Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Typhoid Fever and Its Association with Environmental Factors in the Dhaka Metropolitan Area of Bangladesh: A Spatial and Time-Series Approach

Typhoid fever is a major cause of death worldwide with a major part of the disease burden in developing regions such as the Indian sub-continent. Bangladesh is part of this highly endemic region, yet little is known about the spatial and temporal distribution of the disease at a regional scale. This research used a Geographic Information System to explore, spatially and temporally, the prevalence of typhoid in Dhaka Metropolitan Area (DMA) of Bangladesh over the period 2005–9. This paper provides the first study of the spatio-temporal epidemiology of typhoid for this region. The aims of the study were: (i) to analyse the epidemiology of cases from 2005 to 2009; (ii) to identify spatial patterns of infection based on two spatial hypotheses; and (iii) to determine the hydro-climatological factors associated with typhoid prevalence. Case occurrences data were collected from 11 major hospitals in DMA, geocoded to census tract level, and used in a spatio-temporal analysis with a range of demographic, environmental and meteorological variables. Analyses revealed distinct seasonality as well as age and gender differences, with males and very young children being disproportionately infected. The male-female ratio of typhoid cases was found to be 1.36, and the median age of the cases was 14 years. Typhoid incidence was higher in male population than female (χ2 = 5.88, p<0.05). The age-specific incidence rate was highest for the 0–4 years age group (277 cases), followed by the 60+ years age group (51 cases), then there were 45 cases for 15–17 years, 37 cases for 18–34 years, 34 cases for 35–39 years and 11 cases for 10–14 years per 100,000 people. Monsoon months had the highest disease occurrences (44.62%) followed by the pre-monsoon (30.54%) and post-monsoon (24.85%) season. The Student's t test revealed that there is no significant difference on the occurrence of typhoid between urban and rural environments (p>0.05). A statistically significant inverse association was found between typhoid incidence and distance to major waterbodies. Spatial pattern analysis showed that there was a significant clustering of typhoid distribution in the study area. Moran's I was highest (0.879; p<0.01) in 2008 and lowest (0.075; p<0.05) in 2009. Incidence rates were found to form three large, multi-centred, spatial clusters with no significant difference between urban and rural rates. Temporally, typhoid incidence was seen to increase with temperature, rainfall and river level at time lags ranging from three to five weeks. For example, for a 0.1 metre rise in river levels, the number of typhoid cases increased by 4.6% (95% CI: 2.4–2.8) above the threshold of 4.0 metres (95% CI: 2.4–4.3). On the other hand, with a 1°C rise in temperature, the number of typhoid cases could increase by 14.2% (95% CI: 4.4–25.0).
Anisakid infection in the European shag Phalacrocorax aristotelis aristotelis

A total of 100 specimens of the European shag Phalacrocorax aristotelis aristotelis were examined for anisakid infections in the south-east North Atlantic. The taxonomic status of the anisakid nematodes was studied by structural analysis using light and scanning electron microscopy. Two species, Contracaecum septentrionale and C. rudolphii A (Nematoda: Ascaridoidea), occurred in the European shag with high values of prevalence and mean intensities of infection. These constitute new host records for both parasites, widening their known geographical distribution. Although the histopathology associated with the infections indicated that the anisakids did not have the potential to cause bird death, the parasites are capable of contributing to and hastening avian mortality in the case of heavily-parasitized cormorants and when stressed by xenobiotics and/or through a synergetic effect by other bioagressors.
The role of syllables in the perception of spoken dutch

Three experiments are reported concerning the role of the syllable in the perception of spoken Dutch. Ss monitored spoken words for the presence of target strings that did or did not correspond to the words' first syllable. Effects of syllabic match were obtained for spoken words with unambiguous syllabic structure, as well as for words containing ambisyllabic consonants, which are shared by 2 syllables. For both types of words, monitoring latencies were shower if the target matched the first syllable of the spoken word. Syllable effects were independent of the relation between targets and stem morphemes of the spoken words. Commonalities and differences between these results and those obtained in other languages such as English and French are discussed
Short Latency Afferent Inhibition In Schizophrenia Patients

Objective: The objective of this study was to test our preliminary in vivo evaluations of central cholinergic abnormalities in schizophrenia patients. Short latency afferent inhibition (SAI) is based on coupling peripheral nerve stimulation with motor cortex Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS), which has been shown to be a putative marker of central cholinergic activity. Methods: We evaluated SAI in 5 patients with schizophrenia and 5 healthy subjects. Results: The level of SAI was significantly lower in the patients with schizophrenia than in the controls (p = 0.008). Conclusion: Our findings suggest involvement of central cholinergic neurotransmission in schizophrenia, which indicates a possible approach for treatment of cognitive dysfunction related to the disease. Download ASEAN Journal of Psychiatry, Vol. 14 (2): July - December 2013 here .
Training in Work Organizations

This review examines issues and topics concerning systematic modes of instruction designed to produce environments that shape behavior to satisfy stated objectives. Training here is defined as the acquisition of skills, concepts, or attitudes that results in improved performance in an on-the-job environment. Even a cursory inspection of this review displays the diverse nature of literature in this field which includes such topics as: need assessment techniques, evaluation methodology, and particular modes of instruction; in addition, there are topics with social and political implications such as training for second careers and training hard-core unemployed youth. This is the first examination of the topic in this series since J. P. Campbell's (1971) review. Computer searches covering the period since his review produced over 3000 references from the Educational Resources Information Center and Psychological Abstracts bibliographic data bases. The resulting eye strain was partially alleviated by a set of .
Social Structure and Social Cognition in Early Adolescence: Affiliative Patterns

To investigate the relations between perceptions of the social structure and affiliative patterns in early adolescence, subjects in three grades of a junior high school were studied in a multi-method, longitudinal research design. Interview, observational, and rating procedures were employed to obtain information about the effective social clusters within each class. After one year, the social structure of the 7th grade (now 8th) was reassessed. The results indicate high levels of consensus (in terms of accuracy, lack of intrusion) among adolescents in their conceptions of the social systems of which they are a part. This outcome was obtained across three grades and across gender groups within each grade. The perceived social clusters were closely related to the occurrence of behavioral interchanges of a non-negative sort. Episodes of interpersonal conflict were as likely to occur with persons outside the individual's social cluster as with persons who were co-members. Implications of these findings for sociometric assessment and the veridicality of self-attributions are discussed.
The use of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs in critically ill horses.

OBJECTIVE To review the physiology of the cyclooxygenase (COX) enzymes with reference to the beneficial effects of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) related to their analgesic and antiendotoxic properties as well as the mechanisms responsible for adverse gastrointestinal, renal, and coagulation effects. DATA SOURCES Human and veterinary peer reviewed literature VETERINARY DATA SYNTHESIS NSAIDs are frequently administered to critically ill horses for their analgesic and anti-inflammatory effects. However, NSAIDs have significant side effects principally on the gastrointestinal mucosa and kidneys. These side effects may be exacerbated in critically ill horses if they have gastrointestinal damage or are volume depleted CONCLUSIONS This review provides important information for equine veterinarians and criticalists on the advantages and disadvantages of using traditional NSAIDs and newer equine COX-2 selective NSAIDs for the management of different conditions in critically ill horses.
Fathers and Parental Leave

This research examined the parental leave-taking behaviors and attitudes of a sample of 550 U.S. men whose wives/partners were pregnant, in a longitudinal design that assessed them during the middle trimester of pregnancy, 1 month after the birth, and 4 months after the birth. Identity theory provided the theoretical framework. The fathers' mean length of leave was 5 days, with 71% of fathers taking 5 or fewer days; 91% of fathers took at least some leave. Generally both men and women were strong supporters of job-guaranteed parental leave for fathers, although opinions were mixed about paid parental leave for fathers. The employer's policy regarding length of leave was a significant predictor of the length of leave taken. As predicted by identity theory, sex role attitudes predicted length of leave; supervisor/co-worker attitudes were marginally significant predictors. As predicted by our analysis of the good-provider model and the father involvement model, fathers holding egalitarian sex role attitudes and high in family salience took the longest leaves.
Early experience with the crescent expander in immediate and delayed breast reconstruction

Traditional breast expanders have known drawbacks, such as undesirable fullness at the upper pole, inadequate expansion of the residual breast tissue, and poor ptosis of the reconstructed breast. Crescent-shaped expanders are thought to improve the result in that expansion is concentrated at the basal breast pole. The aim of this prospective pilot study was to evaluate our results with the crescent-shaped expander in immediate and delayed breast reconstructions. Twenty-five patients, median age 51 (27–75) years, underwent 28 operations. The median follow-up time was 8 (4–15) months. Four patients developed complications including superficial infections, capsular contractions (Baker III–IV), and fullness of the upper pole. Three of these patients had been given irradiation. Breast reconstructions with the crescent-shaped expander allowed expansion of the lower pole and led to an anatomical breast shape. Patients’ satisfaction during expansion was good. Our data indicate a correlation between complications and radiotherapy.
Strategic Human Resource Management Research in the United States: A Failing Grade After 30 Years?

Executive Overview In this paper I look at the last three decades of predominantly American research literature on strategic human resource management from three dimensions: (1) development of theory with predictive accuracy and robust conclusions, (2) production of actionable and value-added managerial principles, and (3) accurate portrayal of the historical origins and development of this area of management scholarship and practice. After an extensive reading of the literature, I conclude that strategic human resource management researchers as a group deserve a D to F grade on all three dimensions. Among the problems are an overreliance on knowledge areas and perspectives pertaining to the internal dimension of organizations and management (e.g., strategy, psychology, and organizational behavior) and too little attention paid to those areas and perspectives dealing with the external dimension (e.g., economics, industrial/employment relations, and the macro side of sociology). I suggest an economics-base.
Children's Response to Air Pollutants

It is important to focus on children with respect to air pollution because (1) their lungs are not completely developed, (2) they can have greater exposures than adults, and (3) those exposures can deliver higher doses of different composition that may remain in the lung for greater duration. The undeveloped lung is more vulnerable to assault and less able to fully repair itself when injury disrupts morphogenesis. Children spend more time outside, where concentrations of combustion-generated air pollution are generally higher. Children have higher baseline ventilation rates and are more physically active than adults, thus exposing their lungs to more air pollution. Nasal breathing in adults reduces some pollution concentrations, but children are more typically mouth-breathers—suggesting that the composition of the exposure mixture at the alveolar level may be different. Finally, higher ventilation rates and mouth-breathing may pull air pollutants deeper into children's lungs, thereby making clearance slower and more difficult. Children also have immature immune systems, which plays a significant role in asthma. The observed consequences of early life exposure to adverse levels of air pollutants include diminished lung function and increased susceptibility to acute respiratory illness and asthma. Exposure to diesel exhaust, in particular, is an area of concern for multiple endpoints, and deserves further research.
Clinical Implications of Opioid Pharmacogenetics

The peer-reviewed literature yields a plethora of examples of variability in patient's responses to medications. The rapidly progressing field of pharmacogenetics offers insight into the variation in responses observed clinically, and in particular for the variability observed among patients administered μ opioid analgesics. Genetic variation leads to interperson variability in drug absorption, distribution, metabolism, and excretion, processes that have an important impact on the observed efficacy and toxicity of a drug. In particular, single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the gene encoding the μ opioid receptor have been linked to the variability in responses to opioids, whereas SNPs within metabolic enzymes that process and eliminate opioids and their metabolites also have an important effect on an individual's response to opioid medications as do SNPs that affect the bioavailability of opioids. In current clinical practice, given the best available evidence, to optimize pain medications each patient is, in effect, given their own analgesic trial. In the near future, pharmacogenetic approaches may be implemented to best predict which medicine from the outset may be most appropriate for an individual—the therapy with the most sustained efficacy and the best side effect profile. In the meantime, pharmacogenetic studies on μ opioid analgesics have provided a molecular foundation supporting opioid rotation in cases in which opioid therapy loses efficacy or becomes associated with intolerable side effects. As more pharmacogenetic research links specific polymorphisms to the pharmacologic effects of specific opioid analgesics, clinicians will continue to improve their understanding of how to prescribe these medications more effectively.
Determinants of Health Care Expenditures and the Contribution of Associated Factors: 16 Cities and Provinces in Korea, 2003-2010

Objectives The purpose of this study was to classify determinants of cost increases into two categories, negotiable factors and non-negotiable factors, in order to identify the determinants of health care expenditure increases and to clarify the contribution of associated factors selected based on a literature review. Methods The data in this analysis was from the statistical yearbooks of National Health Insurance Service, the Economic Index from Statistics Korea and regional statistical yearbooks. The unit of analysis was the annual growth rate of variables of 16 cities and provinces from 2003 to 2010. First, multiple regression was used to identify the determinants of health care expenditures. We then used hierarchical multiple regression to calculate the contribution of associated factors. The changes of coefficients (R2) of predictors, which were entered into this analysis step by step based on the empirical evidence of the investigator could explain the contribution of predictors to increased medical cost. Results Health spending was mainly associated with the proportion of the elderly population, but the Medicare Economic Index (MEI) showed an inverse association. The contribution of predictors was as follows: the proportion of elderly in the population (22.4%), gross domestic product (GDP) per capita (4.5%), MEI (-12%), and other predictors (less than 1%). Conclusions As Baby Boomers enter retirement, an increasing proportion of the population aged 65 and over and the GDP will continue to increase, thus accelerating the inflation of health care expenditures and precipitating a crisis in the health insurance system. Policy makers should consider providing comprehensive health services by an accountable care organization to achieve cost savings while ensuring high-quality care.
Effects of Ethnolinguistic Vitality, Ethnic Identification, and Linguistic Contacts on Minority Language Use

Recent developments in ethnolinguistic vitality research appear to place agreater emphasis on interpersonal language experiences than on the wider intergroup context of ethnolinguistic phenomena. A questionnaire was administered to second-generation Italian Australians to predict Italian language competence and use from (a) subjective ethnolinguistic vitality (SEV), (b) ethnolinguistic identification, (c) societal language support, and (d) interpersonal language experience (interpersonal networks oflinguistic contacts-INLC). Multiple regression procedures revealed, as predicted from social-identity and intergroup perspectives, that language behavior was associated with societal-level language support and, in some circumstances, with ethnolinguistic identification, but not with INLC. It was further revealed that identification was mainly predicted by societal level language support, not by INLC. Unexpectedly, SEV had little relationship with identification or language use.
Clinical findings, bronchoalveolar lavage fluid cytology and matrix metalloproteinase-2 and -9 in canine pulmonary eosinophilia.

We characterized clinical and clinicopathological features, and the involvement of gelatinolytic matrix metalloproteinases (MMP-2 and -9) in canine pulmonary eosinophilia (PE). Study material consisted of 20 PE dogs and 16 healthy beagles. All dogs underwent a similar clinical examination and bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL). Analysis for cell count and differential cell count of BAL fluid (BALF), arterial blood gas analysis before and after BAL, and thoracic radiographs before BAL and after treatment were obtained. Twelve dogs were re-evaluated and six relavaged. MMP-2 and MMP-9 in BALF were analysed by zymography, Western immunoblotting and immunocytochemistry. In the PE dogs, BALF, cell count, number and percentage of eosinophils, and numbers of macrophages, lymphocytes, neutrophils, mast cells and epithelial cells were all significantly elevated. Blood eosinophilia was detected in half of the PE dogs. Three PE dogs had mild hypoxaemia. The BAL procedure had an equal effect on PE and healthy dogs' arterial blood gas values. Bronchointerstitial densities were seen in PE dogs' radiographs. Treatment of PE decreased BALF cell count, eosinophil count and percentage and diminished radiographic changes. Gelatinolytic activity was higher in PE dogs' BALF. BALF macrophages and epithelial cells were the principal sources of the MMP-9.
A Survey of Preschool Staff Concerning Problem Behavior and Its Prevention in Head Start Classrooms

We examined the self-reported practices of Head Start personnel toward children’s problem behavior in order to design an intervention for preschool personnel that was compatible with their needs. This study involved 78 Head Start staff from five programs in the Mid-Atlantic region. Participants were asked to respond to four questions concerning their practices for addressing their students’ problem behaviors. We found that survey respondents (a) listed externalizing behaviors as the predominant challenging behavior, (b) identified prevention and replacement methods for addressing problem behavior, (c) indicated that families of children with challenging behavior were involved in intervention planning and implementation, and (d) reported a need for additional training on classroom management and positive behavior support. Participants also were asked to respond to four conflict scenarios that were designed to measure how teachers would handle problem behavior situations. The majority of participants’ responses received a medium rating on a scale of low, medium, or high. Implications of these findings for preschool programs were discussed in terms of professional development and improved needs assessment measures.
Genetic Control of β -Cell Mass Homeostasis

Control of ￻ -cell function and mass is tightly linked to glucose homeostasis. Failing ￻ -cells inevitably lead to diabetes. Recently, several contradictory studies have been published arguing against or in favor of various mechanisms controlling ￻ -cell mass regulation. Here we review the literature on control of adult ￻ -cell mass and aim to reconcile thereby the contradictions. We discuss the role of � -cell proliferation and neogenesis, both in mice and man. We also discuss the influence of genetic predisposition on ￻ -cell mass control. We conclude that ￻ -cell generation in the adult human and mouse likely depends on many paths to assure sufficient numbers of ￻ -cells at any given time, thereby balancing mechanisms for negative regulation of ￻ -cell numbers. A simple model with only one pathway does not fit the current literature.
Language attitudes among minority youth in Finland and Germany

Abstract The main findings from a contact-linguistic case study from 2003 on language attitudes among 16–18-year-old Swedish-speaking Finns (Finland) and Sorbs (Germany) are presented. The former can be regarded as a (in many respects) privileged minority, if a minority at all, while the latter is often classified as a threatened minority. Due to the highly different sociohistorical contexts, many differences between the groups were expected, but also similarities existed. The study is based on a language attitude model in which the minority language is embedded in its specific sociohistorical context. In order to make a comparison feasible, the sociohistorical context is described, using the socioprofile method (literature review, interviews with privileged witnesses, survey, analysis, conclusions/recommendations). The clearest differences between the two groups can be found in the language proficiency and language use in official domains. However, the similarities are more numerous than the differences: the frequent minority language use in private and semi-official domains, majority language preference in official domains, and the importance of the majority language and English in youth culture domains. Further similarities include a strong affinity with and an integrative, but also instrumental, orientation toward the minority language and extremely low affinities with the languages in the neighboring countries.