Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The cultural-structural contexts of high fertility in Bangladesh: a sociological analysis.

Bangladesh currently has a population of 116.6 million a rate of natural increase of 2.4% and a total fertility rate of 4.9; population is expected to double within 28 years. Contraceptive use has risen to 31.4% in 1990 but population growth is still viewed as a problem. This paper conceptualizes the link between cultural and social structural factors (economic familial and political) and high fertility. These factors include the old agrarian social structure that emphasized the large family and devalued formal education and entrenched religious beliefs and practices that encourage womens fertility and retard womens control over their own reproductive processes. Both Hindu and Muslim women face tremendous pressures from family life religious rituals and practices politics and the economy for high fertility. Population control will not be possible without changes in these factors. Agrarian life which involves 90% of the Bangladesh population requires males to work in the fields and women to work in the home. Centuries of cultural beliefs have instilled the practice of these sex roles and codified these roles into strict practices of for instance economic dependence on males. The Laws of Manu for Hindu Bengali women stipulate that her father protects her in childhood her husband in youth and adulthood and her sons in old age. The purdah system for Muslims ensures the physical seclusion of women. The economic realities of limited land and high male unemployment have ensured continuation of these role. In addition womens social and familial position is enhanced with a large family particularly sons. The emphasis on sons serves to reinforce lower economic value of women; brideswealth payments further reinforce economic liability of women. Inheritance rules and childrens obligations to family reflect the viability of joint family arrangements regardless of spatial separation of some family members to urban areas. Villages are organized around lineages which have more political power in large numbers. Birth control may be viewed by poor uneducated Muslims as implausible because of the will of God in determining life death sustenance and wealth; only in the belief of "tadbir" or achievement through ones own efforts is contraceptive use accepted. Hindu beliefs are similar but there is greater acceptance of contraceptives.
Superficial Vein Thrombosis: Risk Factors, Diagnosis, and Treatment

Superficial vein thrombosis (SVT) is a very common disease even though its incidence has never been assessed properly. Until recently, the literature on this topic has been relatively poor, old, and with numerous methodologic drawbacks, probably because this disease was considered benign and trivial. However, the recent recognition of a frequent association with concomitant venous thromboembolism (VTE) (deep vein thrombosis [DVT] and pulmonary embolism [PE]) and the risk of subsequent VTE complications in patients with isolated SVT has revived interest and has encouraged new clinical research. SVT and VTE share many common predisposing risk factors. Even if varicose veins represent the main cause of SVT, several underlying conditions (e.g., malignancy, thrombophilia, autoimmune diseases) should be sought, especially in idiopathic, migrant, or recurrent SVT of nonvaricose vein patients. The diagnosis is made in a clinical setting but ultrasonography is useful to identify concomitant asymptomatic DVT. Many medical and surgical treatments have been suggested to relieve local symptoms and signs, prevent recurrences, and limit the VTE risk of SVT, but the evidence coming from the limited number of prospective randomized studies does not allow strong recommendations on the optimal treatment of SVT.
Delta-24-RGD Oncolytic Adenovirus Elicits Anti-Glioma Immunity in an Immunocompetent Mouse Model

Background Emerging evidence suggests anti-cancer immunity is involved in the therapeutic effect induced by oncolytic viruses. Here we investigate the effect of Delta-24-RGD oncolytic adenovirus on innate and adaptive anti-glioma immunity. Design Mouse GL261-glioma model was set up in immunocompetent C57BL/6 mouse for Delta-24-RGD treatment. The changes of the immune cell populations were analyzed by immunohistochemistry and flow cytometry. The anti-glioma immunity was evaluated with functional study of the splenocytes isolated from the mice. The efficacy of the virotherapy was assessed with animal survival analysis. The direct effect of the virus on the tumor-associated antigen presentation to CD8+ T cells was analyzed with an in vitro ovalbumin (OVA) modeling system. Results Delta-24-RGD induced cytotoxic effect in mouse glioma cells. Viral treatment in GL261-glioma bearing mice caused infiltration of innate and adaptive immune cells, instigating a Th1 immunity at the tumor site which resulted in specific anti-glioma immunity, shrunken tumor and prolonged animal survival. Importantly, viral infection and IFNγ increased the presentation of OVA antigen in OVA-expressing cells to CD8+ T-cell hybridoma B3Z cells, which is blocked by brefeldin A and proteasome inhibitors, indicating the activity is through the biosynthesis and proteasome pathway. Conclusions Our results demonstrate that Delta-24-RGD induces anti-glioma immunity and offers the first evidence that viral infection directly enhances presentation of tumor-associated antigens to immune cells.
Emanuel Miller Lecture: Attachment insecurity, disinhibited attachment, and attachment disorders: where do research findings leave the concepts?

BACKGROUND Despite the evidence on anomalous attachment patterns, there has been a tendency to interpret most of these as reflecting differences in security/insecurity. METHODS Empirical research findings are reviewed in relation to attachment/insecurity as evident in both infancy and later childhood, disorganised attachment, inhibited attachment disorder, and disinhibited attachment disorder. FINDINGS Substantial differences are found in the correlates and meaning of these different features, as well as in the patterns associated with conditions such as autism, psychopathy, and Williams syndrome. CONCLUSIONS It is seriously misleading to view all of these patterns through the lens of security/insecurity. This heterogeneity in social relationship features necessarily has implications for the assessment measures for social relationships that need to be used.
Laboratory Investigations for Bleeding Disorders

Abstract Bleeding disorder panels often include the prothrombin time (PT)/international normalized ratio (INR), activated partial thromboplastin time (APTT), fibrinogen level, and thrombin time (TT). We explored the detection of abnormalities from bleeding disorders by these tests among subjects referred for bleeding disorder assessments, using data from a bleeding disorder study to determine sensitivities and specificities. Among subjects referred to hematologists for bleeding disorder assessment, coagulation defects were uncommon and the APTT and TT detected many nonsignificant abnormalities. While all test and panel specificities were acceptable (88 to 100%), coagulation screening tests were less sensitive to clinically significant abnormalities (1.0 to 2.1%) than von Willebrand disease (VWD) screens (6.7%), and light transmission platelet aggregometry (LTA) (26%). Accordingly, panels comprising PT/INR, APTT, fibrinogen, and TT had lower sensitivity to bleeding disorders (3.7%) than panels expanded to include VWD screens (8.5%), or VWD screens and LTA (30%). These findings have important implications for bleeding disorder diagnosis.
Tumor-specific antigen of murine T-lymphoma defined with monoclonal antibody.

A panel of hybridomas was constructed by fusion of P3X63Ag8 myeloma cells with spleen cells from a BALB/c mouse that had been immunized with a C57BL/Ka x-ray-induced lymphoma, C6XL. One of forty-three hybridomas secreting antibodies reactive with the tumor cells was found to be unreactive with normal spleen cells in a radioimmunometric assay. This antibody, designated 124-40, was unreactive with normal adult thymus, spleen, lymph node, or bone marrow cells, or with fetal spleen or thymus cells in radioimmunometric or radioimmunoprecipitation assays. Flow microfluorometric analysis of these nonmalignant lymphoid cells failed to reveal subpopulations reactive with MAb 124-40. The antibody was highly specific for the lymphoma cells used for immunization and did not react with a panel of other spontaneous or x-ray-induced or chemically induced lymphomas. The antigen reactive with MAb 124-40 was isolated by radioimmunoprecipitation and found to be a glycoprotein composed of disulfide-bonded subunits of 39,000 m.w. and 41,000 m.w. A cell surface component of similar structure, but not reactive with MAb 124-40 could be detected by two-dimensional electrophoresis in extracts of purified T cells, but not B cells. These results suggest that the apparently individually specific lymphoma antigen reactive with MAb 124-40 might be a clonally expressed epitope carried by a T cell surface component.
Miniature filter with double-coupled horse-shoe microstrip resonators capacitively loaded by using high-permittivity material

A novel miniature band-pass filter with double coupled horse-shoe microstrip resonators capacitively loaded by using high-permittivity dielectric material is proposed. The transmission line theory and the finite difference time domain (FDTD) method based simulations are used to analyze the performance of filters with normally fed stepped impedance microstrip resonators (SIMR) and to develop the new design. It is demonstrated that the plugs of higher permittivity dielectric used for capacitive loading of stepped impedance sections provide for shrinkage the filter size down several times. The prototypes of the novel filter were fabricated by using the low temperature cofired ceramics (LTCC) technology.
Enigma Wiring Data: Interpreting Allied Conventions from World War II

Abstract This article explores conventions used by the Government Code and Cypher School (GC&CS) in Britain and the U.S. Navy's OP-20-G in the United States to describe and correct Enigma wiring data recovered cryptanalytically during World War II. Examples are presented and analyzed using wiring information for several machines attacked by the ISK (Intelligence Services–Knox) section of GC&CS and by Unit 387 (the cryptanalytic unit of the United States Coast Guard, absorbed into the U.S. Navy's OP-20-G during the war).
An Involvement-Based Framework For The Study Of Environmentally Concerned Consumers

Abstract During the 1970's there was considerable research interest in environmentally concerned consumers. Mirroring societal interest levels, such research waned in the 1980's. Today, this topic has regained its relevance, however. Marketers actively target these consumers and public policy makers strive to increase their numbers. In addition, research activity pertaining to these consumers has increased noticeably in recent years. Despite the increased attention to environmental concern, a viable conceptual framework for its study is still lacking. A review of past work indicates that environmental concern has been variously treated as a group of behaviours, attitudes, affect, and intentions. In order to clarify the construct and provide needed theory for its study, a framework of environmental concern is provided here. This framework is drawn from existing work on environmental concern and research pertaining to consumer involvement. The nature, outcomes, and sources for environmental concern are discussed along with marketing and public policy implications.
Antigenicity and immunogenicity of recombinant glutamate-rich protein of Plasmodium falciparum expressed in Escherichia coli

A recombinant Plasmodium falciparum glutamate-rich protein (GLURP) was produced in Escherichia coli as a nearly full-length protein. In order to map immunodominant regions on GLURP, the nonrepetitive amino-terminal region (R0) as well as the central repeat region (R1) and the carboxy-terminal repeat region (R2) were also produced as separate products. All four purified gene products reacted specifically with serum samples from adults living in an area of Liberia where malaria is holoendemic. It appears that the human immune response against GLURP is primarily directed against the R2 region because 94% of the serum samples reacted with this region in an immunoassay. Antibody reactivity against the R0 region was also observed in 75% of the serum samples, while the R1 region showed only weak antibody-binding activity. When the nearly full-length GLURP molecule was adsorbed to Al(OH)3 it was found to be immunogenic in mice. In these experiments, the antibody response was almost exclusively directed against the R2 region. When anti-GLURP sera were obtained from rabbits immunized with the three regions, R0, R1, and R2, respectively, they recognized in immunoprecipitation experiments authentic GLURP from P. falciparum grown in vitro. These results demonstrate that GLURP produced in E. coli can induce a humoral immune response against GLURP derived from blood-stage parasites.
The Impact of Organizational Culture on Agile Method Use

Agile method proponents believe that organizational culture has an effect on the extent to which an agile method is used. Research into the relationship between organizational culture and information systems development methodology deployment has been explored by others using the Competing Values Framework (CVF). However this relationship has not been explored with respect to the agile development methodologies. Based on a multi-case study of nine projects we show that specific organizational culture factors correlate with effective use of an agile method. Our results contribute to the literature on organizational culture and system development methodology use.
Participants’ descriptions of living with fibromyalgia : an interpretive descriptive study

Fibromyalgia (FM) is a chronic pain syndrome that affects almost every aspect of a person's life and creates many demands on health care resources. We know very little, however, about what the experience of living with FM is like, from the perspective of afflicted individuals. This study addresses this gap in our knowledge, using the interpretive descriptive method described by Thorne, Reimer Kirkham, and MacDonald-Emes (1997) to elicit individuals' descriptions of their experiences of living with FM. The analytic framework that guided this inquiry was derived from the existing body of literature that addresses the experience of living with the condition. This literature was then compared with the findings of the current study to capture the essence of living with the phenomenon within the general context of the lives of the participants. Purposive theoretical sampling was used in this study. The researcher collected data through in-depth, semi-structured interviews with a total of eight participants ranging in age from 31 to 79 years. The data were collected and analyzed concurrently using a constant comparative inductive analytic method. The findings of this study indicate that key aspects of individuals' experiences of living with FM consist of several interrelated major themes. One such theme is living with the symptoms of FM and enduring the subsequent impact of these symptoms on multiple facets of the participants' physical, emotional, mental, familial, social, working, recreational and economic lives. The second theme is the management of FM, which involves the key aspect of striving to achieve and maintain a balance. The third theme focuses on how the social, health care and political contexts shape the experience of individuals living with FM. The findings of this study suggest that persons with FM believe that there is a need for more education about the condition, especially among health care professionals; this would increase their effectiveness in caring for people with FM. Participants in this study felt that health care professionals need to acknowledge the suffering of individuals with FM, and to strive to support them in their efforts to live and manage the condition.
Building Decoding Fluency in Children with Reading Delay and Antisocial Behaviour.

7 CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION . 8 CHAPTER 2: METHOD . 39 Experimental Design . 39 Participants . 39 Setting . 45 Measurement Procedures . 45 Teaching Materials and Procedures . 49 Schedule of Events . 52 CHAPTER 3: RESULTS . 56 CHAPTER 4: DISCUSSION . 72 REFERENCES . 88
Hyponatremia as predictor of worse outcome in real world patients admitted with acute heart failure.

BACKGROUND Our aim was to determine if hyponatremia, defined as serum sodium level < 135 mmol/L, is a predictor of worse outcome in a cohort of real-world patients with heartfailure (HF). METHODS We used data of the National registry of HF (RICA) from Spain, an ongoing multicenter, prospective cohort study. The patients were assigned to two groups regarding sodium levels. Primary end-point was first all-cause readmission, or death by any cause. Secondary end-points were the number of days hospitalized, and the presence of complications. RESULTS We identified 973 patients, 147 (15.11%) with hyponatremia. The median age of patients enrolled was 77.25 ± 8.79 years-old, the global comorbidity measured by Charlson comorbidity index (CCI) was upper 3 points and preserved ejection fraction was present in67.1% of them. Clinical complications during admission were significantly higher in the patients with hyponatremia (35.41%, p < 0.001) and this remained as significant predictor after logistic regression adjustment (OR 1.08, p < 0.01). Also mortality and readmissions were more frequent in patients with hyponatremia (20.69% and 22.41%, respectively) but after Cox regression adjustment hyponatremia in our cohort was not associated with increase in 90-day all-cause mortality and readmissions, and only CCI remained significant for primaryend-point (HR 1.08, p < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS Hyponatremia is an independent predictor of complications during hospitalization in our real-world cohort, but was not associated with 90 days mortality or readmissions. Global comorbidity, however, played an important role, and could influence the mortality and readmissions of our patients.
Lung nodule diagnosis from CT images based on ensemble learning

Early detection of cancer is the most promising way to enhance a patient's chance for survival. This paper presents a computer-aided classification method using computed tomography (CT) images of the lung based on ensemble of three classifiers including MLP, KNN and SVM. In this study, the entire lung is first segmented from the CT images and specific features like Roundness, Circularity, Compactness, Ellipticity, and Eccentricity are calculated from the segmented images. These morphological features are used for classification process in a way that each classifier makes its own decision. Finally, majority voting method is used to combine decisions of this ensemble system. The performance of this system is evaluated using 60 CT scans collected by Lung Image Database Consortium (LIDC) and the results show good improvement in diagnosing of pulmonary nodules.
B-Cell Epitopes in NTS-DBL1α of PfEMP1 Recognized by Human Antibodies in Rosetting Plasmodium falciparum

Plasmodium falciparum is the most lethal of the human malaria parasites. The virulence is associated with the capacity of the infected red blood cell (iRBC) to sequester inside the deep microvasculature where it may cause obstruction of the blood-flow when binding is excessive. Rosetting, the adherence of the iRBC to uninfected erythrocytes, has been found associated with severe malaria and found to be mediated by the NTS-DBL1α-domain of Plasmodium falciparum Erythrocyte Membrane Protein 1 (PfEMP1). Here we show that the reactivity of plasma of Cameroonian children with the surface of the FCR3S1.2-iRBC correlated with the capacity to disrupt rosettes and with the antibody reactivity with a recombinant PfEMP1 (NTS-DBL1α of IT4var60) expressed by parasite FCR3S1.2. The plasma-reactivity in a microarray, consisting of 96 overlapping 15-mer long peptides covering the NTS-DBL1α domain from IT4var60 sequence, was compared with their capacity to disrupt rosettes and we identified five peptides where the reactivity were correlated. Three of the peptides were localized in subdomain-1 and 2. The other two peptide-sequences were localized in the NTS-domain and in subdomain-3. Further, principal component analysis and orthogonal partial least square analysis generated a model that supported these findings. In conclusion, human antibody reactivity with short linear-peptides of NTS-DBL1α of PfEMP1 suggests subdomains 1 and 2 to hold anti-rosetting epitopes recognized by anti-rosetting antibodies. The data suggest rosetting to be mediated by the variable areas of PfEMP1 but also to involve structurally relatively conserved areas of the molecule that may induce biologically active antibodies.
Prevalence and clinical picture of IDDM in Nigerian Igbo schoolchildren

OBJECTIVE To evaluate the prevalence and clinical picture of IDDM in Nigerian Igbo schoolchildren born and living in continental Africa. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS In three school districts (Ezza, Ishielu, Ohaukwu), 77,862 schoolchildren aged 5–17 yr answered our questionnaires on age, sex, known disease, drugs being taken, family history, and diabetic symptoms like polyuria, polydipsia, polyphagia, and weight loss. Positive respondents were given glucosuric tests, and glucosuric subjects had hyperglycemic tests. Diagnosis of IDDM was established in hyperglycemic patients by referred hospital clinicians based on insulin requirements. RESULTS Twelve new cases of IDDM were found in addition to 14 previously diagnosed cases, giving a CPR of 0.33/1000. Ishielu had a CPR of 0.46/1000 compared with 0.25 (P < 0.01) for Ohaukwu. Boys had a CPR of 0.38/1000 compared with 0.25/1000 (P < 0.06) for girls. Boy-to-girl prevalence ratio was ∼ 3:1. CONCLUSIONS The relatively high prevalence of IDDM in this poor African population, despite potential deaths caused by minimal medical attention, may be because of long-term protein malnutrition and endemic childhood infections, which have been implicated in the etiology of IDDM in similar malnourished populations.
Motivators and Barriers to Reducing Sedentary Behavior Among Overweight and Obese Older Adults

Abstract Purpose of the Study: To explore individual, social, environmental, and program-related motivators, barriers, and impacts of sedentary behavior (SB) reduction among a group of overweight and obese older adults aged 60 and older. Design and Methods: Semistructured interviews were conducted with 24 participants following a SB reduction intervention. Transcripts from these interviews were iteratively coded by a team, and key themes were defined and refined guided by the social–ecological framework. Results: Motivators included the desire to improve health, newly acquired awareness of SB, the ease of incorporating SB reduction into current lifestyle, an adaptable environment, and the use of reminders. Barriers included existing health conditions, enjoyment of sedentary activities, unadaptable environments, fatigue, and difficulty understanding SB reduction as distinct from physical activity (PA). Participants reported impacts on physical and mental health and changes in awareness, exercise, and daily activity. Implications: Although in many ways motivators and barriers to reducing SB are similar to those of PA, SB interventions have special considerations and may ultimately be easier for some individuals to incorporate into their lifestyle.