Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Diabetes mellitus during pregnancy and increased risk of schizophrenia in offspring: a review of the evidence and putative mechanisms.

OBJECTIVE To identify converging themes from the neurodevelopmental hypothesis of schizophrenia and the pathophysiology of diabetic pregnancy and to examine mechanisms by which diabetes mellitus in a pregnant mother may increase the risk of schizophrenia in offspring. METHODS We reviewed relevant publications on clinical, epidemiologic and animal studies of diabetic pregnancy and the neurodevelopmental aspects of schizophrenia. RESULTS Epidemiologic studies have shown that the offspring of mothers who experienced diabetes mellitus during their pregnancies are 7 times more likely to develop schizophrenia, compared with those who were not exposed to diabetic pregnancy. Maternal hyperglycemia during pregnancy could predispose to schizophrenia in adult life through at least 3 prenatal mechanisms: hypoxia, oxidative stress and increased inflammation. Hyperglycemia increases oxidative stress, alters lipid metabolism, affects mitochondrial structure, causes derangements in neural cell processes and neuronal architecture and results in premature specialization before neural tube closure. The molecular mechanisms underlying these processes include the generation of excess oxyradicals and lipid peroxide intermediates as well as reductions in levels of polyunsaturated fatty acids that are known to cause increased dopaminergic and lowered gamma-aminobutyric acidergic activity. The combination of hyperglycemia and hypoxia in pregnancy also leads to altered immune function including increased tumour necrosis factor-alpha, C-reactive protein and upregulation of other proinflammatory cytokines. Finally, maternal hyperglycemia could have a lasting impact on fetal cellular physiology, resulting in increased vulnerability to stress and predisposition to schizophrenia via a mechanism known as programming. These prenatal events can also result in obstetric complications such as fetal growth abnormalities and increased susceptibility to prenatal infection, all of which are associated with a spectrum of neurodevelopmental anomalies and an enhanced risk of schizophrenia. CONCLUSION On the basis of the evidence presented and taking into consideration the projected increases in the rates of diabetes mellitus among younger women of child-bearing potential, it is imperative that the neurodevelopmental sequelae of diabetic pregnancy in general, and the increased risk for schizophrenia in particular, receive further study.
An Empirical Note on Determinants of Income Tax Evasion, 1973-1997

This note empirically investigates the impact of various factors on income tax evasion in the U.S. over the 1973-1997 period. The estimate indicates that income tax evasion is an increasing function of the average effective federal personal income tax rate and the public's dissatisfaction with government and a decreasing function both of penalties imposed by the IRS on unpaid taxes and IRS audit rates. However, the average effective social security tax rate appears not to significantly affect tax evasion. A trend variable that may to some extent crudely reflect the impact of improved IRS income detection technologies over time exhibits a negative and significant coefficient.
Effects of Channel, Timing, and Bundling on Destination Advertising Response

This research investigates the relationships between advertisement channels, the timing of travel decision making, and the interaction of individual travel decisions based on the destination advertising response (DAR) model. Using a sample of 5,472 American travelers, this study finds that neither the timing of travel decision making nor the channel of advertisement significantly correlates with the advertising response for most trip decisions. However, strong interactions are found between advertising response and restaurant and shopping trip decisions, and between the attractions and events trip decisions. These findings are important in that they suggest that destination marketing programs should bundle these aspects of the trip together when developing their promotional efforts.
UK food supply in the 21st century: The new dynamic

The Chatham House food supply project is concerned with the effects of global trends on the realities of everyday life. Examining in detail the networks that supply two staples, milk and wheat, to the United Kingdom market, the study will map the patterns likely to emerge over the next 20 years. This Briefing Paper provides the baseline considerations from which the work will be taken forward.
[Analysis of the quality of cryopreserved semen from male cancer patients].

OBJECTIVE To investigate the semen quality of cancer patients and search for a better way of sperm cryopreservation for them. METHODS We retrospectively analyzed the quality of the semen from 43 cancer patients under cryopreservation in the Sperm Bank of Zhejiang Province, and compared the semen parameters between the cancer patients and 248 normal donors as well as between the testicular cancer cases (n=22) and non-testicular cancer cases (n=21). RESULTS The cancer patients exhibited significantly lower semen quality than the normal donors as in sperm concentration (60.90 x 10(6)/ml vs 74.27 x 10(6)/ml), progressive motility (41.07% vs 51.79%), and recovery rate (49.98% vs 57.33%) (all P <0.05). Furthermore, the progressive sperm motility and sperm recovery rate after freezing were significantly decreased in the testicular cancer cases (15.68% and 42.81%) than in the non-testicular cancer cases (28.36% and 57.53%) (both P <0.05). CONCLUSION Semen quality declines in cancer patients, and therefore early sperm cryopreservation is essential for them. Due to the poor sperm motility and recovery rate of testicular cancer patients after freezing, further investigation is required on the improvement of sperm cryopreservation methods.
Ecological Modernisation and ‘Realpolitik’: Ideas, Interests and Institutions

This article discusses the relationship between ecological modernisation ideas, policy formulation and implementation, using Norwegian climate policy and the carbon tax as the empirical case. It is argued that although ideas to a considerable extent can contribute to our understanding of the development of environmental policy in general, institutional and interest explanations seem to be more relevant in explaining the lack of success that can be observed in attempts to implement the ideas of ecological modernisation. This explanatory failure must also be related to assumptions underlying general ideas of ecological modernisation which can be questioned. The first concerns the distributional conflicts underlying many environmental policy issues which are easily forgotten under the consensus‐oriented assumptions of positive‐sum games. The second is the strong institutional interests to be observed that question the managerial assumptions underlying ecological modernisation concerning the capacity of the i.
How People Learn: Bridging Research and Practice

How People Learn: Bridging Research and Practice provides a broad overview of research on learners and learning and on teachers and teaching. It expands on the 1999 National Research Council publication How People Learn: Brain, Mind, Experience, and School, Expanded Edition that analyzed the science of learning in infants, educators, experts, and more. In How People Learn: Bridging Research and Practice, the Committee on Learning Research and Educational Practice asks how the insights from research can be incorporated into classroom practice and suggests a research and development agenda that would inform and stimulate the required change. The committee identifies teachers, or classroom practitioners, as the key to change, while acknowledging that change at the classroom level is significantly impacted by overarching public policies. How People Learn: Bridging Research and Practice highlights three key findings about how students gain and retain knowledge and discusses the implications of these findings for teaching and teacher preparation. The highlighted principles of learning are applicable to teacher education and professional development programs as well as to K-12 education. The research-based messages found in this book are clear and directly relevant to classroom practice. It is a useful guide for teachers, administrators, researchers, curriculum specialists, and educational policy makers.
Safety and efficacy of enzyme replacement therapy in combination with hematopoietic stem cell transplantation in Hurler syndrome

Purpose: Hurler syndrome is a debilitating genetic disease with a typical life span of 5 to 8 years. Early hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) mitigates disease symptoms and improves survival. However, morbidity and mortality associated with HSCT can limit its success. We describe the initial experience with combined use of enzyme replacement therapy (ERT, laronidase) and HSCT in Hurler syndrome.Methods: Thirteen transplants were performed in 12 patients. ERT was given at a standard dose of 0.58 mg/kg per week. Transplant conditioning regimen and donor graft source were determined by institutional protocol.Results: The median age at initiation of ERT was 12 months (range, 8 to 18 months). The median duration of pre-HSCT ERT was 12 weeks (range, 4 to 28). All but 1 patient tested showed decrease in urinary GAG excretion during ERT. ERT infusion-related toxicity was limited to mild reactions. Development of antibodies to laronidase did not correlate with infusion reactions or responses in urinary GAG excretion. ERT was given for a median of 7 weeks (range, 3 to 20) after HSCT. After transplantation, eight patients demonstrated complete donor engraftment and four suffered graft failure. Two patients required ventilator support and three developed acute GVHD. Eleven of the 12 patients are surviving with a median follow-up of 3 months (range, 1 to 7 months). Conclusions: In children with Hurler syndrome, ERT with HSCT is feasible and well tolerated. Development of antibodies against exogenous enzyme does not appear to correlate with infusion reactions or response to ERT. A prospective study is needed to determine the effect of concomitant ERT on transplant outcomes.
[High frequency of hypovitaminosis D and low bone mineral density in a sample of HIV-infected men in Chile].

OBJECTIVES The aim of this study was to determine the frequency of hypovitaminosis D and low bone mineral density in a sample of patients within our HIV cohort. METHODS A random sample of 16 HIV-infected patients was selected for evaluation of levels of Vitamin D and bone mineral density with dual X ray absorptiometry. RESULTS Within this sample of patients, 94% had low levels of vitamin D. Among them, eight had insufficient levels (10-30 ng/mL) and seven had deficient levels (less than 10 ng/mL) of this vitamin. Ten out of sixteen (63%) had an abnormal dual X ray absorptiometry (osteopenia or osteoporosis). All patients with osteopenia or osteoporosis had low levels of vitamin D, were on CDC stage A, had a CD4+ count greater than 350 cells/mm³ and HIV viral load less than 50 copies/mL. CONCLUSIONS Low bone mineral density and hypovitaminosis D is highly frequent in this sample of HIV-infected patients in Chile.
Linear Precoding for High-K-Factor Channels Exploiting Channel Mean and Covariance Information

In this paper, we consider the high-K-factor Ricean channel, where the channel mean is of arbitrary rank, and the fading channel components are correlated. We propose two suboptimal linear precoding schemes based on the knowledge of the channel mean and covariance at the transmitter. The first precoder is derived from an approximate ergodic capacity expression for the high-K-factor Ricean channels, whereas the second is derived from Jensen's inequality. We compare the capacity obtained to the true ergodic capacity found by using a numerical convex optimization algorithm. We further investigate the impact of the fading channel covariance, the rank of the channel mean, and the K-factor on the precoding schemes and the achievable ergodic capacity limit.
Schockübertragung und Drittlandeffekte auf internationalen Bankenmärkten

The financial crisis that started to unfold in 2007 has thrown the world economy into deep turmoil. Developments on international financial markets have proven the special importance of the banking system for a well-functioning of global markets. During the last decades, banking markets have become increasingly interconnected. On the one hand, this allows for widespread diversification of risks across country. On the other hand, shocks can spread across national borders more easily. This contagion mechanism can then be amplified by third-country effects. This contribution aims at giving an overview of the degree of diversification of banking markets worldwide. Furthermore, it will take a closer look at mechanisms that lead to the spreading of shocks in banking markets. Die noch immer andauernde Wirtschafts- und Finanzkrise zeigt, wie wichtig funktionierende Bankenmarkte fur die Stabilitat einer Volkswirtschaft sind. Die weltweite Verflechtung der Bankenmarkte ermoglicht einerseits eine starkere globale Diversifizierung der Bankenrisiken, andererseits ermoglicht sie auch die schnellere Ubertragung von Schocks uber Landergrenzen hinweg. Mogliche Drittlandeffekte konnen hier eine prominente Rolle spielen. Der vorliegende Beitrag gibt zuerst einen Uberblick uber die Diversifizierung ausgewahlter Bankenmarkte weltweit. Zudem beschaftigt er sich mit Mechanismen der Schockubertragung und Drittlandeffekten auf Bankenmarkten.
Equity in water supply in intermittent water distribution networks

Equity in water supply is one of the major problems faced in intermittent water distribution systems. A new index ‘uniformity coefficient’ is introduced to measure the equity in distribution of water within the network, which may be useful for performance evaluation of water distribution networks (WDNs). An iterative head‐driven analysis technique is developed to compute the uniformity coefficient of a network. The effect of various design parameters of WDN on the uniform coefficient is studied. The results indicate that equity in water supply is significantly affected by the location of the tank and layout of the network. The equity in water supply can be improved in an existing network by staggered supply.
Sex hormone ratio changes in men and postmenopausal women with coronary artery disease

Objective:The goal of this study was to investigate the potential role of sex hormones in coronary atherosclerosis in both men and postmenopausal women. Design:A total of 258 male and 236 female postmenopausal participants with angiographically defined stable coronary artery disease (CAD) were enrolled. We measured the levels of estradiol (E2), progesterone (P), testosterone (T), follicle-stimulating hormone, and luteinizing hormone in the participants and in 156 male and 132 female disease-free and age-matched controls using commercially available radioimmunoassay kits. Results:In the male study participants and control subjects, the levels of E2 and P differed slightly in opposing directions; however, these differences were not significantly different, nor were there significant differences in T. However, the ratio of E2 to P in participants was significantly (P < 0.01) lower (even after adjustments for age and body mass index) than in the control subjects (mean ± SEM: 70.2 ± 56.4 vs 90.7 ± 59.5, respectively). In the postmenopausal women, a slight decrease in E2 and increases in P and T in participants were not significantly different from levels in the control group. However, the E2 to P and E2 to T ratios were significantly (P < 0.01) lower (before and after adjustments for age and body mass index adjustments) in the participants relative to the control subjects (38.7 ± 28.4 vs 49.6 ± 36.3 and 46.5 ± 37.6 vs 60.6 ± 40.8, respectively). Correlation analyses demonstrated that the sex hormone ratio changes in both men and postmenopausal women were related with atherogenic blood lipoprotein changes. In both the male and female groups, levels of follicle-stimulating hormone and luteinizing hormone did not differ significantly between the participants and controls, and correlation analyses revealed no association between these hormones and the ratio of E2 to P in males and the ratios of E2 to P and E2 to T in females (r < 0.2, P > 0.05). Multiple regression analyses demonstrated that age and the presence of CAD were significantly and independently associated with the E2-to-P ratio in men and the E2-to-P and E2-to-T ratios in women and that E2-to-P ratio and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol level were significant independent predictors of CAD in males; E2-to-P and E2-to-T ratios and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol level were significant predictors of CAD in women. Conclusions:In both men and postmenopausal women with angiographic CAD, there were significant differences (relative to age-matched control subjects) in sex hormone ratios, suggesting an abnormality that could influence coronary health. A lower E2-to-P ratio may be associated with the male disposition to coronary atherosclerosis, whereas lower E2-to-P and E2-to-T ratios may be associated with the same condition in females.
Hematological Aspects of Biocompatibility-Review Article

The development and improvement of medical devices and artificial organs is critically dependent on the realisation of the importance of the interactions between materials and body tissues. In this regard, the evaluation of biocompatibility assumes paramount importance. This paper reviews the hematological aspects of biocompatibility—the responses evoked by the material as well as the methods for their detection. The paper also mentions a few methods of improvement of material compatibility.
The evolutionary demography of the fertility-mortality quasi-equilibrium.

Life history characteristics are an evolutionary response to probabilities of survival under given environmental conditions. Optimizing strategies are used to maximize fitness in association with creature comforts. The fertility outcome under this scheme is the production of two children. A quasi-equilibrium is re-established after the adjustment to the impacts from technological innovations plagues wars and other events. There is evidence of little growth in population size until the onset of industrialization. The trend until industrialization was for surviving female reproduction of slightly more than two offspring due to according some scholars individual regulation for the "good of society" but this view is discredited by biologists and demographers. Other explanations refer to established living standards available resources and the technical ability to extract resources from the environment. The balance shifted when productivity outpaced population growth. Charles Darwin contributed to the counter explanation that when population outpaces resources population stability is characteristic of all species. Modern evolutionary theory allows for planning the success of future generations. The constraints are scarcity of sustenance resources variable limitations on survival and the need for creature comforts. Life history further specifies behavioral physiological and anatomical factors. Biologic studies predict individual fitness in a population with high mortality benefits most from early reproduction a large number of offspring and smaller offspring who are energy-economic. Human fertility regulation is consciously or unconsciously provided by a reproductive psychology evolved through natural selection. Mortality characteristics are internalized by reaching puberty and sexual activity earlier engaging in shorter and less stable pair bonds and investing in fewer children.
Use of a mixture of barley-based fermented grains and wheat gluten as an alternative protein source in practical diets for litopenaeus vannamei (boone)

A combination of barley-based fermented grains (BFG) and wheat gluten (WG) meal (1:1 on a crude protein basis) was evaluated as an alternative protein-rich ingredient (BFG^WG) in diets for juvenile Litopenaeus vannamei. Four isocaloric diets were formulated to contain 44% protein in which protein from BFG^WG replaced 0% (A), 33% (B), 66% (C) and 100% (D) of the protein from marine animal protein (MAP:69% shrimp head meal, 21% ¢sh meal and10% squid meal) in the diets. These diets were delivered twice a day for 6 weeks to shrimp (initial weight � standard error, 2.14 � 0.02 g). Shrimp fed diets A (control) and B showed similar weight gain at the end of the experiment. There were no significant differences among the survival rates of different dietary treatments (496%). The amount of uneaten food was positively and significantly (r 2 50.57, Po 0.001) related to the level of inclusion of BFG^WG in the diets, suggesting that diet palatability was a major factor in£uencing shrimp growth. Diet D had the highest apparent digestibility for protein and dry matter. The inclusion of BFG^WG had a positive effect (r 2 50.75, Po0.05) on carbohydrate digestibility. A significant stimulation of amylase activity and soluble protein and glycogen concentrations in the hepatopancreas also was related to the amount of BFG^WG in the diet. Feed conversion ratio and protein ef¢ciency ratio were not significantly different among diets containing substitution levels of 0%, 33% and 66% of MAP, which could suggest that if the balance of amino acids and the palatability in the diet can be improved, replacement level of the MAP may be increased to 66% without reducing growth.
Mean and variance spillovers among size-sorted UK equity portfolios

The paper extends Lo and MacKinlay's 1990 findings by testing for mean and variance spillovers among size-sorted portfolios for the UK stock market. The London Business School Share Price Database, which contains the returns of approximately 6000 companies, is used to construct two sets of size-sorted portfolios using two alternative weighting schemes. Evidence is found of mean and variance spillovers from large- to small-firm portfolios, but not vice versa. This result holds for both weighting schemes. The existence of such spillovers suggests that profitable mean- and variance-based trading strategies exist in the UK stock market.