Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Influence of cosmetics on emotional, autonomous, endocrinological, and immune reactions

Recent findings indicate that cosmetics increase positive valence of emotions and thereby influence the autonomous nerve system. Other studies showed the effects of emotions on the endocrinological and the immune system. Based on this preliminary conclusion, the aim of the present study was to prove whether cosmetics are able to decrease the level of the stress hormone cortisol and strengthen the immune system. Four slides of made up or unvarnished women each, integrated in another 16 slides each of equivalent valence and arousal, were presented to 60 women. During stimulus presentation, subjective (valence), autonomous (heart rate), endocrinological (salivary cortisol) as well as immunological reactions [secretory immunoglobulin A (sIgA)] were recorded. As expected subjective ratings concerning the slides of made up women reported more positive valence than those concerning unvarnished women. Furthermore, heart rate decreased under presentation of made up women, which indicates the positive influence of these slides on the autonomous nerve system. Furthermore, in half of the volunteers a decrease of cortisol and an increase of sIgA level while presenting the made up women was measurable in contrast to the presentation of unvarnished women. Maybe this is due to a short presentation time and the endocrinological as well as the immune system can be hardly influenced that quick. Another explanation could be that the volunteers were in part so called psychophysiological non‐responders who show no reaction to emotional stimuli in the endocrinological and the immune system. It has to be considered that only the influence of visual stimuli and not the influence of social care (e.g. positive statements of other, etc.), which is normally connected with the use of cosmetics, was assessed, so that these delineated positive results show the lower limit of cosmetic effects.
Neurocognition of Aged Patients With Chronic Tinnitus: Focus on Mild Cognitive Impairment

Objectives. To investigate the neurocognition of aged patients with chronic tinnitus and reveal the possible association between tinnitus severity and cognitive function, with attention to mild cognitive impairment (MCI). Methods. Fifty-eight elderly patients (≥65 years old) with chronic tinnitus (≥6 months) were prospectively enrolled in this study. All patients assessed the neurocognitive batteries including the Korean version of the patient health questionnaire-9 (K-PHQ-9), the Lawton instrumental activities of daily living scale (K-IADL), and the Montreal cognitive assessment (MoCA-K). After initial evaluation to exclude moderate or severe cognitive impairment by a psychiatrist, the patients were classified into two groups: MCI and non-MCI, according to the MoCA-K scores (cutoff value, 22/23). All patients underwent audiological examinations including psychoacoustic tests of tinnitus. Results. Of 58 patients, 10 (17.2%) met the MCI criteria. The tinnitus handicap inventory (THI) score in the MCI group was significantly higher than that in the non-MCI group. Based on multivariate regression analysis, a significant association between tinnitus severity and MoCA-K score was also detected. Specifically, bothersome tinnitus (THI score ≥30) was closely linked to the presence of MCI. Meanwhile, the impact of MCI on both K-PHQ-9 and K-IADL scores was not evident in patients with chronic tinnitus. Conclusion. Tinnitus severity appears to be a potential independent determinant for predicting the MCI, suggesting the underlying mechanism between chronic tinnitus and cognitive deficit. Given that MCI highly links to dementia, the evaluation of cognitive functions in aged patients with chronic tinnitus need to be considered at the initial assessment of tinnitus.
Tonically Active α2 Subunit-Containing Glycine Receptors Regulate the Excitability of Striatal Medium Spiny Neurons

Medium spiny neurons (MSNs) of the dorsal striatum represent the first relay of cortico–striato–thalamic loop, responsible for the initiation of voluntary movements and motor learning. GABAergic transmission exerts the main inhibitory control of MSNs. However, MSNs also express chloride-permeable glycine receptors (GlyRs) although their subunit composition and functional significance in the striatum is unknown. Here, we studied the function of GlyRs in MSNs of young adult mice. We show that MSNs express functional GlyRs, with α2 being the main agonist binding subunit. These receptors are extrasynaptic and depolarizing at resting state. The pharmacological inhibition of GlyRs, as well as inactivation of the GlyR α2 subunit gene hyperpolarize the membrane potential of MSNs and increase their action potential firing offset. Mice lacking GlyR α2 showed impaired motor memory consolidation without any changes in the initial motor performance. Taken together, these results demonstrate that tonically active GlyRs regulate the firing properties of MSNs and may thus affect the function of basal ganglia.
Characteristics of Low Back Pain due to Superior Cluneal Nerve Entrapment Neuropathy

Study Design Retrospective analysis. Purpose The present study aimed to investigate the features of low back pain (LBP) due to superior cluneal nerve (SCN) entrapment neuropathy (SCN-EN) using the Roland Morris Disability Questionnaire (RMDQ), and to analyze the differences between LBP due to SCN-EN and lumbar spinal canal stenosis (LSS). Overview of Literature The SCN is derived from the cutaneous branches of the dorsal rami of T11–L5 and passes through the thoracolumbar fascia. LBP due to SCN-EN is exacerbated by various types of lumbar movement, and its features remain to be fully elucidated, often resulting in the misdiagnosis of lumbar spine disorder. Methods The present study included 35 consecutive patients with SCN-EN treated via nerve blocks or surgical release between April 2016 and August 2017 (SCN-EN group; 16 men, 19 women; mean age, 65.5±17.0 years; age range, 19–89 years). During the same period, 33 patients were surgically treated with LSS (LSS group; 19 men, 14 women; mean age, 65.3±12.0 years; age range, 35–84 years). The characteristics of LBP were then compared between patients with SCN-EN and those with LSS using the RMDQ. Results The duration of disease was significantly longer in the SCN-EN group than in the LSS group (26.0 vs. 16.0 months, p =0.012). Median RMDQ scores were significantly higher in the SCN-EN group (13 points; interquartile range, 8–15 points) than in the LSS group (7 points; interquartile range, 4–9 points; p <0.001). For seven items (question number 1, 8, 11, and 20–23), the ratio of positive responses was higher in the SCN-EN group than in the LSS group. Conclusions Patients with SCN-EN exhibit significantly higher RMDQ scores and greater levels of disability due to LBP than patients with LSS. The findings further demonstrate that SCN-EN may affect physical and psychological function.
Determinants of oral contraceptive pill use and its discontinuation among rural women in Bangladesh

Oral contraceptive pills (OCP) contribute a major share in the current method-mix in Bangladesh. However, multiple studies show high discontinuation rates of OCP. The present study examines the behavior and attitude towards OCP use, and investigates the determinants of its discontinuation among the rural married women of Bangladesh.The present study is based on critical analyses of the data from 24 focus group discussions and 135 in-depth-interviews with women, their husbands and key informants conducted over the period of 1 year.The present study shows that more than two-thirds of married women have at one time or another used OCP as a method of family planning. However, many women did not take the pills regularly and about one-quarter of ever users had taken, at one stage or another, a ‘short break’ from OCP use. Although nearly half of them took a break because of side effects, interestingly, 16% took a break as the result of fear of health problems that were related to ‘folk stories’ and other misconceptions. The individual assessment by users of the national family planning service delivery, perceived side effects, misconceptions about continuous use of pills, quality of counseling and information, and contraceptive behavior of the OCP users considerably influenced the decisions on contraceptive use or non-use.
Dynamics of Insecticide Resistance in Different Geographical Populations of Chilo suppressalis (Lepidoptera: Crambidae) in China 2016–2018

Abstract In this study, the sensitivity of 20 field populations of Chilo suppressalis (Walker) from five provinces in China to seven insecticides was evaluated during 2016–2018. The results indicated that 20 field populations of C. suppressalis had evolved moderate to high levels of resistance to triazophos (RR 64.5–461.3) and chlorpyrifos (RR 10.1–125.0). Furthermore, C. suppressalis exhibited low to moderate levels of resistance to abamectin (RR 6.5–76.5) and decreased susceptibility to cyantraniliprole (RR 1.0–34.0). The population collected from Nanchang in Jiangxi Province (JXNC) showed high resistance to chlorantraniliprole (RR 148.3–294.3), and other geographical populations remained susceptible to moderate levels of resistance (RR 1.0–37.5). In contrast, C. suppressalis remained susceptible to low levels of resistance to spinetoram (RR 1.0–6.7) and spinosad (RR 1.0–4.6). Significant correlations were found between the Log LC50 values of chlorantraniliprole and cyantraniliprole, chlorpyrifos and triazophos, as well as cyantraniliprole and chlorpyrifos and triazophos. Similarly, significant correlations were found among abamectin, chlorpyrifos, and triazophos. In addition, a significant correlation was also observed between the activity of the detoxification enzymes and the log LC50 values of chlorantraniliprole, cyantraniliprole, abamectin, chlorpyrifos, and triazophos. The findings provide an important reference for implementing effective resistance management strategies and the development of new insecticides in insect pest control.
A Qualitative Descriptive Study of Patient Experiences of Pain Before and After Spine Surgery.

OBJECTIVE The purpose of this study was to describe the preoperative and postoperative experiences of spine surgery from the patient's perspective to help inform behavioral health services provided before, during, and after hospitalization. SETTING Single urban academic tertiary care hospital. METHODS Semistructured interviews with 14 adults who underwent spine surgery. Interview transcriptions were analyzed using content analysis by three investigators to identify emergent themes. RESULTS Three broad domains with associated themes emerged from the analysis: 1) preoperative experience-preparation, worries, and expectations; 2) recovery process-activity and pain management strategies; and 3) postoperative support in recovery-family and social support. CONCLUSIONS The results of this qualitative descriptive study can be used to guide future perioperative behavioral health services for patients undergoing spinal surgery. Establishing realistic expectations of spine surgery and a comprehensive pain management plan are essential for adequate preoperative preparation. Furthermore, family involvement in the preoperative preparation for surgery is important for support of the patient during the recovery process.
Trade-offs Between Social and Financial Performance

True or False: Trade-offs occur between social performance and financial performance in microfinance. Conventional wisdom says true. Extending formal financial services to poor and hard-to-reach clientele necessarily entails higher costs and lower per unit returns and is, subsequently, harder to scale up. The trade-off inherent in this relationship creates incentives for microfinance institutions (MFIs) to move up-market and away from their traditional poor clientele"a phenomenon known as mission drift.
Factor analysis of the Home Handedness Questionnaire: Unimanual and role differentiated bimanual manipulation as separate dimensions of handedness

Abstract Questionnaires are commonly used to measure handedness. However, popular measures do not capture hand preference by skill type, thus reducing handedness to a single dimension. An exception is the Home Handedness Questionnaire (HHQ), an action-based measure developed initially for children, which measures skills across two dimensions of handedness: unimanual actions and role differentiated bimanual manipulation (RDBM). The goal of the current study was to confirm the factor structure of the HHQ in a large sample of adults (N = 1051). A secondary goal was to measure RDBM hand preference in adults. To further validate the HHQ, participants also completed the Edinburgh Handedness Inventory (EHI). Confirmatory factor analysis verified the two-factor structure of the HHQ, and a one-factor solution was replicated for the EHI. Individuals that were classified as consistent on the EHI had stronger preferences for unimanual and RDBM hand use on the HHQ. Right hand patterning was reduced for RDBM compared to unimanual on the HHQ, and the EHI. The HHQ was found to be reliable and valid against the EHI. The HHQ offers researchers a tool to examine individual differences across manual skills that comprise the neuropsychological phenomenon handedness, and to more broadly examine laterality patterns with respect to cognition.
Structural, interpersonal, psychosocial, and behavioral risk factors for HIV acquisition among female bar workers in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania

ABSTRACT In sub-Saharan Africa, female bar workers (FBWs) often serve as informal sex workers. Little is known about the prevalence of HIV and HIV-related risk factors among FBWs in Dar es Salaam (DSM), Tanzania. Using an adapted Structural HIV Determinants Framework, we identified structural, interpersonal, psychosocial, and behavioral risk factors for HIV acquisition. We compared the prevalence of HIV and HIV-related risk factors among a random sample of 66 FBWs from DSM to an age-standardized, representative sample of female DSM-residents from the 2016 Demographic and Health and 2011–2012 AIDS Indicator Surveys. Compared to other women in DSM, FBWs had elevated prevalence of all four groups of risk factors. Key risk factors included gender and economic inequalities (structural); sexual violence and challenges negotiating condom use (interpersonal); depression, post-traumatic stress disorder, and low social support (psychosocial); and history of unprotected sex, multiple sex partners, and high alcohol consumption (behavioral). HIV prevalence did not differ between FBWs (7.1%, 95% CI 3.7-13.3%) and survey respondents (7.7%, 95% CI: 5.3-11.1%), perhaps due to FBWs’ higher – though sub-optimal – engagement with HIV prevention strategies. Elevated exposure to HIV-related risk factors but low HIV prevalence suggests economic, psychosocial, and biomedical interventions may prevent HIV among FBWs in DSM.
S-Net: From Answer Extraction to Answer Synthesis for Machine Reading Comprehension

In this paper, we present a novel approach to machine reading comprehension for the MS-MARCO dataset. Unlike the SQuAD dataset that aims to answer a question with exact text spans in a passage, the MS-MARCO dataset defines the task as answering a question from multiple passages and the words in the answer are not necessary in the passages. We therefore develop an extraction-then-synthesis framework to synthesize answers from extraction results. Specifically, the answer extraction model is first employed to predict the most important sub-spans from the passage as evidence, and the answer synthesis model takes the evidence as additional features along with the question and passage to further elaborate the final answers. We build the answer extraction model with state-of-the-art neural networks for single passage reading comprehension, and propose an additional task of passage ranking to help answer extraction in multiple passages. The answer synthesis model is based on the sequence-to-sequence neural networks with extracted evidences as features. Experiments show that our extraction-then-synthesis method outperforms state-of-the-art methods.
Scoliosis is a Risk Factor for Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease in Adult Spinal Deformity

Study Design: A prospective observational study. Objective: To evaluate whether scoliosis is a risk factor for gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) in elderly patients. Summary of Background Data: Sagittal spinal deformities are reported to cause GERD, but its association with spinal deformity in the coronal plane is not well studied. Methods: We examined 190 patients with spinal disorders (mean age 70.6±8.6 y) who underwent standing whole-spine x-rays in the coronal and sagittal planes. GERD symptoms were assessed by Quest score, with a cutoff of 6 points. The relationship between GERD symptoms and radiographic parameters was evaluated. Right convex coronal curves were given negative values, and left convex curves positive values. Degenerative scoliosis was defined when the thoracolumbar/lumbar Cobb angle had an absolute value >10 degrees. Risk factors for GERD were evaluated with univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses. Results: Of the patients, 126 had degenerative scoliosis at the thoracolumbar/lumbar spine (42 with right and 84 with left convex curve), and 59 had GERD. Multivariate logistic regression analysis revealed that the lumbar Cobb angle was significantly associated with GERD (P<0.05, odds ratio=1.021). When patients were categorized by Cobb angle of the lumbar curve (<−30 degrees, large right convex curve; −30 to +30 degrees, small curve; or >+30 degrees, large left convex curve), a large left convex curve was strongly associated with GERD (P<0.05, odds ratio=10.925). Conclusions: Left thoracolumbar/lumbar curve was a significant risk factor for GERD, and risk increased with a curve >30 degrees. Organ disorders such as GERD should be considered when treating elderly patients with degenerative scoliosis.
From solar sneezing to killer electrons: outer radiation belt response to solar eruptions

Electrons in the outer Van Allen (radiation) belt occasionally reach relativistic energies, turning them into a potential hazard for spacecraft operating in geospace. Such electrons have secured the reputation of satellite killers and play a prominent role in space weather. The flux of these electrons can vary over time scales of years (related to the solar cycle) to minutes (related to sudden storm commencements). Electric fields and plasma waves are the main factors regulating the electron transport, acceleration and loss. Both the fields and the plasma waves are driven directly or indirectly by disturbances originating in the Sun, propagating through interplanetary space and impacting the Earth. This paper reviews our current understanding of the response of outer Van Allen belt electrons to solar eruptions and their interplanetary extensions, i.e. interplanetary coronal mass ejections and high-speed solar wind streams and the associated stream interaction regions. This article is part of the theme issue ‘Solar eruptions and their space weather impact’.
Biosorption of Pb(II) from contaminated water onto Moringa oleifera biomass: kinetics and equilibrium studies

Abstract The present study aims at evaluating a batch scale biosorption potential of Moringa oleifera leaves (MOL) for the removal of Pb(II) from aqueous solutions. The MOL biomass was characterized by FTIR, SEM, EDX, and BET. The impact of initial concentrations of Pb (II), adsorbent dosage, pH, contact time, coexisting inorganic ions (Ca2+, Na+, K+, Mg2+, CO32−, HCO3−, Cl−), electrical conductivity (EC) and total dissolved salts (TDS) in water was investigated. The results revealed that maximum biosorption (45.83 mg/g) was achieved with adsorbent dosage 0.15 g/100 mL while highest removal (98.6%) was obtained at adsorbent biomass 1.0 g/100 mL and pH 6. The presence of coexisting inorganic ions in water showed a decline in Pb(II) removal (8.5% and 5%) depending on the concentrations of ions. The removal of Pb(II) by MOL decreased from 97% to 89% after five biosorption/desorption cycles with 0.3 M HCl solution. Freundlich model yielded a better fit for equilibrium data and the pseudo-second-order well described the kinetics of Pb(II) biosorption. FTIR spectra showed that –OH, C–H, –C–O, –C = O, and –O–C functional groups were involved in the biosorption of Pb(II). The change in Gibbs free energy (ΔG = −28.10 kJ/mol) revealed that the biosorption process was favorable and thermodynamically driven. The results suggest MOL as a low cost, environment-friendly alternative biosorbent for the remediation of Pb(II) contaminated water.
Comparison of comorbidities and treatment between ankylosing spondylitis and non-radiographic axial spondyloarthritis in the United States.

OBJECTIVES This study aimed to compare comorbidities and biologic DMARD (bDMARD) use between AS and non-radiographic axial SpA (nr-axSpA) patients, using a large cohort of patients from routine clinical practice in the United States. METHODS We performed a cross-sectional study using electronic medical records from two academic hospitals in the United States. Data were extracted using automated searches (⩾3 ICD codes combined with text searches) and supplemented with manual chart review. Patients were categorized into AS or nr-axSpA according to classification criteria. Disease features, comorbidities (from a list of 39 chronic conditions) and history of bDMARD prescription were compared using descriptive statistics. RESULTS Among 965 patients identified, 775 (80%) were classified as having axSpA. The cohort was predominantly male (74%) with a mean age of 52.5 years (s.d. 16.8). AS patients were significantly older (54 vs 46 years), more frequently male (77% vs 64%) and had higher serum inflammatory markers than those with nr-axSpA (median CRP 3.4 vs 2.2 mg/dl). Half of all patients had at least one comorbidity. The mean number of comorbidities was 1.5 (s.d. 2.2) and similar between AS and nr-axSpA groups. A history of bDMARD-use was seen in 55% of patients with no difference between groups. The most commonly prescribed bDMARDs were adalimumab (31%) and etanercept (29%). Ever-prescriptions of individual bDMARDs were similar between AS and nr-axSpA. CONCLUSION Despite age differences, nr-axSpA patients had similar comorbidity burdens as those with AS. Both groups received comparable bDMARD treatment in this United States clinic-based cohort.