Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Can training non-physician clinicians/associate clinicians (NPCs/ACs) in emergency obstetric, neonatal care and clinical leadership make a difference to practice and help towards reductions in maternal and neonatal mortality in rural Tanzania? The ETATMBA project

Objectives During late 2010, 36 trainees including 19 assistant medical officers (AMOs) 1 senior clinical officer (CO) and 16 nurse midwives/nurses were recruited from districts across rural Tanzania and invited to join the Enhancing Human Resources and Use of Appropriate Technologies for Maternal and Perinatal Survival in the sub-Saharan Africa (ETATMBA) training programme. The ETATMBA project was training associate clinicians (ACs) as advanced clinical leaders in emergency obstetric care. The trainees returned to health facilities across the country with the hope of being able to apply their new skills and knowledge. The main aim of this study was to explore the impact of the ETATMBA training on health outcomes including maternal and neonatal morbidity and mortality in their facilities. Secondly, to explore the challenges faced in working in these health facilities. Design The study is a pre-examination/postexamination of maternal and neonatal health indicators and a survey of health facilities in rural Tanzania. The facilities surveyed were those in which ETATMBA trainees were placed post-training. The maternal and neonatal indicators were collected for 2011 and 2013 and the survey of the facilities was in early 2014. Results 16 of 17 facilities were surveyed. Maternal deaths show a non-significant downward trend over the 2 years (282–232 cases/100 000 live births). There were no significant differences in maternal, neonatal and birth complication variables across the time-points. The survey of facilities revealed shortages in key areas and some are a serious concern. Conclusions This study represents a snapshot of rural health facilities providing maternal and neonatal care in Tanzania. Enhancing knowledge, practical skills, and clinical leadership of ACs may have a positive impact on health outcomes. However, any impact may be confounded by the significant challenges in delivering a service in terms of resources. Thus, training may be beneficial, but it requires an infrastructure that supports it.
Sonographic Alteration of Basal Ganglia in Different Forms of Primary Focal Dystonia: A Cross-sectional Study

Background:Few studies have addressed whether abnormalities in the lenticular nucleus (LN) are characteristic transcranial sonography (TCS) echo features in patients with primary dystonia. This study aimed to explore alterations in the basal ganglia in different forms of primary focal dystonia. Methods:cross-sectional observational study was performed between December 2013 and December 2014 in 80 patients with different forms of primary focal dystonia and 55 neurologically normal control subjects. TCS was performed in patients and control subjects. Multiple comparisons of multiple rates were used to compare LN hyperechogenicity ratios between control and patient groups. Results:Thirteen individuals were excluded due to poor temporal bone windows, and two subjects were excluded due to disagreement in evaluation by sonologists. Totally, 70 patients (cervical dystonia, n = 30; blepharospasm, n = 30; oromandibular dystonia, n = 10) and 50 normal controls were included in the final analysis. LN hyperechogenicity was observed in 51% (36/70) of patients with primary focal dystonia, compared with 12% (6/50) of controls (P < 0.001). Substantia nigra hyperechogenicity did not differ between the two groups. LN hyperechogenicity was observed in 73% (22/30) of patients with cervical dystonia, a greater prevalence than in patients with blepharospasm (33%, 10/30, P = 0.002) and oromandibular dystonia (40%, 4/10, P = 0.126). LN hyperechogenicity was more frequently observed in patients with cervical dystonia compared with controls (73% vs. 12%, P < 0.001); however, no significant difference was detected in patients with blepharospasm (33% vs. 12%, P = 0.021) or oromandibular dystonia (40% vs. 12%, P = 0.088). Conclusions:LN hyperechogenicity is more frequently observed in patients with primary focal dystonia than in controls. It does not appear to be a characteristic TCS echo feature in patients with blepharospasm or oromandibular dystonia.
Point-of-Care Diagnostics in Low Resource Settings: Present Status and Future Role of Microfluidics

The inability to diagnose numerous diseases rapidly is a significant cause of the disparity of deaths resulting from both communicable and non-communicable diseases in the developing world in comparison to the developed world. Existing diagnostic instrumentation usually requires sophisticated infrastructure, stable electrical power, expensive reagents, long assay times, and highly trained personnel which is not often available in limited resource settings. This review will critically survey and analyse the current lateral flow-based point-of-care (POC) technologies, which have made a major impact on diagnostic testing in developing countries over the last 50 years. The future of POC technologies including the applications of microfluidics, which allows miniaturisation and integration of complex functions that facilitate their usage in limited resource settings, is discussed The advantages offered by such systems, including low cost, ruggedness and the capacity to generate accurate and reliable results rapidly, are well suited to the clinical and social settings of the developing world.
Dissimilarity Application in Digitized Mammographic Images Classification

Purpose of this work is the development of an automatic classification system which could be useful for radiologists in the investigation of breast cancer. The software has been designed in the framework of the MAGIC-5 collaboration. In the traditional way of learning from examples of objects the classifiers are built in a feature space. However, an alternative ways can be found by constructing decision rules on dissimilarity (distance) representations. In such a recognition process a new object is described by its distances to (a subset of) the training samples. The use of the dissimilarities is especially of interest when features are difficult to obtain or when they have a little discriminative power. In the automatic classification system the suspicious regions with high probability to include a lesion are extracted from the image as regions of interest (ROIs). Each ROI is characterized by some features extracted from co-occurrence matrix containing spatial statistics information on ROI pixel grey tones. A dissimilarity representation of these features is made before the classification. A feed-forward neural network is employed to distinguish pathological records, from nonpathological ones by the new features. The results obtained in terms of sensitivity and specificity will be presented.
Legal Error, Litigation, and the Incentive to Obey the Law

The occurrence of legal error seems inevitable: evidence brought before courts often will be incomplete or subject to misinterpretation and courts sometimes will misconstrue the law. ' This article studies the effects of legal errors on the decision to bring a suit and on the incentive to obey the law. It also examines how various policies can be used to lessen problems caused by legal errors. The first section of the article considers the influence of legal errors on litigation. It is observed that "type I" errors-in which truly guilty defendants escape liability-discourage suits because such errors reduce a plaintiff's probability of prevailing. Conversely, "type II" errors-in which truly innocent defendants are found liable-encourage suits because such errors raise the probability of success.2 The effects of legal errors on the propensity
Mobility of IP based Wireless Sensor Nodes in Sensor-Grid infrastructure

Abstract As the world is moving towards the “Internet of Things” [1], Internet Protocol enabled wireless sensor network is becoming an important research area. In order to make it possible and to facilitate transmission of IPv6 packets over low powered networks, 6Lowpan [2,3] has been introduced. Since the IP- WSN application domain is expanded to real-time applications such as health-care [17] and surveillance systems, a fast and seamless handover becomes an important criterion for supporting mobility in 6LoWPAN [21]. In this paper, we have studied mobility characteristics along with design issues under different mobility scenarios. We propose a scheme to manage the mobility of nodes. The 6LoWPAN based wireless sensor network will be integrated with grid computing establishing a Sensor-grid which may also be used widely in various applications.
Uniform deterministic equivalent of additive functionals and non-parametric drift estimation for one-dimensional recurrent diffusions

Usually the problem of drift estimation for a diffusion process is considered under the hypothesis of ergodicity. It is less often considered under the hypothesis of null-recurrence, simply because there are fewer limit theorems and existing ones do not apply to the whole null-recurrent class. The aim of this paper is to provide some limit theorems for additive functionals and martingales of a general (ergodic or null) recurrent diffusion which would allow us to have a somewhat unified approach to the problem of non-parametric kernel drift estimation in the one-dimensional recurrent case. As a particular example we obtain the rate of convergence of the Nadaraya--Watson estimator in the case of a locally H\"{o}lder-continuous drift.
Design and implementation of maximum power point tracking solar charge controller

Solar or photovoltaic (PV) system is an alternative clean energy resource that has received much attention in the research and industries. Solar charge controller (CC) is the heart of a solar system. Three common types of charge controller are ON/Off, pulse width modulation (PWM) and maximum power point tracking (MPPT). MPPT is getting very much popularity nowadays for its high capability of power extracting from solar panel. This paper is presenting here an improved design of MPPT solar charge controller using Aurduino. The proposed technique significantly reduce system power loss and increase the efficiency. Experimented highest efficiency 97.75% is recorded from the proposed system. Additionally, some new features are added like smart device charging, wireless data logging and protections from high voltage disconnect (HVD), low voltage disconnect (LVD), over current protection, short circuit protection and reverse polarity protection.
Brain tumour diagnosis with Wavelets and Support Vector Machines

In this paper, a synergy of signal processing techniques and intelligent strategies is applied in order to identify different types of human brain tumours, so that to help to confirm the histological diagnosis. The wavelet-SVM (support vector machine) classifier merges wavelet transform to reduce the size of the biomedical spectra and to extract the main features, with SVM to classify them. The influence of some of the configuration parameters of each of those techniques on the clustering is analysed. The classification results are promising specially taking into account that medical knowledge has not been considered.
2-Triazenoazaindoles: A novel class of triazenes inducing transcriptional down-regulation of EGFR and HER-2 in human pancreatic cancer cells

Pancreatic cancer is a complex malignancy arising from the accumulation of genetic and epigenetic defects in the affected cells. Standard chemotherapy for patients with advanced disease shows only modest effects and is associated with considerable toxicity. Overexpression or aberrant activation of members of the epidermal growth factor receptor tyrosine kinase family, which includes EGFR and HER-2, occurs frequently and is associated with multiple drug resistance and decreased patient survival. In this study, we have investigated the therapeutic potential of AS104, a novel compound of the triazene class, with potential inhibitory effects on EGFR. We found that treatment of cells with AS104 causes significant reduction of cell growth and metabolic activity in four human pancreatic cancer cell lines. Furthermore, we show that the AS104-mediated induction of apoptotic cell death is associated with stimulation of autophagy in a dose-dependent manner. Treatment of cells with AS104 results in significant down-regulation of EGFR and HER-2 expression and activity and subsequent inhibition of downstream signaling proteins. Quantitative RT-PCR analysis and assays with proteasome inhibitors revealed that AS104 regulates the expression of EGFR and HER-2 at the transcriptional level. These findings provide for the first time experimental evidence for efficacy of AS104 in the simultaneous transcriptional repression of EGFR and HER-2 genes and suggest that AS104 may have therapeutic potential in the treatment of pancreatic cancers that express high levels of the aforementioned receptor tyrosine kinases.
MicroRNAs: New Biomarkers for Diagnosis, Prognosis, Therapy Prediction and Therapeutic Tools for Breast Cancer

Dysregulation of microRNAs (miRNAs) is involved in the initiation and progression of several human cancers, including breast cancer (BC), as strong evidence has been found that miRNAs can act as oncogenes or tumor suppressor genes. This review presents the state of the art on the role of miRNAs in the diagnosis, prognosis, and therapy of BC. Based on the results obtained in the last decade, some miRNAs are emerging as biomarkers of BC for diagnosis (i.e., miR-9, miR-10b, and miR-17-5p), prognosis (i.e., miR-148a and miR-335), and prediction of therapeutic outcomes (i.e., miR-30c, miR-187, and miR-339-5p) and have important roles in the control of BC hallmark functions such as invasion, metastasis, proliferation, resting death, apoptosis, and genomic instability. Other miRNAs are of interest as new, easily accessible, affordable, non-invasive tools for the personalized management of patients with BC because they are circulating in body fluids (e.g., miR-155 and miR-210). In particular, circulating multiple miRNA profiles are showing better diagnostic and prognostic performance as well as better sensitivity than individual miRNAs in BC. New miRNA-based drugs are also promising therapy for BC (e.g., miR-9, miR-21, miR34a, miR145, and miR150), and other miRNAs are showing a fundamental role in modulation of the response to other non-miRNA treatments, being able to increase their efficacy (e.g., miR-21, miR34a, miR195, miR200c, and miR203 in combination with chemotherapy).
A Comparison of the Efficacy of Surgical Renal Denervation and Pharmacologic Therapies in Post-Myocardial Infarction Heart Failure

Objective Although renal denervation (RD) has been shown to be effective in treating post- myocardial Infarction (MI) heart failure (HF) in animal models and clinical trials, its utility as a standalone treatment without traditional drug treatment for post-MI HF still needs to be investigated. Methods Rats were randomly assigned into seven experimental groups: N group (control group with no MI and no RD, n = 10), MI group (MI, n = 20), RD group (renal denervation, n = 10), RD-3d+MI group (RD performed three days before MI, n = 15), β-blocker-3d+MI group (Metoprolol treated three days before MI, n = 15), ACEI-3d+MI group (Perindopril treated three days before MI, n = 15), and ARB-3d+MI group (Losartan treated three days before MI, n = 15). Cardiac function, autonomic nervous system parameters, and neuroendocrine activities were evaluated 8 weeks post MI. Results Compared to β-blockers, ACEIs, and ARBs, RD alone provided significantly better cardiac remodeling and function, enhanced water and sodium excretion, and improved autonomic modulation. Conclusions In this post-MI HF animal model, surgical RD provides effective autonomic modulation, inhibition of the RAAS, improved cardiac remodeling, and preserved renal function, without affecting normal circulation and cardiopulmonary function in normal rats. Compared to β-blocker, ACEI, and ARB single-drug therapies, RD alone is more efficacious. These results suggest that RD may be an effective treatment option for HF, especially in patients who have contraindications to drug therapy.
Computational studies to understand the role of social learning in team familiarity and its effects on team performance

This paper concerns social learning modes and their effects on team performance. Social learning, such as by observing others' actions and their outcomes, allows members of a team to learn what other members know. Knowing what other members know can reduce task communication and co-ordination overhead, which helps the team to perform faster since members can devote their attention to their tasks. This paper describes agent-based simulation studies using a computational model that implements different social learning modes as parameters that can be controlled in the simulations. The results show that social learning from both direct and indirect observations positively contributes to learning about what others know, but the value of social learning is sensitive to prior familiarity such that minimum thresholds of team familiarity are needed to realise the benefits of social learning. This threshold increases with task complexity. These findings clarify the level of influence that sociality has on social learning and sets up a formal framework by which to conduct studies on how social context influences learning and group performance.
A structural equation modeling approach to understanding psychological empowerment in community prevention coalitions

The increased attention in the past decade to health promotion strategies has led to an increase in the study of empowerment processes. Despite this growing attention, however, there are only a limited number of studies that address empowerment in a systematic and empirical fashion. The present study utilizes data from 284 members of thirty-five community coalitions working to prevent alcohol and other drug (AOD) problems in the state of Rhode Island. Structural Equation Modeling of three competing models of empowerment effects were conducted to determine the best indicators of individual-level empowerment. An inclusive direct effects model, a model of participation effects, and a model utilizing variables indicated in an earlier study with this data set were examined (McMillan, Florin, Stevenson, Kerman, and Mitchell, 1995). While all three models (which examined the relationships of demographic variables, community variables, participation variables, and organizational climate variables to empowerment) showed some fit to the data set, only a revised version of the McMillan et al., 1995 model provided a truly adequate fit. Implications of this study and future directions for research are discussed.
Dynamic Mechanisms Without Money

We analyze the optimal design of dynamic mechanisms in the absence of transfers. The designer uses future allocation decisions to elicit private information. Values evolve according to a two-state Markov chain. We solve for the optimal allocation rule, which permits a simple implementation. Unlike with transfers, efficiency decreases over time, and both immiseration and its polar opposite are possible long-run outcomes. Considering the limiting environment in which time is continuous, we demonstrate that persistence hurts.
The Impact of the Global Financial Crisis on the Labor Market: The Case of the Philippines

The Global Financial Crisis of 2007 was one of the worst crises that hit the world economy since the Depression era. For the next two years, the crisis created waves of economic contraction that affected developed and developing economies. The Philippines was not spared from this crisis. As an export-oriented economy, the global financial crisis created serious strains in the domestic economy when its top export destination for both goods and services suffered a downturn. Inflow of foreign direct investment also slowed down, further creating a slack in economic growth, and consequently leading to less employment opportunities in the country. Several studies analyzed how the global economic crisis was transmitted to the domestic economy. This paper culled the results of these studies with the end goal of understanding the impact of the global financial crisis on the Philippines` human resources. It also tackled the government`s response to mitigate the impact of the crisis in the labor market and the lessons learned from these interventions. This paper is part of the APEC project on Human Resource Impacts of the Global Economic Crisis, which aims to assess the human resource impacts of the global economic crisis.
Peyer’s Patches in the Terminal Ileum in Ulcerative Colitis: Magnifying Endoscopic Findings

Peyer’s patches (PPs), a major component of the gut-associated lymphoid tissue, serve as important antigen entry sites in mucosal immunity. PPs may play a role in the extension of ulcerative colitis (UC) into the terminal ileum. We sought to clarify the magnified endoscopic findings of the PPs in the terminal ileum of UC patients. Eighteen UC patients underwent magnifying chromoendoscopy before initial treatment to evaluate the follicle-associated epithelium (FAE) on the PPs domes and the surrounding villi. In 8 UC patients, as in healthy controls, the PPs’ domes were slightly elevated, covered with the regular FAE lining, and surrounded by dense and bulky villi; however, in 10 UC patients, the PPs’ domes were irregular, and the surrounding villi were sparse and atrophic. These abnormal findings within the PPs were associated with minimal mucosal lesions but not with backwash ileitis; both electron microscopy and magnifying endoscopy confirmed that these lesions were reversible following remission with prednisolone-mesalazine therapy. Similar to Crohn’s disease patients, UC patients commonly had abnormalities in the FAE on PPs’ domes and the surrounding villi on magnifying endoscopy.
Path integrity aware traffic engineering [telecom traffic]

Dynamic traffic engineering requires the operation of load balanced routing. Load sharing, however, implies a thus far neglected, currently hidden problem: insufficient path integrity. Since load balancing requires changing the routes of traffic in order to achieve proper load distribution, path changes of ongoing communications go hand in hand with dynamic traffic engineering. Frequent path changes will not only degrade the performance of current TCP based applications but they will also dramatically influence the grade of service experienced by future QoS critical applications. To overcome this problem, we present a two level hashing based mechanism for route pinning under load balancing. We analytically formalise the path integrity and convergence time achievable for our routing model, and use these formulas for dimensioning path integrity aware load balancing.