A Model of Security Selection and Portfolio Building through Z-scores

BackgroundCash transfer (CT) programmes are implemented widely to alleviate poverty and provide safety nets to vulnerable households with children. However, evidence on the effects of CTs on child health and nutrition outcomes has been mixed. We systematically reviewed evidence of the impact of CTs on child nutritional status and selected proximate determinants.MethodsWe searched articles published between January 1997 and September 2018 using Agris, Econlit, Eldis, IBSS, IDEAS, IFPRI, Google Scholar, PubMed and World Bank databases. We included studies using quantitative impact evaluation methods of CTs with sample sizes over 300, targeted to households with children under 5 years old conducted in countries with gross domestic product per capita below US$10 000 at baseline. We conducted meta-analysis using random-effects models to assess the impact of CT programmes on selected child nutrition outcomes and meta-regression analysis to examine the association of programme characteristics with effect sizes.ResultsOut of 2862 articles identified, 74 articles were eligible for inclusion. We find that CTs have significant effects of 0.03±0.03 on height-for-age z-scores (p<0.03) and a decrease of 2.1% in stunting (95% CI −3.5% to −0.7%); consumption of animal-source foods (4.5%, 95% CI 2.9% to 6.0%); dietary diversity (0.73, 95% CI 0.28 to 1.19) and diarrhoea incidence (−2.7%, 95% CI −5.4% to −0.0%; p<0.05). The effects of CTs on weight-for-age z-scores and wasting were not significant (0.02, 95% CI −0.03 to 0.08; p<0.42) and (1.2%, 95% CI: −0.1% to 2.5%; p<0.07), respectively. We found that specific programme characteristics differentially modified the effect on the nutrition outcomes studied.ConclusionWe found that CT programmes targeted to households with young children improved linear growth and contributed to reduced stunting. We found that the likely pathways were through increased dietary diversity, including through the increased consumption of animal-source foods and reduced incidence of diarrhoea. With heightened interest in nutrition-responsive social protection programmes to improve child nutrition, we make recommendations to inform the design and implementation of future programmes.

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Bidirectional association of neurodevelopment with growth: a prospective cohort study

BMC Pediatrics ◽

10.1186/s12887-021-02655-7 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 21 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Xiaotong Wei ◽

Jiajin Hu ◽

Liu Yang ◽

Ming Gao ◽

Lin Li ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Cohort Study ◽

Social Behavior ◽

Physical Growth ◽

Regression Analyses ◽

Gross Motor ◽

Neurological Outcomes ◽

Bidirectional Association ◽

Z Scores ◽

Bidirectional Associations ◽

Longitudinal Relationships

Abstract Background The study aims to use the cross-lagged model and utilize data from the Born in Shenyang Cohort Study to characterize the bidirectional associations of the term-born infants’ neurodevelopment in five domains and physical growth in early life. Method This study consists of 688 mother-child dyads from the Born in Shenyang Cohort Study. Infants’ anthropometric (weight and length) and development in neurological outcomes (Gesell Development Scale) were measured at the age of 6 and 12 months. Cross-lagged analyses and multiple linear regression analyses were used to explore the longitudinal relationships in both directions. Results In terms of longitudinal studies, the inverse associations between infants’ two skills (gross motor and social behavior) at the age of 6 months with BMI Z -scores at the age of 12 months (gross motor: aβ = − 0.20, 95% CI: − 0.31 to- 0.09; social behavior: aβ = − 0.23, 95% CI: − 0.33 to- 0.13) were found. Conversely, a higher infant Z -scored BMI at the age of 6 months predicted a lower gross motor at the age of 12 months (aβ = − 0.08, 95% CI: − 0.12 to- 0.04). In cross-lagged analyses, an adverse association in both directions between gross motor and Z -scored BMI was observed. Conclusion We found bidirectional relationships between infants’ neurodevelopment of gross motor with physical growth and suggested the term-born infants, who are on the edge of the developmental danger, should not be overlooked.

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Integrating genome sequence and structural data for statistical learning to predict transcription factor binding sites

Nucleic Acids Research ◽

10.1093/nar/gkaa1134 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 48 (22) ◽

pp. 12604-12617

Author(s):

Pengpeng Long ◽

Lu Zhang ◽

Bin Huang ◽

Quan Chen ◽

Haiyan Liu

Keyword(s):

Genome Sequence ◽

Energy Function ◽

Structural Information ◽

Structural Data ◽

P Values ◽

A Genome ◽

Z Scores ◽

Transcription Regulators ◽

Dna Specificity ◽

Tetracycline Repressor

Abstract We report an approach to predict DNA specificity of the tetracycline repressor (TetR) family transcription regulators (TFRs). First, a genome sequence-based method was streamlined with quantitative P-values defined to filter out reliable predictions. Then, a framework was introduced to incorporate structural data and to train a statistical energy function to score the pairing between TFR and TFR binding site (TFBS) based on sequences. The predictions benchmarked against experiments, TFBSs for 29 out of 30 TFRs were correctly predicted by either the genome sequence-based or the statistical energy-based method. Using P-values or Z-scores as indicators, we estimate that 59.6% of TFRs are covered with relatively reliable predictions by at least one of the two methods, while only 28.7% are covered by the genome sequence-based method alone. Our approach predicts a large number of new TFBs which cannot be correctly retrieved from public databases such as FootprintDB. High-throughput experimental assays suggest that the statistical energy can model the TFBSs of a significant number of TFRs reliably. Thus the energy function may be applied to explore for new TFBSs in respective genomes. It is possible to extend our approach to other transcriptional factor families with sufficient structural information.

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Different Blood Metabolomics Profiles in Infants Consuming a Meat- or Dairy-Based Complementary Diet

Nutrients ◽

10.3390/nu13020388 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 13 (2) ◽

pp. 388

Author(s):

Minghua Tang ◽

Nicholas E. Weaver ◽

Lillian M. Berman ◽

Laura D. Brown ◽

Audrey E. Hendricks ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Amino Acids ◽

Dietary Intervention ◽

Principal Component ◽

Essential Amino Acids ◽

Infant Growth ◽

Serum Samples ◽

Z Scores ◽

Protein Rich ◽

Over Time ◽

Complementary Diet

Background: Research is limited in evaluating the mechanisms responsible for infant growth in response to different protein-rich foods; Methods: Targeted and untargeted metabolomics analysis were conducted on serum samples collected from an infant controlled-feeding trial that participants consumed a meat- vs. dairy-based complementary diet from 5 to 12 months of age, and followed up at 24 months. Results: Isoleucine, valine, phenylalanine increased and threonine decreased over time among all participants; Although none of the individual essential amino acids had a significant impact on changes in growth Z scores from 5 to 12 months, principal component heavily weighted by BCAAs (leucine, isoleucine, valine) and phenylalanine had a positive association with changes in length-for-age Z score from 5 to 12 months. Concentrations of acylcarnitine-C4, acylcarnitine-C5 and acylcarnitine-C5:1 significantly increased over time with the dietary intervention, but none of the acylcarnitines were associated with infant growth Z scores. Quantitative trimethylamine N-oxide increased in the meat group from 5 to 12 months; Conclusions: Our findings suggest that increasing total protein intake by providing protein-rich complementary foods was associated with increased concentrations of certain essential amino acids and short-chain acyl-carnitines. The sources of protein-rich foods (e.g., meat vs. dairy) did not appear to differentially impact serum metabolites, and comprehensive mechanistic investigations are needed to identify other contributors or mediators of the diet-induced infant growth trajectories.

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Reference ranges and Z-scores of atrioventricular and ventriculoatrial time intervals in normal fetuses

The International Journal of Cardiovascular Imaging ◽

10.1007/s10554-021-02217-z ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Mei Pan ◽

Ming-Xuan Zhang ◽

Bo-Wen Zhao ◽

Yan-Kai Mao ◽

Xiao-Hui Peng ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Reference Ranges ◽

Time Intervals ◽

Z Scores

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Bone mineral density and explanatory factors in children and adults with juvenile dermatomyositis at long term follow-up; a cross sectional study

Pediatric Rheumatology ◽

10.1186/s12969-021-00543-z ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 19 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Henriette Schermacher Marstein ◽

Kristin Godang ◽

Berit Flatø ◽

Ivar Sjaastad ◽

Jens Bollerslev ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Bone Turnover ◽

Inflammatory Markers ◽

Juvenile Dermatomyositis ◽

Inflammatory Myopathy ◽

Disease Onset ◽

Whole Body ◽

Mineral Density ◽

Z Scores

Abstract Background Juvenile dermatomyositis (JDM) is the most common idiopathic inflammatory myopathy in children and adolescents. Both the disease and its treatment with glucocorticoids may negatively impact bone formation. In this study we compare BMD in patients (children/adolescence and adults) with long-standing JDM with matched controls; and in patients, explore how general/disease characteristics and bone turnover markers are associated with BMD. Methods JDM patients (n = 59) were examined median 16.8y (range 6.6–27.0y) after disease onset and compared with 59 age/sex-matched controls. Dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) was used to measure BMD of the whole body and lumbar spine (spine) in all participants, and of ultra-distal radius, forearm and total hip in participants ≥20y only. Markers of bone turnover were analysed, and associations with outcomes explored. Results Reduced BMD Z-scores (<−1SD) were found in 19 and 29% of patients and 7 and 9% of controls in whole body and spine, respectively (p-values < 0.05). BMD and BMD Z-scores for whole body and spine were lower in all patients and for < 20y compared with their respective controls. In participants ≥20y, only BMD and BMD Z-score of forearm were lower in the patients versus controls. In patients, BMD Z-scores for whole body and/or spine were found to correlate negatively with prednisolone use at follow-up (yes/no) (age < 20y), inflammatory markers (age ≥ 20y) and levels of interferon gamma-induced protein 10 (IP-10) (both age groups). In all patients, prednisolone use at follow-up (yes/no) and age ≥ 20y were independent correlates of lower BMD Z-scores for whole body and spine, respectively. Conclusion In long-term JDM, children have more impairment of BMD than adults in spine and whole-body. Associations with BMD were found for both prednisolone and inflammatory markers, and a novel association was discovered with the biomarker of JDM activity, IP-10.

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