Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
ONE EMU FISCAL POLICY FOR THE EURO

We build a two-country New-Keynesian DSGE model of a Currency Union to study the effects of fiscal policy coordination, by evaluating the stabilization properties and welfare implications of different fiscal policy scenarios. Our main findings are that a government spending rule which targets the net exports gap rather than the domestic output gap produces more stable dynamics and that consolidating government budget constraints across countries with symmetric tax rate movements provides greater stabilization. A key role is played by the trade elasticity which determines the impact of the terms of trade on net exports. In fact, when goods are complements, the stabilization properties of coordinating fiscal policies are no longer supported. These findings point out to possible policy prescriptions for the Euro Area: to coordinate fiscal policies by reducing international demand imbalances, either by stabilizing trade flows across countries or by creating some form of Fiscal Union or both.
Quality of life among menopausal women: A community-based study in a rural area of West Bengal

Introduction: During menopausal transition, there is a lot of fluctuation in the hormone levels making the peri and postmenopausal women susceptible to various mental and physical disorders. There is considerably lack of awareness about the effects of the menopausal symptoms in women in India. Studies on issues relating to menopause, especially among rural women, are also lacking. With this background, the current study was carried out in a rural area of West Bengal with the objective to assess the quality of life (QOL) of peri-menopausal women. Methodology: The study was carried out among 100 peri and postmenopausal women (40–60 years) in Dearah village of West Bengal which is the rural field practice area of All India Institute of Hygiene and Public Health during February–March 2014. The questionnaire used as study tool had two parts - Part 1: Sociodemographic characteristics. Part 2: About QOL due to menopausal symptoms based on four domains (vasomotor, psychosocial, physical, and sexual) using the 29-item Menopause-Specific Quality of Life Questionnaire. Results: Occurrence of vasomotor symptoms was average with 60% of them reporting hot flushes and 47% sweating. Most prevalent psychosocial symptoms reported were feeling of anxiety and nervousness (94%) and overall depression (88%). Physical symptoms were quite varying in occurrence with some symptoms such as feeling tired or worn out, decrease in physical strength and lack of energy occurring in 93% of the women to only 5% suffering from growth of facial hair. Overall sexual changes were reported among 49% who reported of avoiding intimacy with a partner and 26% complained of vaginal dryness. Conclusions: The results support that menopause causes both physical and psychiatric problems. Education, creating awareness and providing suitable intervention to improve their QOL are important which should be imparted to menopausal women at both individual and community level.
Low dose leptin administration reverses effects of sustained weight-reduction on energy expenditure and circulating concentrations of thyroid hormones.

Maintenance of a reduced body weight is associated with decreased 24-hour energy expenditure, and decreased circulating concentrations of leptin and thyroid hormones. To determine whether these adaptive metabolic and endocrine changes are partly leptin-mediated, we measured body composition, aspects of energy expenditure, and circulating concentrations of leptin and thyroid hormones in 4 subjects at 3 time points: 1. ) Usual body weight; 2. ) While stable at 10% reduced body weight; and 3. ) During a 5-week period at 10% reduced body weight while receiving twice per day leptin injections that restored 8 AM circulating leptin concentrations to those seen at usual body weight. During maintenance of a 10% reduced body weight, circulating T3, T4, and leptin concentrations were decreased. All of these endocrine changes were reversed by administration of "replacement" doses of leptin (r-metHuLeptin). Indirect calorimetry, and subtle changes in body composition associated with leptin administration, were used to calculate the net change in stored calories and in 24-hour energy expenditure. Total energy expenditure increased in all subjects during r-metHuLeptin administration. These data indicate that decrease leptin concentrations resulting from loss of fat mass account for some aspects of the endocrine/metabolic phenotype associated with the weight-reduced state.
Successful treatment of central retinal artery thromboembolism with ocular massage and intravenous acetazolamide

A 67-year-old woman presented with left-sided headache and blurred vision, worse during hypertensive episodes. CT angiography showed a 4 mm left internal carotid artery (ICA) aneurysm incorporating the ophthalmic artery. She passed a test balloon occlusion, so the aneurysm was coil occluded, without immediate complication. Four days postprocedure she experienced sudden loss of vision in the left eye and funduscopy showed central retinal artery occlusion secondary to emboli from the coiled aneurysm. She was treated promptly with intravenous acetazolamide and ocular massage and regained full visual acuity. Thromboembolism to the eye during or after neurointerventional treatment is a relatively rare but devastating complication. This report demonstrates the effectiveness of combined intravenous acetazolamide and ocular massage in dealing with this complication when delivered promptly.
Family members of patients treated for ESRD have high rates of undetected kidney disease.

BACKGROUND Early intervention during the course of chronic kidney disease (CKD) may delay the progression to end-stage renal disease (ESRD). Several studies have reported that relatives of patients with ESRD are at risk for kidney disease (KD), but little is known about the prevalence and awareness of CKD in this population, which is the object of this report. METHODS We conducted a cross-sectional survey by way of a voluntary screening of relatives of patients with ESRD in 10 communities in one southeastern state. Age; race; sex; family and personal history of KD, hypertension, and diabetes; height; weight; and blood pressure were determined. Proteinuria and random blood glucose and serum creatinine were measured. Creatinine clearance (CrCl) was assessed using the Cockroft-Gault formula. RESULTS Among 769 screened adults, 29.2% with a family history of ESRD were included in the study sample. CKD (CrCl < 90 mL/min) was present in 49.3%, 13.9% had a CrCl less than 60 mL/min, and 9.9% had proteinuria of 1+ or greater. Among those with a CrCl less than 60 mL/min or a proteinuria of 1+ or greater, or both, only 13.0% were aware of their KD. Awareness of CKD was not associated with age, race, sex, education, control of diabetes and hypertension, or physician's visits. Among those who had seen a physician recently, only 7.9% were aware of their KD. CONCLUSION Awareness of KD is less than expected among relatives of patients with ESRD considering the high prevalence of CKD in this population. Screening these individuals might help identify people with early KD.
Coenzyme Q10 treatment in serious heart failure

Several noninvasive studies have shown the effect on heart failure of treatment with coenzyme Q10. In order to confirm this by invasive methods we studied 22 patients with mean left ventricular (LV) ejection fraction 26%, mean LV internal diameter 71 mm and in NYHA class 2‐3. The patients recieved coenzyme Q10 100 mg twice daily or placebo for 12 weeks in a randomized double‐blinded placebo controlled investigation.
Poorest Made Poorer? Decomposing income losses at the bottom of the income distribution during the Great Recession

On the basis of anonymous (or cross-sectional) analyses, income losses during the Great Recession in a number of European countries were concentrated among the poorest ten per cent of the population. The anonymous approach however, which simply compares the distribution of income at two different points of time, can omit important information regarding a change in the distribution of income in a country. Non-anonymous (or longitudinal) analysis, tracking individuals rather than income positions through time, can provide a quite contrasting picture of the distribution of income changes. Focusing on the countries with the largest proportional anonymous losses in income in the bottom decile between 2007 and 2010, a decomposition is proposed that separately identifies the proportion of the anonymous income change that is concentrated on the individuals who remain the bottom decile during the period of interest (the “stayers” effect), and the component that is the result of changes in the composition of the bottom decile (the “movers” effect). An additional decomposition of the resulting change in social welfare shows that the net welfare outcome depends largely on the treatment of anonymity in the underlying social welfare function, in particular due to the evaluation of the welfare of individuals transitioning between deciles. The net welfare effect, as well as the contribution of stayers and movers, varies widely depending on whether welfare is measured anonymously or non-anonymously and, if the latter approach is used, whether individuals’ welfare change is based on their initial income, final income, or some combination of the two.
Kinetic studies of FR-1, a growth factor-inducible aldo-keto reductase.

Murine fibroblasts cultured in the presence of fibroblast growth factor-1 express relatively high levels of FR-1, a approximately 36 kDa protein related to the aldo-keto reductase superfamily [Donohue, P. J., Alberts, G. F. , Hampton, B. S. , Winkles, J. A. (1994) J. Biol. Chem. 269, 8604-8609]. While the crystal structure of FR-1 shows striking homology with human aldose reductase [Wilson, D. K. , Nakano, T. , Petrash, J. M. , Quiocho, F. A. (1995) Biochemistry 34, 14323-14330], an enzyme linked to the pathogenesis of diabetic complications, the physiological role of FR-1 is not known. We show that FR-1 is capable of reducing a broad range of aromatic and aliphatic aldehydes, including the abundant and highly reactive lipid-derived aldehyde 4-hydroxy-2-nonenal (HNE; Km approximately 9 microM). However, in the absence of coenzyme, HNE caused a time-dependent inactivation of FR-1. Results from electrospray ionization-mass spectrometry and Edman-degradation of peptides derived from HNE-modified FR-1 were consistent with formation of a Michael adduct at Cys298. This was confirmed with a C298S mutant, which was resistant to HNE-induced inactivation. Since steady-state Km values determined with alkanals, alpha,beta-unsaturated alkenals, alkadienals, and 4-hydroxyalkenals fall within their physiological concentrations, lipid-derived aldehydes appear to be potential in vivo substrates for FR-1.
Analysis of a data set of paired uncomplexed protein structures: New metrics for side‐chain flexibility and model evaluation

We compiled and analyzed a data set of paired protein structures containing proteins for which multiple high‐quality uncomplexed atomic structures were available in the Protein Data Bank. Side‐chain flexibility was quantified, yielding a set of residue‐ and environment‐specific confidence levels describing the range of motion around χ1 and χ2 angles. As expected, buried residues were inflexible, adopting similar conformations in different crystal structure analyses. Ile, Thr, Asn, Asp, and the large aromatics also showed limited flexibility when exposed on the protein surface, whereas exposed Ser, Lys, Arg, Met, Gln, and Glu residues were very flexible. This information is different from and complementary to the information available from rotamer surveys. The confidence levels are useful for assessing the significance of observed side‐chain motion and estimating the extent of side‐chain motion in protein structure prediction. We compare the performance of a simple 40° threshold with these quantitative confidence levels in a critical evaluation of side‐chain prediction with the program SCWRL. Proteins 2001;43:271–279. © 2001 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Reafferent thalamo‐“cortical” loops in the song system of oscine songbirds

Songbirds have a complex vocal repertoire, much of which is learned by imitation. The vocal motor system of songbirds includes a set of telencephalic pathways dedicated to the acquisition and production of learned song. The main vocal motor pathway goes from the high vocal center (HVC) to the robust nucleus of the archistriatum (RA), which in turn innervates mesencephalic and medullary nuclei involved in vocalization. We used neural tract tracers (biotinylated dextran amines, fluorescein‐ and rhodamine‐linked dextran amines, and Fluorogold) to show that RA of adult male canaries (Serinus canaria) and zebra finches (Taeniopygia guttata) sends an ipsilateral projection to the posterior portion of the dorsomedial thalamic nucleus (DMP). DMP projects to the medial portion of the magnocellular nucleus of the anterior neostriatum (mMAN), which is known to project to HVC, forming a feedback circuit. We also observed that the projection from DMP to mMAN is bilateral. Extracellular multi‐unit recordings from awake restrained subjects have demonstrated that mMAN has auditory responses that are selective for the bird's own song. These auditory responses are similar to responses recorded simultaneously in HVC, but with a longer latency, suggesting that mMAN receives auditory information from HVC through the circuit we have described. We also saw a weaker projection from RA to the medial part of the dorsolateral nucleus of the thalamus (DLM), which is known to project to the lateral portion of the magnocellular nucleus of the anterior neostriatum (lMAN). lMAN is known to project to RA, completing yet another feedback circuit; lMAN is also part of the anterior forebrain pathway, which plays an essential role in song learning. These thalamo‐telencephalic circuits are similar to thalamo‐cortical circuits found in mammalian motor systems, and we suggest that the signals carried by these loops may be important for song perception, song learning, song production, and/or the bilateral coordination of vocal motor commands. J. Comp. Neurol. 380:275–290, 1997. © 1997 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Advances in Low‐Back Pain

At the present time there is an epidemic of low-back pain in most industrialized countries. The exact origin of pain is unknown, and probably many structures can play a role. The natural history is extremely good. Only 10% suffer disabling back pain for more than six weeks; nearly 60% return to work within one week. The benefits of motion in the healing process of various connective tissues can be applied also for the back pain sufferer; in addition, the nutrition of the intervertebral disc is improved by moderate motion. Biomechanical factors with epidemiologically proven negative effects for the back pain sufferer have been measured and delineated. Thus, guided activation of large muscle groups is a benefit for the structures of the back as well as the body's own pain-reducing enkephalins. Present knowledge includes a detrimental effect of prolonged inactivation, including long-term bed rest and inactivity, which should be avoided. Better treatment methods, particularly in the surgical field, will evolve from technical advances in the diagnostic field. For the majority of the low-back pain patients who do not need surgical treatment, help will come in the next decade from a collaborative effort from politicians, industrial leaders and engineers, physicians, psychologists, and biomechanicians.
Perception of Tilt and Ocular Torsion of Normal Human Subjects During Eccentric Rotation

Hypothesis The authors hypothesized that a nonvisual measure of the subjective horizontal during eccentric rotation is a reliable method for evaluating the spatial orientation of normal subjects during such rotation. Background Eccentric rotation is a promising tool for the evaluation of otolithic function in healthy subjects and in patients. Although eye torsion is an objective measurement, it is also affected by angular acceleration/deceleration. Subjective horizontal is more accurately related to the changes in linear acceleration, but visual judgments of orientation are confounded by ocular torsion. Methods 20 subjects were tested during eccentric yaw rotation in both directions, generating centripetal acceleration directed along the interaural axis ranging from 0.38 g to 1 g. Perception of body tilt in roll and in pitch was recorded in darkness using verbal reports and a somatosensory plate that the subjects maintained parallel to the perceived horizon. Torsion of the eyes was recorded by a video camera. Results Perceived roll tilt was close to the tilt of the gravito-inertial acceleration vector. However, there were differences in perceived roll and pitch tilt between facing-motion and back-to-motion headings, presumably related to the direction of the tangential acceleration. Ocular torsion was dependent on both angular and centripetal accelerations. Conclusions Measurement of perceived roll and pitch tilt using a somatosensory plate is a reproducible method for quantifying the effects of linear accelerations during eccentric rotation. This method may prove useful for the diagnosis of otolithic dysfunction in dizziness and in patients with vestibular disorders.
Four-day pulse of sodium cromoglycate modulates pulmonary vessel wall remodeling during 21-day hypoxia in rats

ABSTRACT Aim of the study: Remodeling of pulmonary resistance arteries in rats due to 4-day hypoxia could be successfully suppressed by sodium cromoglycate. In this study, we tested the difference in the suppression between two distinct time patterns of cromoglycate administration during 21-day hypoxia. In the experiment, we focused on some details in both smooth muscle cells and extracellular matrix of pulmonary arterial walls. Methods: During 21-day hypoxia, rats were treated with sodium cromoglycate either in the first four days or in the last four days. The first four days were chosen to test efficiency of an initial pulse of cromoglycate to suppress pulmonary vascular remodeling. The last four-day administration tested possibility to block remodeling post hoc. Results: Initial pulse reduced and modified remodeling in all levels of pulmonary arteries, which comprises neomuscularization of prealveolar arteries, asymmetrical hypertrophy of tunica media in muscular pulmonary arteries and hypertrophy of tunica media and tunica adventitia in large conduit arteries. Terminal pulse had only negligible effect. Conclusions: Only the initial cromoglycate therapy led to significant morphological suppression of remodeling. We therefore assume important role of initial remodeling influencing during long time hypoxia experiment.
Comparison of Colonoscopy Surveillance Outcomes Between Young and Older Colorectal Cancer Patients

Background Young-onset colorectal cancer is uncommon, but the incidence is increasing. Despite several guidelines for colonoscopic surveillance following colorectal cancer resection, there is little consistency regarding the timing and age-adjusted strategies of surveillance colonoscopy after surgery of young-onset colorectal cancer. The aim of this study was to compare the outcomes of surveillance colonoscopy between sporadic colorectal cancer patients with young and older age after curative resection. Methods We retrospectively reviewed 569 colorectal cancer patients who underwent curative resection between January 2006 and December 2010. The primary outcome was comparison of the development of metachronous advanced neoplasia during surveillance colonoscopy between young and older colorectal cancer patients. Results There were 95 patients in the young age group and 474 patients in the older age group. The mean time interval from surgery to the development of metachronous advanced neoplasia was 99.2 ± 3.7 months in the young age group and 84.4 ± 2.5 months in the old age group (P = 0.03). In the multivariate analysis, age (OR, 3.56; P = 0.04) and family history of colorectal cancer (OR, 2.66; P = 0.008) were associated with the development of metachronous advanced neoplasia. None of the young patients without both family history of colorectal cancer and high-risk findings at index colonoscopy showed advanced neoplasia during the follow-up period. Conclusions Age and family history of colorectal cancer are independent risk factors for the occurrence of advanced neoplasia after curative colorectal cancer resection, suggesting age-adjusted strategies of surveillance colonoscopy.
A flexible low-complexity robust THP approach for MISO downlinks with imperfect CSI

Tomlinson-Harashima precoding (THP) is an attractive non-linear interference cancellation method for multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) system with decentralized receivers. Compared to linear methods, it is able to achieve significant performance improvement while introduce negligible computational complexity increase. However, THP is sensitive to inevitable channel state information (CSI) errors at the transmitter in wireless communications. We statistically model the errors caused by channel estimation and feedback delay. By taking this modeling into account, we propose a flexible low-complexity compensation method for THP with imperfect CSI. In contrast to several robust designs optimized for one specific THP implementation, our approach can achieve average robustness for various THP implementations with negligible complexity overhead. Several canonical and emerging preprocessing algorithms, e.g, sorted QR decomposition (SQRD), vertical Bell Laboratories Space Time (V-BLAST) and lattice reduction (LR), are evaluated under a 802.11ac based MIMO OFDM simulation system. The experimental results show that the proposed compensation approach is able to lower the error floors caused by imperfect CSI significantly for various THP implementations.
Diagonal walk reference generator based on Fourier approximation of ZMP trajectory

Humanoid robots should be capable of adjusting their walking speed and walking direction. Due to the huge design space of the controller, it is very difficult to control the balance of humanoids walk. The position of the Zero Moment Point (ZMP) is widely used for dynamic stability measurement in biped locomotion. The reference trajectory of the Center of Mass (CoM) of a humanoid can be computed from a predefined ZMP trajectory. In order to generate the CoM trajectory, many researchers represent the ZMP equation using the motion equations of simple physical system, e.g. the cart-table model. A Fourier series approximation based method, which generates the CoM trajectory, was previously proposed for straight and curve walking. This paper extends these techniques to generate side and diagonal walking. In order to generate diagonal walking, straight and side walking are combined. The proposed CoM generation approach was tested on a simulated NAO robot. Experiments indicate that the method is successful in generating stable side and diagonal walking. Comparison results of the proposed method with ZMP preview control method show the benefits of the proposed technique.