Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Does Picky Eating Affect Weight-for-Length Measurements in Young Children?

Objectives: Picky eating is a major source of parental concern, and children with picky eating habits are potentially at risk for nutritional deficits. This research aimed to determine whether picky eating is related to being underweight in young children. Methods: Participants included 34 children with picky eating behavior who were referred to the Pediatric Feeding and Nutrition Clinic for evaluation and 136 healthy controls.Weight and height measurements were obtained, and weight-to-length data were calculated for each child. Results: In all, 7 of 34 children (20.6%) in the picky eaters group and 9 of 136 children (6.6%) in the control group were underweight (P = .02). Underweight was found in 15 children (14.2%) at or under 36 months and in 1 child (1.6%) older than 36 months (P = .002). Conclusions: Children with picky eating habits, especially those younger than 3 years of age, are at increased risk of being underweight.
Land pressure and customary tenure: Cropland allocations in Swaziland

This paper examines the effects of growing land pressure on the distribution and quality of cropland allocations on customary tenured land (CTL) in Swaziland. Within the wider Sub-Saharan context, the reform of indigenous tenure systems is now generally seen as a process of adaptation rather than replacement. The legal recognition of (existing and future) user rights is considered a practical way forward. This essentially rights-based approach may divert attention from technical inadequacies indigenous systems may have, particularly under conditions of increasing land pressure. The case of CTL substantiates such shortcomings. CTL has seen a marked growth in population and land allocations since Independence. This had led to concerns on the land distribution efficiency in view of the improved agricultural production required to sustain the increasing number of rural households. By analysing historical changes in the number, size and quality of cropland allocations in selected rural communities, this paper demonstrates the occurrence of a high degree of inconsistency in cropland distribution at the community level, as well as inefficient land distribution at higher levels of scale. These shortcomings threaten the sustainability of the local agricultural production systems, and will need to be addressed in any meaningful reform process.
A decoupled current droop control method for parallel inverters in microgrids

The well-known active power-frequency and reactive power-voltage amplitude droop control is widely used in the coordinated control of parallel inverters in microgrids. However, the dynamics of the conventional droop method is slow due to the low-pass filters used for power calculation purposes. Stability concerns also exist in the conventional droop method. This paper proposes a novel droop control scheme, which is based on droop relations between the output voltages and currents in a synchronous reference frame (SRF). The SRF voltage and current are decoupled by introducing a virtual current vector, which is aligned with the voltage vector. The proposed current droop relation forms automatically a virtual impedance loop, which can compensate the line impedance mismatch. In addition, a proportional regulator-based phase-locked loop is used to synchronize the parallel inverters in an equalized manner. The proposed method provides accurate current sharing, faster dynamics and higher system stability in diverse line impedance conditions. The effectiveness of the proposed method is verified by both simulations and experiments.
B Lymphocyte–Induced Maturation Protein-1 Contributes to Intestinal Mucosa Homeostasis by Limiting the Number of IL-17–Producing CD4+ T Cells

The transcription factor B lymphocyte–induced maturation protein-1 (Blimp-1) plays important roles in embryonic development and immunity. Blimp-1 is required for the differentiation of plasma cells, and mice with T cell–specific deletion of Blimp-1 (Blimp-1CKO mice) develop a fatal inflammatory response in the colon. Previous work demonstrated that lack of Blimp-1 in CD4+ and CD8+ T cells leads to intrinsic functional defects, but little is known about the functional role of Blimp-1 in regulating differentiation of Th cells in vivo and their contribution to the chronic intestinal inflammation observed in the Blimp1CKO mice. In this study, we show that Blimp-1 is required to restrain the production of the inflammatory cytokine IL-17 by Th cells in vivo. Blimp-1CKO mice have greater numbers of IL-17–producing TCRβ+CD4+cells in lymphoid organs and in the intestinal mucosa. The increase in IL-17–producing cells was not restored to normal levels in wild-type and Blimp-1CKO–mixed bone marrow chimeric mice, suggesting an intrinsic role for Blimp-1 in constraining the production of IL-17 in vivo. The observation that Blimp-1–deficient CD4+ T cells are more prone to differentiate into IL-17+/IFN-γ+ cells and cause severe colitis when transferred to Rag1-deficient mice provides further evidence that Blimp-1 represses IL-17 production. Analysis of Blimp-1 expression at the single cell level during Th differentiation reveals that Blimp-1 expression is induced in Th1 and Th2 but repressed by TGF-β in Th17 cells. Collectively, the results described here establish a new role for Blimp-1 in regulating IL-17 production in vivo.
Real Exchange Rates and Productivity Growth in the United States and Japan

Real exchange rates between the yen and dollar based on general price indexes overestimate the competitiveness of the United States relative to Japan. High productivity growth in the traded sector of the Japanese economy results in a continuous fall in the prices of traded goods relative to nontraded goods in Japan. In order to keep U.S. traded goods competitive, the real exchange rate based on general price series like the GDP deflator or the CPI index must continually fall resulting in a real appreciation of the yen.This paper provides estimates of how far real exchange rates based on general price series would have had to fall over the 1973-83 period in order to keep U.S. traded goods competitive. The real exchange rate based on GDP deflators, for example, would have had to fall by 38% relative to the real exchange rate based on unit labor costs in the traded sector. The GDP series remained roughly constant over the period, thus giving the misleading impression that U.S. goods were still competitive despite a sharp rise in the relative price of U.S. traded goods. The paper also provides estimates of the relative wage changes which would have to occur to restore the competitiveness of U.S. traded goods.
Functional Reasoning in Design

A product design process begins with functional or conceptual design, followed by basic design and detailed design. Among these, functional design plays the central role in ensuring design quality and product innovativeness. Because function is the most crucial concept in designing better and more innovative products, functional reasoning technology is indispensable to the development of future advanced CAD technology. This survey shows how functional reasoning has successfully established the representation of function on computers and outlines directions for further research.
Invariant filtering versus other robust filtering methods applied to integrated navigation

Although the Extended Kalman Filter (EKF) achieves satisfactory estimations in general, inconsistencies can appear when the filter is used in adverse conditions. After explaining theoretically why such inconsistencies appear, three filters are presented: the Schmidt-Kalman Filter (SKF), the Observability-Constrained EKF (OCEKF) and the Invariant Filter (IF). These techniques, designed to preserve as much as possible true unobservable directions in the estimated system, are supposed to bring more robustness in the estimation. These three filters are operational (SKF and OCEKF) or being implemented (IF) in different Safran INS. Actual results are presented to confirm the theoretical benefits of these more advanced techniques in practice.
Photon Information Efficient Communication Through Atmospheric Turbulence—Part II: Bounds on Ergodic Classical and Private Capacities

Vacuum-propagation optical communication with high photon efficiency (many bits/photon) and high spectral efficiency (many bits/s ·Hz) requires operation in the near-field power transfer regime with a large number of spatial modes. For terrestrial propagation paths, however, the effects of atmospheric turbulence must be factored into the photon and spectral efficiency assessments. In Part I of this study [N. Chandrasekaran and J. H. Shapiro, “Photon Information Efficient Communication Through Atmospheric Turbulence-Part I: Channel Model and Propagation Statistics,” J. Lightw. Technol. , vol. 32, no. 6, pp. 1075-1087, Mar. 2014], modal-transmissivity statistics were derived for the turbulent channel that depend solely on the mutual coherence function of the atmospheric Green's function, and these bounds were evaluated for ~ 200 spatial-mode systems whose transmitters used either focused-beam (FB), Hermite-Gaussian (HG), or Laguerre-Gaussian (LG) modes and whose receivers either did or did not employ adaptive optics. This Part II paper derives upper and lower bounds for the ergodic Holevo capacities of classical and private information transmission over the multiple spatial-mode turbulent channel that can be evaluated from Part I's transmissivity statistics. Also included are bounds on the ergodic capacity for on-off keying encoding and direct detection. It is shown that: 1) adaptive optics are not necessary to realize high photon information efficiency and high spectral efficiency simultaneously; 2) an FB-mode system with perfect adaptive optics outperforms its HG-mode and LG-mode counterparts; and 3) the converse is true when adaptive optics are not employed.
Is the Annual Earnings Response Coefficient Statistically Significant in Brazil?

ABSTRACT The aim of this paper is to analyze the significance of firm-specific and pooled earnings response coefficients in the Brazilian market. The lag structure of earnings-return relations is also analyzed. The sample consists of 61 Brazilian public firms that represent all firms with a minimum of seven continual data from 1995 to 2008. The analysis is based on linear regressions of two different proxies of earnings and two different proxies of return. The results show that, for firm-regressions, few companies presented a significant relationship between earnings and stock returns, and for some firms a negative coefficient was found. In the pooled regressions a positive and statistically significant coefficient was found, and the tests suggest that variance in cross-sectional observation is more relevant in explaining the earnings response coefficient than the time-series variance.
Racial and ethnic price differentials in a small urban housing market

This article examines whether the presence of blacks and Hispanics has a negative impact on prices in a small urban housing market in the US. To alleviate estimation biases associated with unobserved neighborhood heterogeneity, we focus on housing price differences across micro-neighborhoods in the small and relatively homogeneous city of Kingston, New York, introduce GIS-based spatial amenity variables as controls, and account for clustered errors, neighborhood fixed effects, spatial errors and spatial lags. Our results, with the exception of the spatial error model, conform with the consensus reached primarily from studies of large cities that the presence of blacks in a neighborhood is associated with lower housing prices and that the impact of the presence of Hispanics is considerably weaker. The spatial error model yields weaker and statistically insignificant results for blacks, providing some evidence that price discounts in relatively black neighborhoods may be caused not by preferences for segregation but by the correlation of race and the quality of neighborhood amenities.
Visual Outcomes after Penetrating Keratoplasty

A chart review of the hospital records of all patients who underwent penetrating keratoplasty at Maharaj Nakorn Chiang Mai Hospital between January 1996 – December 1999 was retrospectively performed. Out of total 45 corneal transplants, the best-corrected visual acuity of 6/6 to 6/12 was achieved in 8.9% (4 of 45), 6/18 to 6/36 in 22.2% (10 of 45), 6/60 to 1/60 in 44.5% (20 of 45). One (2.2%) patient could not be evaluated for visual acuity.
Enhancement of Radiation Sensitivity of Human Squamous Carcinoma Cells by Histone Deacetylase Inhibitors

Abstract Zhang, Y. , Jung, M. , Dritschilo, A. and Jung, M. Enhancement of Radiation Sensitivity of Human Squamous Carcinoma Cells by Histone Deacetylase Inhibitor. Radiat. Res. 161, 667–674 (2004). Histone deacetylase (HDAC) inhibitors are emerging therapeutic agents with potential for disruption of critical cellular processes in cancer cells. Transcriptional regulation, differentiation, cell cycle arrest, radiation sensitization, and apoptosis have been observed in response to exposure to HDAC inhibitors. In the present study, we observed that several potent HDAC inhibitors, including trichostatin A, suberoylanilide hydroxamic acid, M344 (an analogue of hydroxamic acid), and the cyclic tetrapeptide, depsipeptide (FR90228), modulate cellular responses to ionizing radiation in cells of two human squamous carcinoma lines (SQ-20B and SCC-35), previously characterized as intrinsically resistant to radiation. Also exposure to IC50 concentrations of these inhibitors, radiation sensitivities were enhanced in both cell lines. Depsipeptide exhibited the greatest effect on SQ-20B cells, decreasing D0 values from 2.62 Gy to 1.64 Gy. M344 was the most active drug in sensitizing SCC-35 cells, decreasing D0 values from 1.91 Gy to 1.21 Gy. The mechanisms underlying HDAC inhibitor-induced radiosensitization were further investigated by extending trichostatin A studies to assess cell cycle distributions and levels of apoptosis. Treatment of SQ-20B cells with radiosensitizing concentrations of trichostatin A resulted in cell cycle arrest in G1 phase (>70%) and inhibition of DNA synthesis. Contrary to previous reports, induction of apoptosis was very low and caspase 3 and 9 were not activated. Taken together, these results implicate G1 arrest and inhibition of DNA synthesis in the mechanisms underlying radiation sensitization by trichostatin A and support the use of HDAC inhibitors for targeting radioresistant cancers.
Some Results on the Comparative Statics of Optimal Categorical Transfer Payments

To alleviate equity-efficiency trade-offs, tax transfer systems pay categorical transfers to groups defined by characteristics correlated with earnings ability. The author examines the comparative statics of categorical transfer payments in a linear income tax model through analysis of first-order conditions and numerical calculations. The analysis sharpens previous results on the size of categorical transfers, the resulting reduction in the income tax rate, and the associated welfare gain. Notably, the author finds that categorical transfers should vary more across groups when earnings ability is more equal within each group, when labor supply is more elastic, and when less revenue is required for public goods.
Constructing, Deconstructing, and Reconstructing Career Civil Service Systems in Latin America

Patronageâ€”the discretionary allocation of public sector jobsâ€”continues to be a dominant way government is staffed in most Latin American countries and it is proving resistant to the imprecations of public sector reformers. Despite the ubiquity of patronage systems, however, all major countries in Latin America have legislation establishing a formal civil service system. In fact, such reform initiatives are swept aside or significantly altered after they have been legislated. In this paper, public sector reform initiatives in Brazil, Argentina, Mexico, and Chile confirm that implementation is fraught with opportunities for distorting the intent of law and indicate a series of similar strategies used by the opponents of reform to offset the impact of new legislation. Taken together, such strategies have been remarkably successful in blocking the systematic implementation of civil service laws. Nevertheless, there is evidence that public sectors in each of the case study countries have made advances in the degree of stability, professionalism, and expertise in public offices, even in the absence of a Weberian civil service.
Prevalence and morphology of druse types in the macula and periphery of eyes with age-related maculopathy.

PURPOSE Macular drusen are hallmarks of age-related maculopathy (ARM), but these focal extracellular lesions also appear with age in the peripheral retina. The present study was conducted to determine regional differences in morphology that contribute to the higher vulnerability of the macula to advanced disease. METHODS Drusen from the macula (n = 133) and periphery (n = 282) were isolated and concentrated from nine ARM-affected eyes. A semiquantitative light microscopic evaluation of 1-mum-thick sections included 12 parameters. RESULTS Significant differences were found between the macula and periphery in ease of isolation, distribution of druse type, composition qualities, and substructures. On harvesting, macular drusen were friable, with liquefied or crystallized contents. Peripheral drusen were resilient and never crystallized. On examination, soft drusen appeared in the macula only, had homogeneous content without significant substructures, and had abundant basal laminar deposits (BlamD). Several substructures, previously postulated as signatures of druse biogenesis, were found primarily in hard drusen. Specific to hard drusen, which appeared everywhere, were central subregions and reduced RPE coverage. Macular hard drusen with a rich substructure profile differed from primarily homogeneous peripheral hard drusen. Compound drusen, found in the periphery only, exhibited a composition profile that was not intermediate between hard and soft. CONCLUSIONS The data confirm regional differences in druse morphology, composition, and physical properties, most likely based on different formative mechanisms that may contribute to macular susceptibility for ARM progression. Two other reasons that only the macula is at high risk despite having relatively few drusen are the exclusive presence of soft drusen and the abundant BlamD in this region.
[Distribution of Apo E gene sequencing in patients with coronary heart disease of phlegm-stasis syndrome].

OBJECTIVE To study the correlation between Apo E gene polymorphism and patients with coronary heart disease (CHD) of phlegm-stasis syndrome (PSS). METHODS 78 CHD patients were assigned to PSS (49 cases) and non-phlegm-stasis syndrome (NPSS). Polymorphisms of Apo E gene in 78 CHD patients and 100 healthy subjects were detected by complete DNA sequencing. RESULTS Five gene types as E3/3, E4/4, E2/ 3, E2/4, and E3/4 were detected in the two groups. The frequencies of genotype E3/3 and epsilon 3 allele were significantly lower in CHD patients than in the healthy subjects (P<0.01). But the frequencies of genotype E3/4 and epsilon 4 allele were significantly higher in CHD patients than in the healthy subjects (P<0.01). In CHD patients, the frequencies of genotype E2/4 + E3/4 + E4/4 and epsilon 4 allele were higher in PSS than in NPSS. CONCLUSIONS Apo E epsilon 4 allele was a susceptible allele to CHD, which was closely correlated to CHD PSS. It was inferred that it might be one of main susceptible alleles for CHD PSS.
A simple pre-filtering for spectral smoothing in a radio frequency digital to analog converter

A new pre-filtering scheme for direct digital to RF converter is presented. The converter consists of a 400MS/s digital ΣΔ modulator followed by a 2.4-GHz digital to Radio Frequency (RF) converter. The proposed structure attenuates the out-of-band spectral and relaxes the design of ΣΔ and RF-Filter. The technique is based on using First Order Hold filter in respect to use the conventional Zero Order Hold filter. The simulation result shows 16dB image rejection improvement. Also, the modulator achieved 79dB of Signal to Noise Ratio in 5MHz of band width. The output power is -4dBm while power consumption is about 2.55mW.
Critical assessment of methods of protein structure prediction (CASP)—Round 6

This article is an introduction to the special issue of the journal Proteins, dedicated to the sixth CASP experiment to assess the state of the art in protein structure prediction. The article describes the conduct of the experiment and the categories of prediction included, and outlines the evaluation and assessment procedures. A brief summary of progress over the decade of CASP experiments is also provided. Proteins 2005;Suppl 7:3–7. © 2005 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
mTOR is required for pulmonary arterial vascular smooth muscle cell proliferation under chronic hypoxia

Pulmonary arterial vascular smooth muscle (PAVSM) cell proliferation is a key pathophysi‐ological component of vascular remodeling in pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) for which cellular and molecular mechanisms are poorly understood. The goal of our study was to determine the role of mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) in PAVSM cell proliferation, a major pathological manifestation of vascular remodeling in PAH. Our data demonstrate that chronic hypoxia promoted mTOR(Ser‐2481) phosphorylation, an indicator of mTOR intrinsic catalytic activity, mTORC1‐specific S6 and mTORC2‐specific Akt (Ser‐473) phosphorylation, and proliferation of human and rat PAVSM cells that was inhibited by siRNA mTOR PAVSM cells derived from rats exposed to chronic hypoxia (VSM‐H cells) retained increased mTOR(Ser‐2481), S6, Akt (Ser‐473) phosphorylation, and DNA synthesis compared to cells from nor‐moxia‐exposed rats. Suppression of mTORC2 signaling with siRNA rictor, or inhibition of mTORC1 signaling with rapamycin and metformin, while having little effect on other complex activities, inhibited VSM‐H and chronic hypoxia‐induced human and rat PAVSM cell proliferation. Collectively, our data demonstrate that up‐regulation of mTOR activity and activation of both mTORC1 and mTORC2 are required for PAVSM cell proliferation induced by in vitro and in vivo chronic hypoxia and suggest that mTOR may serve as a potential therapeutic target to inhibit vascular remodeling in PAH. —Krymskaya, V. P., Snow, J., Cesarone, G. , Khavin, I. , Goncharov, D. A. , Lim, P. N. , Veasey, S. C, Ihida‐Stansbury, K. , Jones, P. L. , Goncharova, E. A. mTOR is required for pulmonary arterial vascular smooth muscle cell proliferation under chronic hypoxia. FASEB J. 25, 1922‐1933 (2011). www.fasebj. org