Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Correlation between Serum B 12 Levels and Lipid Peroxidation in B 12 Deficiency Patients

Background: Diet is a potential factor contributing to the development of vitamins deficiencies and their clinical manifestations. Vitamin B12 deficiency has been linked to hematological, neuropsychiatric and metabolic disturbances. The role of vitamin B12 deficiency on lipid per oxidation has not been thoroughly explored. Therefore, the aim of this study was to assess the impact of vitamin B12 deficiency on the levels of lipid per oxidation marker Malondialdehyde and serum total antioxidant capacity in patients with symptoms and signs of B12 deficiency. Methods: Serum levels of vitamin B12, malondialdehyde as a marker for lipid per oxidation and total antioxidant capacity were determined in blood samples taken from twenty five patients admitted to outpatient clinics. All patients had vitamin B12 deficiency symptoms and serologically confirmed to have low ≤ 200 Pg. /ml or borderline 201-300 Pg. /ml levels. None of the patients was diabetic or vegetarian. Results: Serum levels of vitamin B12 for the studied patients were ranged between 57 and 291 pg. /ml. A significant inverse correlation was observed between lipid per oxidation profile measured as malondialdehyde and serum B12 levels. The relationship between serum total antioxidant capacity levels and vitamin B12 levels was significantly positive linear in both males and females subjects. Conclusion: Serum total antioxidant capacity was significantly decreased with lowering serum B12 level. There is a strong correlation between vitamin B12 deficiency and lipid peroxidation which might be the initiator of the clinical manifestations of vitamin B12 deficiency.
The UK's Private Finance Initiative: History, Evaluation, Prospects

The Private Finance Initiative (PFI), under which groups of private companies finance the design, building, and maintenance of new economic and social infrastructure, is the dominant method of large-scale public investment in the United Kingdom. This chapter provides an account of the PFI's political and economic origins, a description of the policy's size, scope, and significance within overall public capital investment, a review of the evidence on the PFI's cost-efficiency, and an analysis of the policy's medium-term prospects.
Is There An Intra-Household Kuznets Curve? Some Evidence from the Philippines

Is there a"Kuznets curve"for intra household inequality ? Does intra household inequality first increase, peak, and then decrease as the household becomes better off? The authors found both theoretical and tentative empirical support for this hypothesis. The policy significance of this finding is that the benefits of an increase in household well-being need not fully trickle down to the most disadvantaged members of the household. This is particularly true for the poorest households. This finding should be taken into account in the design of supplementary feeding programs.
Multifunctional Megawatt-Scale Medium Voltage DC Test Bed Based on Modular Multilevel Converter Technology

Recent developments in modular multilevel converters (MMCs) provide new opportunities for medium-voltage dc (MVDC) systems for all-electric ship design and offshore wind farms. The Center for Advanced Power Systems at Florida State University has recently commissioned a new MVDC power hardware-in-the-loop laboratory rated at 5 MW at dc voltages from 6 to 24 kV. The new lab features four individual MMCs, each composed of 36 full-bridge cells, capable of delivering 210 A at any voltage in the range of 0–6 kV. This paper describes the entire system in detail, including the advanced current and voltage control concepts along with the state-of-the-art digital control hardware. Selected commissioning results are shown, which demonstrate the performance of the system under dynamic conditions and provide comparison with simulations obtained from a corresponding controller hardware-in-the-loop setup. The results indicate that an MMC-based MVDC system is a strong candidate for the ship power system because of its excellent fault management capability. The setup can be used for the understanding and design of fast fault management schemes in a breakerless MVDC system in the future all-electric ship.
Common Agency with Rational Expectations: Theory and Application to a Monetary Union

We extend the theory of common agency to the situation where the principals' payoffs are affected by their "ex ante" expectations of the agent's "ex post" choice. We show how the usual truthful schedules must be modified to account for the rational expectations constraint. We apply the model to a monetary union where member governments influence the policy of the common central bank using incentive contracts. We examine how the outcomes depend on different delegated objectives of the bank, and find that some often-advocated rules create an excessive deflationary bias. Copyright 2003 Royal Economic Society.
A Hybrid Approach for Design of Stable Adaptive Fuzzy Controllers Employing Lyapunov Theory and Particle Swarm Optimization

This paper proposes a new approach for designing stable adaptive fuzzy controllers, which employs a hybridization of a conventional Lyapunov-theory-based approach and a particle swarm optimization (PSO) based stochastic optimization approach. The objective is to design a self-adaptive fuzzy controller, optimizing both its structures and free parameters, such that the designed controller can guarantee desired stability and can simultaneously provide satisfactory performance. The design methodology for the controller simultaneously utilizes the good features of PSO (capable of providing good global search capability, required to provide a high degree of automation) and Lyapunov-based tuning (providing fast adaptation utilizing a local search method). Three different variants of the hybrid controller are proposed in this paper. These variants are implemented for benchmark simulation case studies and real-life experimentation, and their results demonstrate the usefulness of the proposed approach.
Central and peripheral cardiovascular impairments limit VO(2peak) in type 1 diabetes.

PURPOSE Cardiovascular risk, predicted by peak O2 uptake (VO(2peak)), is increased in type 1 diabetes. We examined the contribution of central and peripheral mechanisms to VO(2peak) in physically active adults with type 1 diabetes. METHODS Seven men with type 1 diabetes and 10 healthy age-, anthropometry-, and physical activity-matched men performed incremental cycling exercise until volitional fatigue. Alveolar gas exchange (turbine and mass spectrometry), cardiac function and systemic vascular resistance (impedance cardiography), and local active leg muscle deoxygenation and blood flow (near infrared spectroscopy) were monitored. Arterial-venous O2 difference was calculated (Fick principle). Blood volume (BV) (carbon monoxide rebreathing method) and glycemic control (glycosylated hemoglobin) were determined. RESULTS The group with diabetes had lower VO(2peak) than controls (47 ± 5 vs 56 ± 7 mL·min·kg fat-free mass, P < 0.05). At peak exercise, fat-free mass-adjusted stroke volume (SV) and cardiac output (CO) were lower and systemic vascular resistance was higher in the group with diabetes than those in controls (P < 0.05). Leg muscle blood flow was reduced independently of CO in the group with diabetes at peak exercise (P < 0.05), whereas arterial-venous O2 difference was similar in the groups throughout the exercise (P > 0.05). The group with diabetes had lower relative BV than controls (P < 0.01), and BV correlated positively with peak SV and peak CO (P < 0.001). In the group with diabetes, peak SV and peak CO correlated (P < 0.05) and peak leg muscle blood flow tended to correlate (P = 0.070) inversely with glycosylated hemoglobin. CONCLUSIONS Both central and peripheral cardiovascular impairments limit VO(2peak) in physically active adults with type 1 diabetes. Importantly, central limitations, and probably peripheral limitations as well, are associated with glycemic control.
(Di-2-pyridylamine-κ2 N 2,N 2′)diiodidopalladium(II)

The PdII ion in the title complex, [PdI2(C10H9N3)], is four-coordinated in a distorted square-planar environment defined by the two pyridine N atoms of the chelating di-2-pyridylamine (dpa) ligand and two I− anions. The dpa ligand is not planar, the dihedral angle between the pyridine rings being 51.2 (2)°. In the crystal, pairs of complex molecules are assembled through intermolecular N—H⋯I hydrogen bonds into dimeric species. The complexes are stacked in columns along the b axis and display several intermolecular π–π interactions between the pyridine rings, with a shortest ring centroid–centroid distance of 3.957 (3) Å.
Comprehensive, integrative management of pain for patients with sickle-cell disease.

PURPOSES The study was conducted to: (1) investigate both pharmacologic and complementary therapies used for pain management by caregivers of children with sickle cell disease (SCD), (2) investigate the prevalence and types of complementary therapies used for pain management by caregivers of children with SCD, and (3) explore caregivers' interests in using complementary therapies in the future. METHODS A cross-sectional, descriptive design was used. Sixty-three caregivers of children with SCD were asked to complete a questionnaire while they visited a SCD clinic. Chi-square tests were performed to compare demographic variables, examine use of pharmacologic therapies for pain management between age groups, and compare use of pharmacologic and complementary therapies. RESULTS The most frequently used pain medications for children with SCD (mean age 9 years) were ibuprofen (37.5%), acetaminophen with codeine (32.1%), and acetaminophen with oxycodone (14.5%). More than 70% of 63 caregivers (mean age 33 years) were using some form of complementary therapies (3.67 +/- 2.95, range: 0-9) for their child. The most commonly used therapies were prayer, spiritual healing by others, massage, and relaxation. Complementary therapy use was significantly higher among caregivers of children who were taking two or more analgesics compared to children taking no analgesics or one analgesic (chi (2) = 3.954, p = 0.047). Although no difference was found in nonopioid analgesic use, there was significant difference in opioid analgesic use (chi (2) = 14.736, p = 0.002) and total medication use (chi (2) = 11.025, p = 0.012) between children < or = 12 years and > or =13 years. CONCLUSIONS Caregivers of children using greater numbers of conventional pain medications were more likely to be using complementary therapies as well. If offered in the future, many caregivers were willing to try various types of complementary therapies for pain management.
Symmetry Restrictions in the Analysis of the Competitive Firm under Price Uncertainty

This paper shows that, if the production function is appropriately restricted, some symmetry (reciprocity) results that hold for a competitive firm under certainty continue to hold under price uncertainty, for any strictly concave utility function. In contrast, earlier analyses have established these symmetry relations by imposing restrictions on the utility function. The present analysis uses the envelope theorem, the indirect utility function, and the duality between production and cost. Copyright 1990 by Economics Department of the University of Pennsylvania and the Osaka University Institute of Social and Economic Research Association.
Efficient regular path query evaluation using path indexes

We demonstrate the use of localized path indexes in generating efficient execution plans for regular path queries. This study is motivated by both the practicality of this class of queries and by the current dearth of scalable solutions for their evaluation. Our proposed solution leverages widely available relational database technology and is often orders of magnitude faster than currently known approaches. We aim in this hands-on demonstration to both highlight the promise of our approach and to stimulate further discussion and study of engineering solutions for this practical yet challenging class of graph queries.
A gating mechanism of pentameric ligand-gated ion channels

Significance Pentameric ligand-gated ion channels (pLGICs) control membrane conductance in living systems from bacteria to humans. Molecular dynamics simulations based on the structures of the prokaryotic channels from Gloeobacter violaceus (GLIC) and Erwinia chrysanthemi (ELIC) and the eukaryotic channel from Caenorhabditis elegans (GluCl) show that the open-to-closed transition begins with a major quaternary (twisting) transition which is followed by tertiary relaxation of the pore-forming helices. The latter is initiated by the outward tilting of the extracellular β-sandwiches in response to agonist unbinding. The proposed atomic resolution mechanism for channel gating, which is in accord with the Monod–Wyman–Changeux model of allostery, is expected to be generally applicable to pLGICs. Pentameric ligand-gated ion channels (pLGICs) play a central role in intercellular communication in the nervous system and are involved in fundamental processes such as attention, learning, and memory. They are oligomeric protein assemblies that convert a chemical signal into an ion flux through the postsynaptic membrane, but the molecular mechanism of gating ions has remained elusive. Here, we present atomistic molecular dynamics simulations of the prokaryotic channels from Gloeobacter violaceus (GLIC) and Erwinia chrysanthemi (ELIC), whose crystal structures are thought to represent the active and the resting states of pLGICs, respectively, and of the eukaryotic glutamate-gated chloride channel from Caenorhabditis elegans (GluCl), whose open-channel structure was determined complexed with the positive allosteric modulator ivermectin. Structural observables extracted from the trajectories of GLIC and ELIC are used as progress variables to analyze the time evolution of GluCl, which was simulated in the absence of ivermectin starting from the structure with bound ivermectin. The trajectory of GluCl with ivermectin removed shows a sequence of structural events that couple agonist unbinding from the extracellular domain to ion-pore closing in the transmembrane domain. Based on these results, we propose a structural mechanism for the allosteric communication leading to deactivation/activation of the GluCl channel. This model of gating emphasizes the coupling between the quaternary twisting and the opening/closing of the ion pore and is likely to apply to other members of the pLGIC family.
Imprint cytology‐based breast malignancy screening: an efficient nuclei segmentation technique

Imprint cytology (IC) refers to one of the most reliable, rapid and affordable techniques for breast malignancy screening; where shape variation of H&E stained nucleus is examined by the pathologists. This work aims at developing an automated and efficient segmentation algorithm by integrating Lagrange's interpolation and superpixels in order to delineate overlapped nuclei of breast cells (normal and malignant). Subsequently, a computer assisted IC tool has been designed for breast cancer (BC) screening. The proposed methodology consists of mainly three subsections: gamma correction for preprocessing, single nuclei segmentation and segmentation of overlapping nuclei. Single nuclei segmentation combines histogram‐based thresholding and morphological operations; where segmentation of overlapping nuclei includes concave point detection, Lagrange's interpolation for overlapping arc area detection and the fine segmentation of overlapped arc area by superpixels. Total 16 significant features (p < 0.05) quantifying shape and texture of nucleus were extracted, and random forest (RF) classifier was skilled for automated screening. The proposed methodology has been tested on 120 IC images (approximately 12 000 nuclei); where 98% segmentation accuracy and 99% classification accuracy were achieved. Besides, performance evaluation was studied by using Jaccard's index (= 94%), correlation coefficient (= 95%), Dice similarity coefficient (= 97%) and Hausdorff distance (= 43%). The proposed approach could offer benefit to the pathologists for confirmatory BC screening with improved accuracy and could potentially lead to a better shape understanding of malignant nuclei.
Democracy, Property Rights, Redistribution and Economic Growth

Protection of property rights, as well as the burden of fiscal redistribution, have long been viewed as growth related factors. It is argued here that democratization may affect both. As the economy becomes more democratic, it creates high quality institutions such as public protection of property rights, but also becomes more responsive to fiscal demands. The analysis – which, we argue, is consistent with existing evidence - reveals that the net effect is likely to increase growth while at the same time reducing inequality. We also introduce the concept of a political bias and argue that its gradual reduction is the means to indirectly commit to high quality institutions. All this indicates, in particular, a strong link between democracy and institutional quality.
Impact of a reduced red and processed meat dietary pattern on disease risks and greenhouse gas emissions in the UK: a modelling study

Objectives Consumption of red and processed meat (RPM) is a leading contributor to greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, and high intakes of these foods increase the risks of several leading chronic diseases. The aim of this study was to use newly derived estimates of habitual meat intakes in UK adults to assess potential co-benefits to health and the environment from reduced RPM consumption. Design Modelling study using dietary intake data from the National Diet and Nutrition Survey of British Adults. Setting British general population. Methods Respondents were divided into fifths by energy-adjusted RPM intakes, with vegetarians constituting a sixth stratum. GHG emitted in supplying the diets of each stratum was estimated using data from life-cycle analyses. A feasible counterfactual UK population was specified, in which the proportion of vegetarians measured in the survey population doubled, and the remainder adopted the dietary pattern of the lowest fifth of RPM consumers. Outcome measures Reductions in risks of coronary heart disease, diabetes and colorectal cancer, and GHG emissions, under the counterfactual. Results Habitual RPM intakes were 2.5 times higher in the top compared with the bottom fifth of consumers. Under the counterfactual, statistically significant reductions in population aggregate risks ranged from 3.2% (95% CI 1.9 to 4.7) for diabetes in women to 12.2% (6.4 to 18.0) for colorectal cancer in men, with those moving from the highest to lowest consumption levels gaining about twice these averages. The expected reduction in GHG emissions was 0.45 tonnes CO2 equivalent/person/year, about 3% of the current total, giving a reduction across the UK population of 27.8 million tonnes/year. Conclusions Reduced consumption of RPM would bring multiple benefits to health and environment.
Impulsivity-related traits distinguish women with co-occurring bulimia nervosa in a psychiatric sample.

OBJECTIVE This study investigated impulsivity-related personality traits using the Revised NEO Personality Inventory (NEO PI-R) in women diagnosed with co-occurring bulmia nervosa and borderline personality disorder (BN-BPD), borderline personality disorder (BPD no-BN), or major depressive disorder (MDD-only). METHOD The sample included 672 adult female admissions to a psychiatric day hospital treatment program. The NEO PI-R facets of impulsiveness (N5), excitement-seeking (E5), self-discipline (C5), and deliberation (C6) provided a proxy assessment of impulsivity-related traits tapping negative urgency, sensation-seeking, lack of perseverance, and lack of premeditation/planning. RESULTS After adjusting for age, BN-BPD displayed significantly higher levels of negative urgency and lack of premeditation than BPD without co-occurring BN. Women with BN-BPD also had significantly higher levels of impulsivity traits than MDD across domains, except for lack of perseverance. DISCUSSION Impulsivity-related traits of negative urgency and lack of premeditation significantly differentiated women with versus without co-occurring BN among women with borderline personality disorder. Lower levels of impulsivity-related traits in women with MDD indicated that effects were not simply attributable to any form of psychopathology. Of the impulsivity traits, negative urgency demonstrated the strongest effect, providing further evidence of the important relationship between negative urgency and the expression of bulimic symptomology. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. (Int J Eat Disord 2016; 49:1093-1096).
A GIS-embedded system to support land consolidation plans in Galicia

Land consolidation is a strategic instrument for rural planning and thus economic development in the Spanish region of Galicia. This paper describes an experimental system embedded in a GIS environment to aid rural engineers to develop land consolidation plans. The system supports all the stages of the plan and many functionalities are implemented as heuristic processes based on expert knowledge and advice. The overall aim is to overcome administrative and technical problems of traditional consolidation procedures. The system provides an integrated framework for the management of spatial and administrative consolidation information. It also includes optimization-based algorithms for the automated generation of multiple alternative parcel reallocations, as well as an environment to reﬁne and objectively evaluate the proposed solutions. These key capabilities result in a powerful tool for decision making that dramatically reduces the time and cost of land consolidation plans. Pilot experiences in two consolidation zones of Galicia assess the feasibility and e ﬀ ectiveness of the system.
Extended-horizon finite-control-set predictive control of a multilevel inverter for grid-tie photovoltaic

This paper proposes a control scheme composed by a linear control and a predictive algorithm with extended horizon for a three-level neutral-point-clamped (NPC) inverter topology for grid-tie photovoltaic applications. The proposed strategy is capable to balance the capacitor voltages at the DC link and to generate a sinusoidal current at the grid side with a unitary power factor. Differently to other approaches, the proposed scheme is easy to digitally implement, and does not need to retune the controller cost function weighting parameters, and reduces the computational effort. These advantages are added to the capability to operate photovoltaic modules at the maximum power point (MPP). Results validate the proposed control methods and the mathematical analysis.
Searching for the Firm: The Role of Decision in the Economics of Organizations

This paper considers reasons for the existence of firms and concludes that traditional perspectives provided by economics may be unsatisfactory and incomplete. It suggests that there has been an overemphasis on the role of contractual relations in economic organization, and argues instead that it is the character of decisions that defines and influences the nature of firms. The paper explores some directions for integrating decisions into studies of the firm. Copyright 2000 by Oxford University Press.