth.
Endothelial NOS gene Glu298Asp polymorphism in preterm neonates with respiratory distress syndrome

Respiratory Distress Syndrome (RDS) due to prematurity is one of the most important causes of morbidity and mortality in Neonatal Intensive Care Units. According to few studies in recent years, endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) gene polymorphisms are found to be partially responsible for liability to RDS. The purpose of this study was to determine the association between eNOS gene polymorphism and RDS in preterm neonates.
Investments and Risk Transfers

ABSTRACT: We demonstrate a novel link between relationship-specific investments and risk in a setting where division managers operate under moral hazard and collaborate on joint projects. Specific investments increase efficiency at the margin. This expands the scale of operations and thereby adds to the compensation risk borne by the managers. Accounting for this investment/risk link overturns key findings from prior incomplete contracting studies. We find that if the investing manager has full bargaining power vis-a-vis the other manager, he will underinvest relative to the benchmark of contractible investments; with equal bargaining power, however, he may overinvest. The reason is that the investing manager internalizes only his own share of the investment-induced risk premium (we label this a “risk transfer”), whereas the principal internalizes both managers' incremental risk premia. We show that high pay-performance sensitivity (PPS) reduces the managers' incentives to invest in relationship-specific .
The Buddhist Truth of Happiness Spirituality and Development - the case of governance in Bhutan

‘Although my father is highly educated, he is very religious’. I hold this as a key quote from a young Bhutanese since I first visited Bhutan back in 1990. ‘Although my father is highly educated, he is very religious’. It’s concise and powerful like a mantra. The word although indicates that it is self-evident to the speaker that education and spirituality are opposites. His father knows about the universal law of gravity, but in meditation still magically pretends that he can learn to fly. Daddy has switched the light of logic on, but still reserves some dark corners to cherish a superstitious belief. The speaker seems embarrassed that education didn’t cure his father’s spiritual obsession. Or would he be proud that his father combines tradition and modernity? Possibly he secretly even adores that his daddy despises ‘Western indoctrination’, even though he masters the Western way of thinking.
Development and validation of a model to predict 5-year risk of death without ESRD among older adults with CKD.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES CKD is associated with mortality. Accurate prediction tools for mortality may guide clinical decision-making, particularly among elderly persons with CKD. DESIGN, SETTING, PARTICIPANTS, & MEASUREMENTS A prediction equation was developed for 5-year risk of mortality among participants with CKD in the Cardiovascular Health Study. Sixteen candidate predictor variables were explored, which included demographics, physical examination measures, comorbidity, medication use, and kidney function measures (eGFR calculated from serum creatinine and the CKD Epidemiology Collaboration equation and the urine albumin-to-creatinine ratio). Models were developed using Cox regression and evaluated using c statistics. A final parsimonious model was externally validated in an independent cohort of community-living elders with CKD in the Health, Aging, and Body Composition Study. RESULTS The development cohort included 828 participants who had a mean age of 80 (±5.6) years and an eGFR of 47 (±11) ml/min per 1.73 m(2), and median albumin-to-creatinine ratio of 13 (interquartile range 6-51) mg/g. The validation cohort included 789 participants who had a mean age of 74 (±2.8) years and an eGFR of 50 (±9) ml/min per 1.73 m(2), and median albumin-to-creatinine ratio of 13 (interquartile range 6-42) mg/g. The final model for 5-year mortality risk included age, sex, race, eGFR, urine albumin-to-creatinine ratio, smoking, diabetes mellitus, and history of heart failure and stroke (c statistic=0.72; 95% confidence interval, 0.68 to 0.74). When a point-based system was assigned for each of nine variables in the equation, the estimated risk of death within 5 years ranged from 3.8% among participants with the lowest scores to 83.6% among participants with nine points. The model performed fair in external validation (c statistic=0.69; 95% confidence interval, 0.64 to 0.74). CONCLUSIONS A simple prediction tool using nine readily available clinical variables can assist in predicting 5-year mortality risk in elderly patients with CKD, which may be useful in counseling patients and guiding clinical decision making.
‘Inequality is the root of social evil,’ or Maybe Not?: Two Stories about Inequality and Public Policy

Les inégalités de revenus s’accroissent, et tout le monde, du président Obama et du pape François au prince Charles et à Standard & Poor’s, en parle. Mais ces discours sur ce qui constitue probablement le changement le plus important dans la distribution des revenus et des rémunérations depuis les années 1940, mènent à des visions très différentes du rôle que les politiques publiques devraient jouer face à ce phénomène. Cela est vrai au Canada tout autant que dans presque tous les autres pays riches où les inégalités ont augmenté. Dans cet article, je présente deux points de vue sur les inégalités – l’un selon lequel il n’y a là rien de préoccupant, l’autre selon lequel il s’agit de l’un des défis majeurs de notre époque – afin de clarifier les problèmes auxquels font face les Canadiens et le rôle que les politiques publiques devraient jouer dans les circonstances. Income inequality is on the rise, and everyone, from President Obama and Pope Francis to Prince Charles and Standard & Poor’s, is talking about it. But these conversations about what are arguably the most significant changes in the distribution of incomes and earnings since the 1940s are leading to very different views on how public policy should respond. This is as true in Canada as it is in almost all of the other rich countries where inequality has risen. In this paper, I tell two stories about inequality—one from the perspective of those who feel it is not a problem worth the worry, and the other from the perspective of those who see it as the defining challenge of our time—to clarify the issues facing Canadians and what public policy should do about them.
Nonpharmacological Therapy of Hypertension Commentary on Diet and Blood Pressure

The use of dietary measures as sole therapy for hypertension has generated much enthusiasm and is supported by epidemiological and anecdotal data but is not substantiated by long-term controlled trials. Dietary measures should be effective in preventing the rise in blood pressure with age in civilized populations, but there are no firm data to substantiate this hypothesis. However, some data do suggest that weight loss and sodium restriction may benefit the drug-treated hypertensive patient. There are strong reasons to consider the use of nonpharmacological measures for the treatment of mild hypertension. Mild hypertension is ubiquitous. Some population subsets have a prevalence of mild hypertension approaching 40%, based on one blood pressure determination, for individuals older than 50 years. Even if the true prevalence is closer to 15%, this is a high proportion of the population in need of drug therapy. If a change in lifestyle could reduce the need for drug therapy by a respectable percentage, then an enormous number of individuals could be spared the necessity of taking antihypertensive medication.
The Impact of Market Orientation on Customer Satisfaction of Private Schools in Jordan

This study aims at identifying the impact of market orientation on customer satisfaction in private schools in Jordan. The population of the study consists of managers of different levels in private schools in Amman. Out of the questionnaires distributed, 158 usable questionnaires were returned with a response rate of 79%. Market orientation was measured based on Markotz model . The findings supported the significant influence of market orientation on customer satisfaction. Hence, practical implications for schools’ managers were provided in terms of assessing and monitoring market orientation periodically, to be able to identify where improvements are needed, and to identify which dimensions of market orientation should be considered, especially on competitor orientation.
New blind deflation-based deconvolution algorithms using givens and shear rotations

In this paper, the problem of blind equalization and source separation of convolutive Multi-Input Multi-Output (MIMO) system is solved using Givens/Shear rotations. Targeting the Multi-Modulus (MM) signals and exploiting the second-order decorrelation among the transmitting sources, two efficient Givens Muti-Modulus (G-MMDDA) and Hyperbolic Givens (HG-MMDDA) Deconvolution algorithms are proposed for the first time. These solutions can be seen as extensions of the blind source separation MM-based method by Shah et al (2015) to the more general case of blind deconvolution for memory MIMO channels. The resulting algorithms are quite appealing as they combine both a good speed of convergence with low computational complexity.
Selective Posterior Rhizotomy for Painful Spasticity in the Lower Limbs of Hemiplegic Patients After Stroke: Report of Two Cases

OBJECTIVE AND IMPORTANCE:Selective posterior rhizotomy (SPR) has been performed mainly in children with cerebral palsy. Seldom has the use of SPR been reported for reduction of spasticity after stroke. We describe two elderly patients with hemiplegia who underwent unilateral SPR for pain caused by spasticity after stroke. CLINICAL PRESENTATION:The first patient was a 68-year-old woman who experienced spasticity and pain in her right leg during the chronic stage of a left cerebral infarction. The second patient was an 89-year-old man who had intolerable spastic pain in his left hemiplegic leg 3 months after a right cerebral infarction. INTERVENTION:Both patients underwent unilateral SPR on the spastic side to reduce the pain. After surgery, the patients’ pain resolved. In the first patient, the ability to perform activities of daily living also improved. CONCLUSION:Antispastic medications are often sufficient for treatment of post-stroke spasticity. In selected cases, however, SPR can be beneficial for improving painful spasticity.
The topographic organization of corticocollicular projections from physiologically identified loci in the AI, AII, and anterior auditory cortical fields of the cat

The connections of the three auditory fields AI, AII, and the anterior auditory field (AAF) with the inferior colliculus (IC) were studied using anterograde tracing techniques. Microinjections of tracers were placed at physiologically identified loci after these fields had been functionally mapped using microelectrode recording techniques. This methodology ensured that the injections were well within the borders of each cortical field that was studied and enabled the elucidation of the topographies of the projections of AI and AAF onto the IC with respect to their cochleotopicorganizations.
Validation of the STOP-Bang questionnaire as a means of screening for obstructive sleep apnea in adults in Brazil

ABSTRACT Objective: To validate the Portuguese-language version of the STOP-Bang (acronym for Snoring, Tiredness, Observed apnea, high blood Pressure, Body mass index, Age, Neck circumference, and Gender) questionnaire, culturally adapted for use in Brazil, as a means of screening for obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) in adults. Methods: In this validation study, we enrolled patients ≥ 18 years of age, recruited between May of 2015 and November of 2016. All patients completed the STOP-Bang questionnaire and underwent overnight polysomnography. To evaluate the performance of the questionnaire, we used contingency tables and areas under the (receiver operating characteristic) curve (AUCs). Results: We included 456 patients. The mean age was 43.7 ± 12.5 years, and 291 (63.8%) of the patients were male. On the basis of the apnea-hypopnea index (AHI), we categorized OSA as mild/moderate/severe (any OSA; AHI ≥ 5 events/h), moderate/severe (AHI ≥ 15 events/h), or severe (AHI ≥ 30 events/h). The overall prevalence of OSA was 78.3%, compared with 52.0%, and 28.5% for moderate/severe and severe OSA, respectively. The most common score on the STOP-Bang questionnaire was 4 points (n = 106), followed by 3 points (n = 85) and 5 points (n = 82). An increase in the score was paralleled by a reduction in sensitivity with a corresponding increase in specificity for all AHI cut-off points. The AUCs obtained for the identification of any, moderate/severe, and severe OSA were: 0.743, 0.731, and 0.779, respectively. For any OSA, the score on the questionnaire (cut-off, ≥ 3 points) presented sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy of 83.5%, 45.5%, and 75.2%, respectively. Conclusions: The STOP-Bang questionnaire performed adequately for OSA screening, indicating that it could be used as an effective screening tool for the disorder.
“Please write a (great) online review for my hotel!” Guests’ reactions to solicited reviews

With the aim of enhancing their online reputation, several hospitality businesses have started soliciting their guests to write online reviews. Available studies have not yet evaluated the effects of this strategy. To fill this knowledge gap, this study draws on the theory of psychological reactance and investigates guests’ attitudinal and behavioral reactions to received solicitations. Evidence collected from a sample of Italian travelers indicates that soliciting reviews has both benefits and drawbacks: It increases the number of reviews for the business, but it also irritates a significant share of guests. Particularly high levels of irritation arise when a business explicitly asks its guests to write positive reviews. The implications of these findings for the reputation management strategy of hospitality businesses are discussed.