Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Effect of Point-of-Care Diagnostics on Maternal Outcomes in Human Immunodeficiency Virus–Infected Women: Systematic Review and Meta-analysis

Introduction The World Health Organization advocates for increased accessibility of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)–related point-of-care (POC) diagnostics in settings that lack laboratory infrastructure. The aim of this study was to assess the effect of POC diagnostics on maternal health outcomes in HIV-infected women. Methods A systematic literature review used the following multiple data sources: Cochrane Infectious Disease Group Specialized Register, Cochrane Central Register of Control Trials, published in The Cochrane Library, PubMed, Elton B. Stephens Co Host, and Latin American and Caribbean Health Sciences Literature from January 2000 to October 2015. References of included studies were hand-searched. Randomized controlled trials and observational studies examining health outcomes of HIV-infected women were eligible for inclusion in this review. The Cochrane Risk of Bias tool was used for bias assessment of the included studies. Preferred reporting items for systematic reviews and meta-analyses guidelines were used for reporting. Results Of 695 studies identified, 6 retrievable studies (5 cross-sectional studies and 1 case-control study) met the inclusion criteria and were included in this study. These studies examined a total of 167 HIV-infected women in different study settings. No studies reported evidence of CD4 count, viral load, and tuberculosis, and the syphilis POC test effect on HIV-infected women was not found by this study. Included studies reported the effect of various HIV rapid tests across the following 5 maternal outcomes: timely receipt of results with a pooled effect size (ES) of 1.00 (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.98–1.02); enabling partner testing with an ES of 0.95 (95% CI, 0.85–1.04); prevention of mother-to-child transmission of HIV with an ES of 0.86 (95% CI, 0.79–0.93); linkage to antiretroviral treatment with an ES of 0.76 (95 CI, 0.69–0.84); and linkage to HIV care with an ES of 0.50 (95% CI, 0.18–0.82). No studies reported evidence of the effect of POC testing on maternal mortality or maternal and child morbidity of HIV-infected women. Conclusions The review provides an international overview of the effect of HIV POC diagnostics on maternal outcomes in HIV-infected women, showing the evidence that the HIV POC test is significantly associated with decreased mother-to-child transmission of HIV and increased linkage to antiretroviral treatment and HIV care for HIV-infected women. It also revealed a gap in the literature aimed at assessing the effect of POC diagnostics on maternal morbidity and mortality in HIV-infected women. PROSPERO registration number: CRD42014015439
The Italian Overnight Market: Microstructure Effects, the Martingale Hypothesis and the Payment System

This paper analyzes the Italian segment of the Eurozone money market since the start of the European Monetary Union. Some relevant variables are analyzed at different frequencies (intramonth, intraweek and intraday): both level and volatility of the overnight interest rate, volume exchanged in the Italian overnight market, domestic and cross-border large value payments channeled in the Italian real-time gross settlement system (BI-REL). Patterns against the martingale hypothesis on the short-term interest rate are detected, and the relationship between the payment flows and the rate itself is investigated. Overall, evidence comes out that in the new framework Italian banks seem to manage liquidity efficiently.
Prevalence of scientific misconduct among a group of researchers in Nigeria.

BACKGROUND There is a dearth of information on the prevalence of scientific misconduct from Nigeria. OBJECTIVES This study aimed at determining the prevalence of scientific misconduct in a group of researchers in Nigeria. Factors associated with the prevalence were ascertained. METHOD A descriptive study of researchers who attended a scientific conference in 2010 was conducted using the adapted Scientific Misconduct Questionnaire-Revised (SMQ-R). RESULTS Ninety-one researchers (68.9%) admitted having committed at least one of the eight listed forms of scientific misconduct. Disagreement about authorship was the most common form of misconduct committed (36.4%) while plagiarism was the least (9.2%). About 42% of researchers had committed falsification of data or plagiarism. Analysis of specific acts of misconduct showed that committing plagiarism was inversely associated with years in research (Fisher exact p-value = 0.02); falsifying data was related to perceived low effectiveness of the institution's rules and procedures for reducing scientific misconduct (X(2) = 6.44, p-value = 0.01); and succumbing to pressure from study sponsor to engage in unethical practice was related to sex of researcher (Fisher exact p-value = 0.02). CONCLUSIONS The emergent data from this study is a cause for serious concern and calls for prompt intervention. The best response to reducing scientific misconduct will proceed from measures that contain both elements of prevention and enforcement. Training on research ethics has to be integrated into the curriculum of undergraduate and postgraduate students while provision should be made for in-service training of researchers. Penalties against acts of scientific misconduct should be enforced at institutional and national levels.
Rethinking Democratic Governance and Accountability in Africa

This paper critically engages the democratic governance and accountability discourses in relation to Africa. It examines the strengths and weaknesses of extant perspectives and approaches from the point of view of how to deepen and sustain reforms that emphasize effective citizen participation. This provides the backdrop to the articulation of a new research agenda that places citizen rights and engagement at the core of democratic governance. The key to doing this is provided by the works of the citizenship participation and accountability group led by John Gaventa. Published works of the group focus on how citizens in the global South mobilize in self-determined ways using ‘autonomous’ (bottom-up) rather than ‘invited’ (top-down) spaces, participate in the policy process and demand accountability. By focusing on social movements and mobilizations around community and local issues, the perspective encourages the analysis of democratic governance and accountability, not as macro-political variables related to the state and government, but as micro-political variables whose building blocks are related to the engagement and mobilization activities of non-state groups.
Determinants of the Credit Rating Fee in the Municipal Bond Market

Improving transparency of prices paid by government can improve market and government efficiency. Governments regularly pay to access capital markets, yet municipal bond issuance costs remain largely hidden from public view. This study examines factors associated with credit rating fees using a decade of Texas municipal bond issuance data. We find that rating fees are lower in a competitive environment, when issuers have experience and a relationship with the rating agency, and higher when the issue is large and more complex. The findings provide evidence that credit rating agencies (CRAs) retained pricing power following the credit crisis despite reduced reputational quality.
“My God is Not Your God”: Applying Relationship Management Theory to Managing Ethnoreligious Crises in Sub-Saharan Africa

Historically, the world’s geopolitical landscape has been replete with conflicts, from those of Ancient Mesopotamia to those in today’s Middle East and Africa. As in other world regions, parts of sub-Saharan Africa have, for decades, been trapped in a vicious cycle of conflicts and violence—in ethnopolitical and ethnoreligious contexts, even as foreign direct investment on the continent has increased 50% since 2005 and as the gross national product has increased significantly in countries such as Angola, Botswana, Kenya, Nigeria, and Rwanda, all of which are attracting international investors. This article examines the nation-building role of public relations by applying the general theory of relationship management, which is based on Grunig-Hunt two-way symmetrical model of public relations, to Sudan and Nigeria as a two-nation case study. It offers theory-informed guidelines that African states can use in managing conflicts and in developing communication strategies that engage stakeholders of disparate theological leanings at the individual level. The goal is to use communication strategies that emphasize mutually respectful Muslim-Christian dialogue on intractable, sensitive issues that have morphed into a bane of the economically burgeoning sub-Saharan African region, particularly.
N-Methylisosalsoline from Hammada scoparia

The title compound (systematic name: 1,2-dimethyl-6-methoxy-1,2,3,4-tetrahydroisoquinolin-7-ol), C12H17NO2, is a major alkaloid isolated from Hammada scoparia leaves. It belongs to the isoquinoline family and it was characterized by NMR spectroscopy and X-ray crystallographic techniques. The absolute configuration could not be reliably determined. An intermolecular O—H⋯N hydrogen bond is present in the crystal structure.
Ultrasonography shows extensive nerve enlargements in multifocal motor neuropathy

Using ultrasonography we found multiple sites with nerve enlargement along the course of the brachial plexus, median, ulnar, and radial nerves in the majority of 21 patients with multifocal motor neuropathy. Sonography and electrophysiologic studies showed more abnormalities than expected on purely clinical grounds. Moreover, sonography revealed nerve enlargement without clinical or electrophysiologic abnormalities.
Evaluation of Antibiotic Residues in Raw Meat Using Different Analytical Methods

Antibiotic residue in meat is a serious public health concern due to its harmful effects on consumer health. This study aimed at estimating the residue levels of four commonly used antibiotics in meat samples using three analytical methods (ELISA, TLC and HPLC). A total of 150 samples of raw meat from sales points were analysed for ciprofloxacin, streptomycin, tetracycline, and sulphanilamide residues. Overall, ELISA analysis showed that 56, 34, 18, and 25.3% of the samples tested positive for ciprofloxacin, streptomycin, sulphanilamide and tetracycline residues respectively while TLC and HPLC detected 21.4, 29.4, 92.5, and 14.6%, and 8.3, 41.1, 88.8, and 14.6% of the samples as containing the residues, with ciprofloxacin and sulphanilamide having the lowest and highest occurrence, respectively. Furthermore, the concentrations of antibiotic residues were in the ranges of 19.8–92.8, 26.6–489.1, 14.2–1280.8, and 42.6–355.6 μg/kg with ELISA, while HPLC detected concentration ranges of 20.7–82.1, 41.8–320.8, 65.2–952.2 and 32.8–95.6 μg/kg for sulphanilamide, tetracycline, streptomycin, and ciprofloxacin, respectively. Mean ciprofloxacin and streptomycin residue levels were above the Codex/SA MRL recommended limit, while 3% of the samples contained multidrug residues. Although some of the mean residues levels were below the permissible limits, the co-occurrence of multidrug residues in some of the samples calls for concern.
A user study of accessing web applications via voice cellular phone: a model comparison approach

Although most users currently receive web services from web browser interfaces, pervasive computing is emerging and offering new ways of accessing Internet applications from any device, any time and anywhere. It is not only a technological change, but a philosophical and psychological one. Our research project investigated the theoretical concepts of pervasive computing as well as their practical applications, by using cellular phones as the pervasive device to access a web application prototype, the voice-enabled web system (VWS), through the voice user interface technology. The acceptance rate of consumers on new pervasive interfaces was studied using factors (including perceived usefulness, perceived ease of use, attitude, subjective norms, perceived behavioural control and fun) adapted from technology acceptance theories. Although our empirical findings were in general consistent with the findings from several prior studies on various information technologies, there were still some discrepancies. Our overall research results, including the implications derived from the user study, may be useful for the purpose of designing and developing successful business applications based on VWS.
IT and Management in America

The Census Bureau recently conducted a survey of management practices in over 30,000 plants across the US, the first large-scale survey of management in America. Analyzing these data reveals several striking results. First, more structured management practices are tightly linked to higher levels of IT intensity in terms of a higher expenditure on IT and more on-line sales. Likewise, more structured management is strongly linked with superior performance: establishments adopting more structured practices for performance monitoring, target setting and incentives enjoy greater productivity and profitability, higher rates of innovation and faster employment growth. Second, there is a substantial dispersion of management practices across the establishments. We find that 18% of establishments have adopted at least 75% of these more structured management practices, while 27% of establishments adopted less than 50% of these. Third, more structured management practices are more likely to be found in establishments that export, who are larger (or are part of bigger firms), and have more educated employees. Establishments in the South and Midwest have more structured practices on average than those in the Northeast and West. Finally, we find adoption of structured management practices has increased between 2005 and 2010 for surviving establishments, particularly for those practices involving data collection and analysis.
A Dream Deferred: The Microfoundations of Direct Political Action in Pre- and Post-democratisation South Africa

Abstract The stability of young democracies may be threatened by persistent protest as the economic legacies of the old autocratic regimes tend to outlive the defunct political structures. This paper seeks to explore the micro-level predictors of protest potential in South Africa before and after the end of apartheid. The results of the cohort analysis reveal that the political consciousness of the anti-apartheid struggle has a lasting effect. The gap between actual income and expected returns to education explains protest potential better than comparison of one's income with that of a reference group. The effect of race on protest potential has diminished over time.
THE THEORY OF SYNDICATES

WE SHALL DEFINE a syndicate to be a group of individual decision makers who must make a common decision under uncertainty, and who, as a result, will receive jointly a payoff to be shared among them. Our concern is to analyze the decision process of a syndicate when the members have diverse risk tolerances and/or diverse probability assessments of the uncertain events affecting the payoff. Of particular interest is the possiblity of constructing a surrogate "group utility function" and a surrogate "group probability assessment. " Such constructions potentially have a role in the theory of finance; e.g., for determining the forms of organizational charters and financial instruments, as well as the modes of delegating the group decision process to professional managers. The present treatment, however, is confined to tractable features embodying only a small measure of the complexity of practical situations. Of comparable importance are the ramifications for welfare theory; in particular, we shall be able to specify conditions under which Pareto optimal behavior by the group satisfies the Savage axioms [15] foy consistent decision making under uncertainty, and to isolate the inconsistent characteristics in the contrary case. Arrow's original treatise [1] has been the source of most of the work on group decision theory. Marschak [13], Radner [17], and Bower [6] have considered the case of a team, in which there is a joint utility function for the members. Harsanyi [9] and Theil [16] have considered the criterion that the group decisions satisfy the Von Neumann-Morgenstern axioms, and others. Madansky [12] has imposed the "external Bayes axiom" in the case of a common utility function but differing probability assessments among the members. Christenson [7] has constructed an axiomatic system for the case of an investment banking syndicate that is a special case of the present study, except for certain institutional factors. Borch [3, 4, 5]
Iron genes, iron load and risk of Alzheimer’s disease

Background: Compound heterozygotes of the haemochromatosis gene (HFE) variants, H63D and C282Y, have raised transferrin saturation compared with that in the wild type. In the cohort of the Oxford Project To Investigate Memory and Ageing (OPTIMA), bicarriers of the HFE C282Y and the transferrin C2 gene variants are at five times greater risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease; the addition of HFE H63D may raise the risk still further. Objective: To investigate transferrin saturation by HFE and transferrin genotype among people without dementia–that is, controls and those with mild cognitive impairment (MCI)—and also among those with Alzheimer’s disease. Methods: Serum iron status and genotype were examined of 177 patients with Alzheimer’s disease, 69 patients with MCI and 197 controls from the OPTIMA cohort. Results: Although each of these variants alone had relatively little effect on iron status, the combination of either HFE C282Y and HFE H63D or of HFE C282Y and transferrin C2 markedly raised transferrin saturation in those without dementia, but had little effect in those with mature Alzheimer’s disease. Conclusions: These combinations may raise the risk for Alzheimer’s disease, owing to higher iron loads and therefore oxidative stress in the preclinical phase. If replicated, these findings will have implications for the prevention of Alzheimer’s disease.
Ordering the Preference Hierarchy for Internal Finance, Bank Loans, Bond and Share Issues: Evidence from Dutch Firms

We estimate the incremental financing decision for a sample of some 150 Dutch companies for the years 1984 through 1997, thereby distinguishing internal finance and three types of external finance: bank borrowing, bond issues and share issues. First, we estimate a multinomial logit model which confirms several predictions of both the static trade-off theory and the pecking-order theory as to the determinants of financing choices. Next, we use ordered probit models to determine which financing hierarchy fits the data best. The results suggest that Dutch firms have a most-preferred financing hierarchy: (i) internal finance, (ii) bank loans, (iii) share issues, (iv) bonds issues.
Factors Influencing the Degree of International Pricing Strategy Standardization of Multinational Corporations

In response to certain important gaps identified in the global marketing literature, the focus of this inquiry is an investigation of the pricing strategies followed by manufacturing subsidiaries of multinational corporations. Specifically, the authors attempt to identify the factors that play an important role in determining the degree of international pricing strategy standardization. The findings suggest that the extent to which multinationals standardize their international pricing strategies depends on the level of similarity between home and host countries in terms of customer characteristics, legal environment, economic conditions, and stage of the product life cycle. The authors highlight implications of the findings for business practitioners and discuss future research directions along with the limitations of the study.
How to Measure Constitutional Rigidity

This article deals with the (possible) explanation of constitutional development by the rigidity of the constitution itself, for example the difficulty of the amendment process. Four concepts of measuring rigidity are tested theoretically and their respective outcomes concerning the frequency of constitutional reforms are explained. The strikingly different results show how important it is to discuss and to test operationalizations of abstract terms.
The Atacama Cosmology Telescope: measuring radio galaxy bias through cross-correlation with lensing

We correlate the positions of radio galaxies in the FIRST survey with the CMB lensing convergence estimated from the Atacama Cosmology Telescope over 470 deg 2 to determine the bias of these galaxies. We remove optically cross-matched sources below redshift z = 0:2 to preferentially select Active Galactic Nuclei (AGN). We measure the angular cross-power spectrum C g l at 4:4 signicance
Discovery and Disclosure with Asymmetric Information and Endogenous Expenditure at Trial

We develop a model with asymmetric information, in which the uninformed party makes the offer. When the parties proceed to trial, their endogenous expenditures partially determine the outcome. The endogenous spending at trial can either strengthen or weaken the bargaining position of the uninformed party with the player types who settle. When the bargaining position is strengthened, some standard results on information transmission prior to trial may be overturned. The recipient of the offer with a weak case may make a costly voluntary disclosure. In addition, the party making the offer may refuse costless discovery. Both of these results contrast with the standard results in the literature derived from models in which spending at trial is treated as exogenous.
Publication metadata Title : Emotional distress and positive and negative memories from military deployment : the influence of PTSD symptoms and time

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Related F-box proteins control cell death in Caenorhabditis elegans and human lymphoma

Cell death is a common metazoan cell fate, and its inactivation is central to human malignancy. In Caenorhabditis elegans, apoptotic cell death occurs via the activation of the caspase CED-3 following binding of the EGL-1/BH3-only protein to the antiapoptotic CED-9/BCL2 protein. Here we report a major alternative mechanism for caspase activation in vivo involving the F-box protein DRE-1. DRE-1 functions in parallel to EGL-1, requires CED-9 for activity, and binds to CED-9, suggesting that DRE-1 promotes apoptosis by inactivating CED-9. FBXO10, a human protein related to DRE-1, binds BCL2 and promotes its degradation, thereby initiating cell death. Moreover, some human diffuse large B-cell lymphomas have inactivating mutations in FBXO10 or express FBXO10 at low levels. Our results suggest that DRE-1/FBXO10 is a conserved regulator of apoptosis.