Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Philippine mortality in changing times

Hand in hand with an increasing recognition of mortality as one of the most important demographic processes interacting with development in the Philippines, there is more awareness of the need for identification of major health issues and analysis of the relevant available data. This thesis responds to the need by undertaking an extensive appraisal of the mortality conditions of the Philippines. Given the inadequacy of most statistics in the Philippines, the thesis includes the assessment of socioeconomic and health-related statistics, registered deaths, census data and the 1983 National Demographic Survey (NDS). This critical evaluation reveals that: (1) Published socioeconomic and healthrelated statistics are useful for the analysis of covariates of mortality and the construction of a composite index of development at the provincial level; (2) Techniques applied to obtain estimates of the level of completeness of death registration are largely consistent and can be used to correct the registered deaths for overregistration or underregistration of deaths, and to generate life tables for 1960, 1970, 1975 and 1980 at the provincial, regional and national levels; (3) Age-reporting is more or less accurate in the 1960 to 1980 censuses, particularly at ages below 55 years; the age-heaping found at ages 55 years and above is minimized by grouping into five-year standard intervals; (4) There are some problems in the classification of marital status in the 1975 census; (5) There are no indications of marked peculiarities or measurement errors of the 1960,1970 and 1980 data used in the regression analyses; (6) The extent of omission of births by women aged 45-49 years and misplacement of dates of births by women aged 40-44 years is not so great as to seriously distort the birth histories of the 1983 NDS; and (7) There is a close fit between the generated life tables and the United Nations Latin American model life tables at all ages and both with the United Nations Latin American and Coale-Demeny model life tables at childhood ages for the nation as a whole and all regions except Mindanao. The life tables produced are used, along with the 1978 Philippines Fertility Survey and the 1983 NDS, to re-examine mortality trends. The long-term rapid pace of mortality reduction before 1960 decelerated for males during 1960-1970, slightly hastened during 1970-1975 and slackened again during 1975-1980; the same trend occurred for women but with an acceleration during 1975-1980. The level of infant and child mortality has plateaued since 1960. There is evidence of some coincidence between mortality and economic growth trends. The changes in socioeconomic and health-related variables are quantified and related to changes in the structure of mortality relationships through estimations of a number of equations
Managerial Measures of Lean Production in the Manufacturing Sector: Perspectives on Implementation and Outcomes

The manufacturing sector contributes significantly to the Australian economy, specifically contributing 12.2% to the Australian Gross Domestic Product (GDP) (Australian Bureau of Statistics 2007). As such, in order to enable this industry to maintain its competitiveness, the Australian State and Federal Government encourages Lean manufacturing by providing Lean organizational training. This study analyzes the effects of Lean manufacturing on, supplier relationships, customer involvement, production line efficiency, employee empowerment and financial results. Using a questionnaire administered to mangers of Lean manufacturing firms in New South Wales, Australia, employee empowerment and financial results were highly regarded by managers as outcomes of Lean implementation. The overriding results showed that the implementation of Lean manufacturing processes was perceived by managers to have a positive effect on production line efficiency. This study will assist the Australian Government in its decision making regarding its ongoing support for Lean manufacturing training within organizations.
Compact Zeroth-Order Resonant Antenna Based on Dual-Arm Spiral Configuration

A miniaturized and zeroth-order resonant composite right/left-handed (CRLH) antenna based on dual-arm spiral structure is presented. The proposed dual-arm spiral unit cell is able to implement and tailor the CRLH lumped elements easily in a compact fashion. Particularly, the gap coupling between the spiral arms contributes to the series capacitance CL and the metallic via-hole at the end of one arm results in the shunt inductance LL. The resonant frequency and thus the miniaturization factor can be simply engineered by the spiral parameters that determine the corresponding circuit elements. The proposed CRLH antenna is composed of two unit cells, each of which occupies only 0. 066λ0 × 0. 053λ0 at the operating frequency. From the experimental results, this compact antenna exhibits the dipole-like radiation patterns and has a peak gain of -0.53 dBi. The measured and simulated results are provided, and good agreement is achieved.
Voluntary Physician Switching by Human Immunodeficiency Virus-Infected Individuals: A National Study of Patient, Physician, and Organizational Factors

Objective:We sought to assess which patient, physician, and organizational factors are related to voluntary physician switching among human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-infected patients. Design:We analyzed the results from a 3-wave survey of patients conducted by the HIV Cost and Services Utilization Study (HCSUS), a longitudinal study of a nationally representative sample of noninstitutionalized HIV-infected individuals receiving care in the contiguous United States. Physicians providing care and care site directors were surveyed once. Relationships of interpersonal aspects of care, access and continuity, technical quality of care, and physician and site characteristics to voluntary switching were analyzed using multilevel logistic regression models that nested repeated observations within patients, patients within clinicians, and clinicians within region. Results:Approximately 15% of patients voluntarily changed their usual clinicians during the 2-year study period. In a multivariate model, lower voluntary switching was predicted by patient trust (odds ratio [OR] = 0.74; 95% confidence interval [95% CI] = 0.61–0.90), physician antiretroviral knowledge (OR = 0.26; 95% CI 0.13–0.53), moderate (rather than low or high) HIV patient volume at a care site (OR = 0.09; 95% CI = 0.03–0.31), and Ryan White Care Act funding (OR = 0.27, 95% CI = 0.14–0.52). Conclusions:Patients with chronic illnesses may use several markers of specialization and technical quality to make decisions about their care. These results challenge the notion that patients cannot assess the quality of care they receive.
Objective and subjective assessments of socioeconomic status and their relationship to self-rated health in an ethnically diverse sample of pregnant women.

A new measure of subjective socioeconomic status (SES) was examined in relation to self-rated physical health in pregnant women. Except among African Americans, subjective SES was significantly related to education, household income, and occupation. Subjective SES was significantly related to self-rated health among all groups. In multiple regression analyses, subjective SES was a significant predictor of self-rated health after the effects of objective indicators were accounted for among White and Chinese American women; among African American women and Latinas, household income was the only significant predictor of self-rated health. After accounting for the effects of subjective SES on health, objective indicators made no additional contribution to explaining health among White and Chinese American women; household income continued to predict health after accounting for subjective SES among Latinas and African American women.
Bayesian model aggregation for ensemble‐based estimates of protein pKa values

This article investigates an ensemble‐based technique called Bayesian Model Averaging (BMA) to improve the performance of protein amino acid pKa predictions. Structure‐based pKa calculations play an important role in the mechanistic interpretation of protein structure and are also used to determine a wide range of protein properties. A diverse set of methods currently exist for pKa prediction, ranging from empirical statistical models to ab initio quantum mechanical approaches. However, each of these methods are based on a set of conceptual assumptions that can effect a model's accuracy and generalizability for pKa prediction in complicated biomolecular systems. We use BMA to combine eleven diverse prediction methods that each estimate pKa values of amino acids in staphylococcal nuclease. These methods are based on work conducted for the pKa Cooperative and the pKa measurements are based on experimental work conducted by the García‐Moreno lab. Our cross‐validation study demonstrates that the aggregated estimate obtained from BMA outperforms all individual prediction methods with improvements ranging from 45 to 73% over other method classes. This study also compares BMA's predictive performance to other ensemble‐based techniques and demonstrates that BMA can outperform these approaches with improvements ranging from 27 to 60%. This work illustrates a new possible mechanism for improving the accuracy of pKa prediction and lays the foundation for future work on aggregate models that balance computational cost with prediction accuracy. Proteins 2014; 82:354–363. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
The role of family phenomena in posttraumatic stress in youth.

TOPIC Youth face trauma that can cause posttraumatic stress (PTS). PURPOSE (1) To identify the family phenomena used in youth PTS research; and(2) to critically examine the research findings regarding the relationship between family phenomena and youth PTS. SOURCES Systematic literature review in PsycInfo, PILOTS, CINAHL, and MEDLINE. Twenty-six empirical articles met inclusion criteria. CONCLUSION Measurement of family phenomena included family functioning,support, environment, expressiveness, relationships, cohesion, communication, satisfaction, life events related to family, parental style of influence, and parental bonding. Few studies gave clear conceptualization of family or family phenomena. Empirical findings from the 26 studies indicate inconsistent empirical relationships between family phenomena and youth PTS, although a majority of the prospective studies support a relationship between family phenomena and youth PTS. Future directions for leadership by psychiatric nurses in this area of research and practice are recommended.
Release of gentamicin from acrylic bone cement. Elution and diffusion studies.

It has been generally assumed that release of antibiotic from methylmethacrylate occurs either from the surface, through pores in the matrix of the cement, or by diffusion through the matrix. In vitro and in vivo studies of the release of antibiotic from cement have produced variable and inconsistent results. In our laboratory, preliminary observations suggested that antibiotic is released from methylmethacrylate by flow through an interconnecting series of voids and cracks in the cement, rather than through diffusion after having been homogeneously distributed throughout the cement. Therefore, experiments were performed to answer the fundamental question of whether the matrix of methylmethacrylate bone cement is permeable to gentamicin. In vivo elution studies were performed on injection-molded rods of methylmethacrylate that had been loaded with two different amounts of gentamicin. The first group of rods contained 0.5 gram of gentamicin for each packet and the second, 1.5 grams for each packet. The rods were embedded subcutaneously in the subcostal region of sheep for three months. Bioassay of sections of the rods, using the tube-diffusion technique of Mitchison and Spicer, showed that the more highly loaded cement had released a significantly greater proportion of gentamicin. This occurred because the more highly loaded cement contained a greater number of defects that contained gentamicin (filled voids and interconnecting cracks). In vitro diffusion studies were also performed, using 0.8-millimeter-thick disks of methylmethacrylate that did not contain antibiotic. Test solutions of either gentamicin or methylene blue were placed in the inner compartments of diffusion chambers. The outer compartments contained tissue-culture medium 199, which was sampled monthly and assayed for gentamicin or methylene blue. (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Exposure assessment for fumonisins in the former Transkei region of South Africa

The fumonisins are mycotoxins produced mainly by Fusarium verticillioides and F. proliferatum in maize, the predominant cereal staple for subsistence farming communities in southern Africa. In order to assess exposure to these mycotoxins in the Bizana (now known as Mbizana) and Centane magisterial areas of the former Transkei region of the Eastern Cape Province of South Africa, the actual maize consumption by different age groups in these communities was measured. In the groups 1–9 years (n = 215) and 10–17 (n = 240) years, mean consumption (±standard error) was 246 ± 10.8 and 368 ± 10.3 g per person day−1, respectively, with no significant difference (p > 0.05) between the magisterial areas. For adults (18–65 years) mean maize consumption in Bizana (n = 229) and Centane (n = 178) were significantly different (p < 0.05) at 379 ± 10.5 and 456 ± 11.9 g per person day−1, respectively. An exposure assessment was performed by combining the maize consumption distribution with previously determined levels of total fumonisin (fumonisins B1 and B2 combined) contamination in home-grown maize in these two areas. Assuming an individual adult body weight of 60 kg, fumonisin exposure in Bizana, an area of relatively low oesophageal cancer incidence, was 3.43 ± 0.15 µg kg−1 body weight day−1, which was significantly lower (p < 0.05) than that in Centane (8.67 ± 0.18 µg kg−1 body weight day−1), an area of high oesophageal cancer incidence. Mean fumonisin exposures in all age groups in both Bizana and Centane were above the provisional maximum tolerable daily intake (PMTDI) of 2 µg kg−1 body weight day−1 set by the Joint FAO/WHO Expert Committee on Food Additives.
Morphology of basal cell carcinoma in high definition optical coherence tomography: en‐face and slice imaging mode, and comparison with histology

Background Optical coherence tomography (OCT) allows real‐time, in vivo examination of basal cell carcinoma (BCC). A new high definition OCT with high lateral and axial resolution in a horizontal (en‐face) and vertical (slice) imaging mode offers additional information in the diagnosis of BCC and may potentially replace invasive diagnostic biopsies.
Performance impacts of management in Korean schools: Testing the Meier and O’Toole model

ABSTRACT This article investigates the impact of management on performance in Korean schools. Drawing upon the model of Meier and O’Toole, we test the linear relationships of internal management, managerial networking, and managerial quality with multiple dimensions of performance. We also examine the nonlinear relationships between networking and performance. The results show a general consistency in the positive link between management and performance, providing evidence to support the key arguments from the model. Still, there are noticeable differences in specific findings. As one of the first applications of the Meier and O'Toole model in Asia, this study illustrates the importance of the national context in management–performance linkage.
Comparison of Different Assays for Definition of Heat-Stable Enterotoxigenicity of Escherichia coli Porcine Strains

Ninety-one Escherichia coli strains isolated from porcine neonatal diarrhea, representing 28 O-groups and rough and non-O-groupable strains, were examined for enterotoxigenicity (heat stable [ST] or heat labile [LT]) by using bacterial suspensions in intestinal loop tests in 3- to 7-week-old piglets and culture supernatant fluids in the Y1 adrenal cell test, the 18-h rabbit intestinal loop test, and the infant mouse test. Eleven strains in O-groups 101, 138, 147, and 149 were positive in all four assay systems and were designated ST + LT. Fourteen strains within O-groups 8, 9, 20, 64, 141, and 149 and non-O-groupable were positive only in the 3- to 7-week-old piglet loop test and the infant mouse test and were designated ST pig + mouse. Sixteen strains distributed among O-groups 8, 16, 32, 50, 51, 98, 115, 141, 149, and 157 were positive only in the piglet intestinal loop test and were designated ST pig. Three strains of O-groups 8, 9, and 140 were positive only in the infant mouse assay and were designated ST mouse. Two strains of O-group 149 were positive in all tests except the infant mouse test and were designated LT. A total of 42 strains were negative in all four tests (Ent-), and 3 strains could not be categorized by the enterotoxigenicity criteria used. All K88-positive isolates, 17 strains of O-groups 8, 32, 147, and 149, were positive in at least one enterotoxigenicity test. ST pig and ST mouse strains gave positive intestinal loop tests as bacterial suspensions in 4- to 10-day-old piglets. A 6-h piglet intestinal loop test performed with heat-inactivated culture supernatants was preferable to an 18- to 20-h test for determination of ST production by strains of diverse O-groups. ST production by the two strains designated LT was detected by the 6-h test. The infant mouse test, although highly reproducible and convenient, appears to possess considerable limitations in routine screening of E. coli of porcine origin for ST production.
External Debts and Nigeria's Economic Development

The impact of different types of external debt on economic development of Nigeria was studied using multiple regression technique. It was found that while London Club debts were negatively significant, only past values of gross domestic product ( GDP), taken as independent variable, was found to be positively significant. It is therefore recommended that Nigeria should not only be careful in taking new loans but make sure that any one taken is channelled to productive uses.
A Trustee Guide to Factor Investing

Factor investing is rapidly becoming mainstream in the investment community. Although the technique has progressed impressively, the governance to implement it successfully has lagged behind. In this article, the authors analyze how pension funds and institutional investors implement new insights into factor investing and how they work with the factors that drive asset returns as a portfolio construction tool. The authors review hurdles in the implementation process, analyze the reasons behind them, and then develop a checklist with eight recommendations to consider when implementing factor investing. Looking forward, the authors explore three emerging approaches to factor investing and examine how these approaches could be implemented.
Effects of Vitamin D Supplementation on Muscle Strength in Athletes: A Systematic Review

Abstract Chiang, C-m, Ismaeel, A, Griffis, RB, and Weems, S. Effects of vitamin D supplementation on muscle strength in athletes: A systematic review. J Strength Cond Res 31(2): 566–574, 2017—The purpose of this systematic review of the literature was to investigate the effects of vitamin D supplementation on muscle strength in athletes. A computerized literature search of 3 databases (PubMed, MEDLINE, and Scopus) was performed. Included in the review were randomized controlled trials (RCTs), published in English, which measured serum vitamin D concentrations and muscle strength in healthy, athletic participants aged 18–45 years. Quality was assessed using the PEDro scale. Five RCTs and 1 controlled trial were identified, and quality assessment showed 5 trials were of “excellent quality” and 1 was of “good quality. ” Trials lasted from 4 weeks to 6 months and dosages ranged from 600 to 5,000 International Units (IU) per day. Vitamin D2 was found to be ineffective at impacting muscle strength in both studies wherein it was administered. In contrast, vitamin D3 was shown to have a positive impact on muscle strength. In 2 studies, strength outcome measures were significantly improved after supplementation (p ⩽ 0.05). In the other 2 studies administering vitamin D3, there were trends for improved muscle strength. Specifically, improvements in strength ranged from 1.37 to 18.75%. Additional studies are needed to confirm these associations.
AP180 and CALM in the developing hippocampus: Expression at the nascent synapse and localization to trafficking organelles

Genetic and biochemical evidence has established that clathrin assembly protein AP180 is required for the proper assembly of synaptic vesicles via clathrin‐mediated endocytosis. The assembly protein CALM, the ubiquitously expressed homolog of AP180, also regulates the formation of clathrin‐coated vesicles. In this study we found high expression levels of AP180 and CALM in hippocampal tissues as early as embryonic day 18, before the expression of synaptophysin. We also used immunoelectron microscopy to establish the distribution of AP180 and CALM in the developing hippocampal synapses. We found AP180 and CALM in synapses at all developmental stages and in nonsynaptic growing processes. In addition to localization on the plasma membrane and clathrin‐coated vesicles that originated from the plasma membrane, we also report the presence of AP180 and CALM on other types of membrane structures. Our observations link AP180 and CALM to multiple vesicular organelles and raise the possibility that these proteins may play additional roles in developing neurons. J. Comp. Neurol. 504:314–327, 2007. Published 2007 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Measured and predicted bone mineral content in healthy boys and girls aged 6–18 years: adjustment for body size and puberty

Dual‐energy X‐ray absorptiometry (DEXA) is a rapid and precise technique for the assessment of bone mineralization in children. Interpretation of the results in growing children is complex as results are influenced by age, body size (height and weight) and puberty. Conventionally, bone mineral data derived from DEXA have been presented as an areal density [BMD; bone mineral content (BMC, g)/projected bone area (BA, cm2)], yet this fails to account for changes in BMC that result from changes in age, body size or pubertal development. Measurement of BMC and BA of the whole body, lumbar spine and left hip were made in 58 healthy boys and girls using DEXA. The relationship between BMC and BA was curvilinear, with the best fit being that of a power model (BMD = BMC/BAλ, where λ is the exponent to which BA is raised in order to remove its influence on BMC). The value of λ changed when measures of body size and puberty were taken into account (e.g. for lumbar spine from 1.66 to 1.49). Predictive formulae for BMC were produced using regression analysis and based on the variables of age, body size and pubertal development. This provides a method for interpreting the measured BMC which is independent of such variables and a constant reference range for children aged 6–18 y.
Magnetic Field Induction from Overhead Transmission and Distribution Power Lines on Parallel Fences

Magnetic field induction from power lines on parallel fences is discussed. Estimating methods for Thevenin's circuits are developed for cedar-post and metal-post fences with multiple wire, general-purpose and chain-link fence material. These methods are also applicable to the inductive voltage pickup on parallel railroad tracks. Cedar-post fences with a few electrostatic grounds will have the highest Thevenin's voltages and currents. It is apparent that magnetic field induction from power lines may result in perceptible shocks. More study in this area is required to establish design voltage guidelines due to the variability of the human branch impedance, power line currents, etc.