Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Using bread as a vehicle to improve the iodine status of New Zealand children.

AIM To determine the iodine status of a sample of Dunedin school children, and to estimate how the addition of iodised salt to bread will improve their iodine status. METHOD Between October and November 2007, iodine status in a sample of 93 Dunedin school children was assessed by urinary iodine concentration (UIC), serum thyroglobulin (Tg), and dietary iodine intake, estimated using an iodine-specific food frequency questionnaire. Data from the 2002 National Children's Nutrition Survey and the New Zealand Food Composition Database were used to calculate the increase in total dietary iodine intake if bread is made with iodised salt, and subsequently, the predicted increase in UIC. RESULTS Both the median UIC of 63 mcg/L (interquartile range (IQR) 44-78 mcg/L) and the median serum Tg concentration of 14 mcg/L (IQR 10-23 mcg/L) classify this sample of children as mildly iodine deficient. The estimated dietary iodine intake was 54 mcg/day (IQR 41-65 mcg/L), which is well below the estimated average requirement (EAR) of 75 mcg/day; 83% of children in this study were found to have iodine intakes below the EAR. The addition of iodised salt to bread would increase the average iodine intake of these children to 75-104 mcg/day, thus decreasing the number of children who have an iodine intake less than the EAR to 4-46%. Consequently, the median UIC of these children would increase to 95-151 mcg/L. CONCLUSION The introduction of iodised salt to bread, which is currently scheduled to become mandatory in September 2009, should improve the iodine status of New Zealand children. The use of iodised salt in other bakery products is encouraged to maximise this improvement.
An individual, unit, and organizational-level examination of perceived external prestige, psychological capital, and psychological empowerment in quick service restaurants

This study sought to examine how the variable of Perceived External Prestige (PEP), which examines how an employee believes others view his or her work, on the outcomes Psychological Capital (PsyCap) and Psychological Empowerment (PsyEmp) at the individual, or employee, level. Results showed that significant bivariate correlations exist between PEP and PsyCap as well as PEP and PsyEmp. Further this study showed that the effect of a manager’s customer orientation (CO) was moderately significant when moderating the relationships between PEP and PsyCap as well as PEP and PsyEmp. Practical and theoretical implications are discussed.
On selecting duplex-mode and resource allocation strategy in full duplex D2D communication

In this paper, we study merging Device-to-Device (D2D) communication with full-duplex (FD) communications under different resource allocation strategies, i.e., reuse, dedicated and cellular. In reuse strategy, the D2D communication takes place directly between D2D pair sharing the whole resources together with the cellular user, while in dedicated strategy, the direct D2D communication is given half of the resources. Enabling cellular strategy, however, the data of D2D communication goes through the Base Station (BS). In this study, we take into account both FD and half-duplex (HD) modes incorporating into reuse, dedicated and cellular strategies, and formulate the resource allocation problem in a two-tier system. Aiming to maximize the system throughput, we analyze the system adopting different duplex-modes and resource allocation strategies. Simulation results demonstrate that the superiority of FD communication is contingent to self-interference (SI) cancelation factor. Through deriving geographical patterns, we analyze the effect of location of cellular user on mode selection strategy taken by D2D pair to pick the best strategy. The results show that the dedicated strategy is the best choice when the cellular user is close to the D2D pair, while the reuse strategy is dominant, when opposite state holds. Furthermore, the results reveal that the system achieves the maximum throughput under reuse strategy when the cellular user is located close to BS.
Risk-Seeking in Utilitarian Vs. Hedonic Domain: Implications For the Prospect Theory Value Function

Authors find that people are willing to take more risk in hedonic (vs. utilitarian) consumption situations. Across a variety of contexts, participants chose between a riskier option with a higher payoff and a safer option with a lower payoff. Even with the same consumption offering, merely framing it as hedonic (vs. utilitarian) induced more risk-seeking behavior. Chronically promotion (vs. prevention) oriented people were more risk-seeking, only in the hedonic context. The findings have implications for the prospect theory value function in relation to the salience of maximal (vs. minimal) goals in hedonic (vs. utilitarian) contexts.
Souhrnná produktivita faktorů založená na službách práce a kapitálu

The article focuses on new possible approaches of total factor productivity measurement. The standard computation takes into account the number of hours worked as the labour input and net or gross fixed capital stock as the capital input. This article improves the computation by using labour services as the labour input (it is necessary to take into account the skills and efforts of the workers) and capital services as the capital input. Substitution of capital stocks by capital services means that only flow indicators are used for TFP measurement. This issue became more popular in recent time in line with the revision of the manual for national accounts - SNA 2008. This paper concentrates on the development of the Czech economy between the years 2002 and 2008.
A Review of the Current Development of Special Education at Institutions of Higher Learning in the U.S.and Its Implications

The major of special education at institutions of higher learning is the central part of teacher education for children with special needs,as well as the principal method for training special education teachers.This study mainly introduces the current development and features of special education at institutions of higher learning in the U.S.Statistics show that at least 237 colleges and universities have special education degree programs,which cover bachelor's degrees,master's degrees,doctor's degrees,and degrees for specialists,and are features by a higher educational level,multiplex choices of majors,operability,strict professional standards,Internetworking,and a strong social support.However,these programs are put in a dilemma in seeking a balance between "quality"and "quantity,""fairness"and "efficiency,"and "specialty"and "career. "Therefore,using the experience of the U.S.for reference,the study concludes that special education in China 's institutions of higher learning needs to increase enrollment,flexibility,guidance,normalization and Internetworking.
The past incidence of hepatitis C virus infection: Implications for the future burden of chronic liver disease in the United States

Because chronic liver disease may develop many years after acute hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection, the past incidence of acute infections is a major determinant of the future burden of HCV‐associated complications. We estimated past incidence of acute HCV infection using national seroprevalence data and relative age‐specific incidence data from a sentinel counties surveillance system. Projections of the future prevalence of HCV‐infected patients were derived from models that included an 85% drop in HCV infection incidence as observed for reported cases in the early 1990s. The models showed a large increase in the incidence of HCV infections from the late 1960s to the early 1980s. The degree of increase was dependent on the assumed rate of antibody loss; a model with 2.5% annual antibody loss showed annual incidence increasing from 45,000 infections (95% confidence interval [95% CI]: 0‐110,000) in the early 1960s to 380,000 infections (95% CI: 250,000 to 500,000) in the 1980s. Projections showed that although the prevalence of HCV infection may be declining currently because of the decline in incidence in the 1990s, the number of persons infected for ≥20 years could increase substantially before peaking in 2015. If the incidence of new HCV infections does not increase in the future, persons born between 1940 and 1965 will be at highest lifetime risk of acquiring the infection.
Lymphoceles complicating arterial reconstructions of the lower limbs: outpatient conservative management.

BACKGROUND Treatment of lymphoceles complicating vascular procedures is controversial. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the practicability, effectiveness and safety of conservative management on an outpatient basis. METHODS Medical records were reviewed for 23 postoperative lymphoceles (in 18 patients) seen at our institution between 1986 and 1999. Diagnosis was made by physical examination and needle aspiration of fluid collection; bacterial cultures were obtained in all. Ultrasonography was performed in all patients, lymphoscintigraphy (99mTc HSA) in 11, angio-TC in 2 cases, MRI in 3 large lymphoceles. RESULTS Twenty-one lymphoceles developed in the groin, 2 in the thigh and were mostly (72.2%) diagnosed after hospital discharge. Imaging techniques detected subcutaneous wound collection; in addition, lymphoscintigraphy showed lymphatic interruption and collateral pathways in patients with limb swelling. Outpatient management consisted of limited ambulation, limb elevation and pressure dressings; no serial aspirations were made. Resolution was obtained in all patients over a mean period of 21 days (range, 12 to 35). No patient required re-hospitalization or developed wound and/or graft infection. No recurrence was noted after a follow-up of all patients for 1 year. CONCLUSIONS Outpatient treatment of lymphoceles following arterial reconstructive procedures can be performed safely. Significant advantages of this pathway include no re-hospitalization and cost reduction.
Intensity-Based Congealing for Unsupervised Joint Image Alignment

We present an approach for unsupervised alignment of an ensemble of images called congealing. Our algorithm is based on image registration using the mutual information measure as a cost function. The cost function is optimized by a standard gradient descent method in a multiresolution scheme. As opposed to other congealing methods, which use the SSD measure, the mutual information measure is better suited as a similarity measure for registering images since no prior assumptions on the relation of intensities between images are required. We present alignment results on the MNIST handwritten digit database and on facial images obtained from the CVL database.
Research on Techniques of Multifeatures Extraction for Tongue Image and Its Application in Retrieval

Tongue diagnosis is one of the important methods in the Chinese traditional medicine. Doctors can judge the disease's situation by observing patient's tongue color and texture. This paper presents a novel approach to extract color and texture features of tongue images. First, we use improved GLA (Generalized Lloyd Algorithm) to extract the main color of tongue image. Considering that the color feature cannot fully express tongue image information, the paper analyzes tongue edge's texture features and proposes an algorithm to extract them. Then, we integrate the two features in retrieval by different weight. Experimental results show that the proposed method can improve the detection rate of lesion in tongue image relative to single feature retrieval.
2-dimensional separation of biomimetic particles by stopped-flow centrifugo-magnetophoresis

This paper presents a centrifugo-magnetophoretic principle for the 2-dimensional separation of particles towards cell separation applications. Multi-force particle separation is achieved through the favorable combination of centrifugal sedimentation and magnetic deflection, while a stopped-flow mode (i.e., no fluid flow, mere sedimentation) is implemented to minimize divergent flow-lines and hydrodynamic instabilities typical in pressure-driven microfluidic platforms. The results demonstrate immuno-capture of biomimetic elements by magnetic particles and subsequent routing of these particle tandems to a designated outlet. During separation, shear stresses and forces that can unfavorably alter biological cells are reduced as compared to more common pressure-driven systems. Hence, the novel, stopped-flow, centrifugo-magnetophoretic separation system enables a possible post-separation analysis of mechanically undisturbed cells.
Incidence, Management, and Prevention of Right Ventricular Perforation by Pacemaker and Implantable Cardioverter Defibrillator Leads

Cardiac perforation of the right ventricle (RV) is a rare but potentially life‐threatening complication of both pacemaker (PM) and implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD) implant. Appropriate management is still uncertain. We assessed the incidence of subacute (24 hours–1 month) or delayed (>1 month) cardiac perforation by RV lead and the results of percutaneous lead extraction.
Is the Fungus Magnaporthe Losing DNA Methylation?

The long terminal repeat retrotransposon, Magnaporthe gypsy-like element (MAGGY), has been shown to be targeted for cytosine methylation in a subset of Magnaporthe oryzae field isolates. Analysis of the F1 progeny from a genetic cross between methylation-proficient (Br48) and methylation-deficient (GFSI1-7-2) isolates revealed that methylation of the MAGGY element was governed by a single dominant gene. Positional cloning followed by gene disruption and complementation experiments revealed that the responsible gene was the DNA methyltransferase, MoDMT1, an ortholog of Neurospora crassa Dim-2. A survey of MAGGY methylation in 60 Magnaporthe field isolates revealed that 42 isolates from rice, common millet, wheat, finger millet, and buffelgrass were methylation proficient while 18 isolates from foxtail millet, green bristlegrass, Japanese panicgrass, torpedo grass, Guinea grass, and crabgrass were methylation deficient. Phenotypic analyses showed that MoDMT1 plays no major role in development and pathogenicity of the fungus. Quantitative polymerase chain reaction analysis showed that the average copy number of genomic MAGGY elements was not significantly different between methylation-deficient and -proficient field isolates even though the levels of MAGGY transcript were generally higher in the former group. MoDMT1 gene sequences in the methylation-deficient isolates suggested that at least three independent mutations were responsible for the loss of MoDMT1 function. Overall, our data suggest that MoDMT1 is not essential for the natural life cycle of the fungus and raise the possibility that the genus Magnaporthe may be losing the mechanism of DNA methylation on the evolutionary time scale.
On the proportionality between global temperature change and cumulative CO2 emissions during periods of net negative CO2 emissions

Recent research has demonstrated that global mean surface air warming is approximately proportional to cumulative CO2 emissions. This proportional relationship has received considerable attention, as it allows one to calculate the cumulative CO2 emissions (‘carbon budget’) compatible with temperature targets and is a useful measure for model inter-comparison. Here we use an Earth system model to explore whether this relationship persists during periods of net negative CO2 emissions. Negative CO2 emissions are required in the majority of emissions scenarios limiting global warming to 2 °C above pre-industrial, with emissions becoming net negative in the second half of this century in several scenarios. We find that for model simulations with a symmetric 1% per year increase and decrease in atmospheric CO2, the temperature change (ΔT) versus cumulative CO2 emissions (CE) relationship is nonlinear during periods of net negative emissions, owing to the lagged response of the deep ocean to previously increasing atmospheric CO2. When corrected for this lagged response, or if the CO2 decline is applied after the system has equilibrated with the previous CO2 increase, the ΔT versus CE relationship is close to linear during periods of net negative CO2 emissions. A proportionality constant—the transient climate response to cumulative carbon emissions (TCRE)− can therefore be calculated for both positive and net negative CO2 emission periods. We find that in simulations with a symmetric 1% per year increase and decrease in atmospheric CO2 the TCRE is larger on the upward than on the downward CO2 trajectory, suggesting that positive CO2 emissions are more effective at warming than negative emissions are at subsequently cooling. We also find that the cooling effectiveness of negative CO2 emissions decreases if applied at higher atmospheric CO2 concentrations.
Arbitrage Inefficiency and Regulation in Multi-Stage Market Games

The paper sees strategic speculative bubbles as the result of coordination failure of traders in an intertemporal economy with financial markets. In particular, market participants pursue altogether to take full advantage of the arbitrage opportunities in asset markets and thus fail to smooth out the inherent strategic market risks that cause speculative bubbles. Alternative regulatory schemes are then suggested to address the coordination failure, either in a finite-horizon economy where the regulatory scheme is externally enforced by a mutual bank or in an infinite OLG economy with finitely-lived traders where the regulatory scheme is self-enforcing.
Inhibition of biotin carboxylase by a reaction intermediate analog: implications for the kinetic mechanism.

The first committed step in long-chain fatty acid synthesis is catalyzed by the multienzyme complex acetyl CoA carboxylase. One component of the acetyl CoA carboxylase complex is biotin carboxylase which catalyzes the ATP-dependent carboxylation of biotin. The Escherichia coli form of biotin carboxylase can be isolated from the other components of the acetyl CoA carboxylase complex such that enzymatic activity is retained. The synthesis of a reaction intermediate analog inhibitor of biotin carboxylase has been described recently (Organic Lett. 1, 99-102, 1999). The inhibitor is formed by coupling phosphonoacetic acid to the 1'-N of biotin. In this paper the characterization of the inhibition of biotin carboxylase by this reaction-intermediate analog is described. The analog showed competitive inhibition versus ATP with a slope inhibition constant of 8 mM. Noncompetitive inhibition was found for the analog versus biotin. Phosphonoacetate exhibited competitive inhibition with respect to ATP and noncompetitive inhibition versus bicarbonate. Biotin was found to be a noncompetitive substrate inhibitor of biotin carboxylase. These data suggested that biotin carboxylase had an ordered addition of substrates with ATP binding first followed by bicarbonate and then biotin.
Toward better probing for hypomania of bipolar‐II disorder by using Angst's checklist

The reliability of the diagnosis of bipolar‐II disorder (BP‐II) is still a problem. Semi‐structured interviews by clinicians might partly overcome this problem. The aims of this study were to find the degree of agreement in the diagnosis of BP‐II between the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM‐IV (SCID) and a semi‐structured interview based on Angst's hypomania checklist (Angst et al., 2003), and to assess the priority among hypomanic symptoms for the diagnosis of BP‐II. Remitted depression outpatients (N = 102) were interviewed during a follow‐up visit using the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM‐IV (SCID), and then with Angst's semi‐structured interview, following DSMIV criteria. Bipolar I (BP‐I) patients were excluded. Using the SCID, 29 patients were diagnosed BP‐II, 26 BP‐I, and 47 major depressive disorder (MDD). By the semi‐structured interview 69 patients were diagnosed BP‐II, 33 MDD, and none BP‐I. Agreement for the diagnosis of BP‐II between the two interviews was 53.9% (k = 0.18). Re‐analysis, after deleting the SCID question on the impact on functioning (DSM‐IV unclear boundary between BP‐I and BP‐II), increased agreement to 78.4% (k = 0.55). Elevated mood and overactivity (increased goal‐directed activity) had the lowest agreement (k = 0.46–0.49). For predicting BP‐II, overactivity had the highest sensitivity (94.2%), while elevated mood had a sensitivity of 84.0%. Multivariate analysis for predicting BP‐II (diagnosed by semi‐structured interview), including all DSM‐IV hypomanic symptoms, found that mood change and overactivity were the only independent predictors. Overactivity plus at least three symptoms (as suggested by Angst and Gamma, 2002) were present in 71 patients, of whom 91.5% also met DSM‐IV criteria for hypomania. Overactivity and elevated mood were strongly associated (but not overactivity and irritability). Findings may support a diagnosis of BP‐II based on Angst's semi‐structured interview versus the fully structured SCID interview. While DSM‐IV always requires mood change for the diagnosis of hypomania, the present findings may suggest that overactivity could have the same priority, as suggested by Angst et al. (2003) and by Akiskal et al. (1977, 2001, 2003). Copyright © 2004 Whurr Publishers Ltd.
A role for central glucagon‐like peptide‐1 in temperature regulation

We have already established that central glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) has a role in the central control of food intake. In this study, experiments were conducted to establish the effect of acute intraperitoneal (i.p.) and intracerebroventricular (i.c.v.) administration of GLP-1 on temperature. Injection of 10 μg GLP-1 i.c. v. caused a significant reduction in temperature over the subsequent 2 h and reduced food intake as expected. Both effects were blocked by prior i.c. v. administration of the GLP-1 antagonist exendin 9–39 at a ratio of 30:1. Administration of 300 μg GLP-1 i.p. also reduced temperature over the 2 h following injection but had no effect on food intake. Administration of exendin 9–39 alone by the i.c. v. route had no effect on temperature. These results indicate that GLP-1 is a neuropeptide involved in the regulation of temperature. Furthermore, the mechanisms that mediate the effect on temperature may be different from those regulating food intake given the effect on temperature but not food intake of i.p. GLP-1.
Contingent Fixed Contracts - An Alternative to the Classic Agency Theory

For the classic agency model (Holmstrom, 1979), under different assumptions, we offer a completely different solution than the standard solution in the literature. Our optimal contract has a closed form, offers a contingent fixed payment, and is efficient. In contrast, the standard contract in the literature is implicitly determined by four equations except for one special case, is based on the unreliable first-order approach, and is inefficient.
Gadd45α Regulates p38-Dependent Dendritic Cell Cytokine Production and Th1 Differentiation1

Gadd45α inhibits the activation of p38 by the T cell alternative pathway involving phosphorylation of p38 Tyr323. Given that T cell p38 may play a role in Th1 development, the response to Th-skewing Ags was analyzed in Gadd45α−/− mice. Despite constitutively increased p38 activity in Gadd45α−/− T cells, the Th1 immune response to Toxoplasma gondii Ag (STAg), was diminished. In contrast to T cells, dendritic cells (DC) lacked the alternative p38 activation pathway. Gadd45α−/− DCs responded to STAg with low levels of MAP kinase cascade-dependent p38 activation, IL-12 production, and CD40 expression. Wild-type T cells transferred into Gadd45α−/− recipients had a diminished Th1 response to STAg, whereas Gadd45α−/− T cells transferred into wild-type hosts behaved normally. Therefore, Gadd45α has tissue-specific and opposing functions on p38 activity, and Gadd45α-regulated p38 activation in DCs is a critical event in Th1 polarization in vivo.