Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Knowledge About HIV Infection and Attitude of Nursing Staff Toward Patients With AIDS in Iran

Background. Although adequate knowledge about HIV infection and effective antitransmission measures, such as taking universal precautions in the handling of blood and other body fluids, are important factors in minimizing the risk of HIV transmission in the healthcare setting, little has been reported on the knowledge of nurses with regard to HIV infection and their attitude toward patients with AIDS in Iran. The aim of the present study was to assess these matters. Methods. A questionnaire-based cross-sectional study was conducted from March to April 2003. Included were 1098 nursing staff (registered nurses, registered midwives, and auxiliary nurses) from 8 university teaching hospitals affiliated with the Shiraz University of Medical Sciences. Results. Registered nurses and midwives had a significantly higher level of knowledge about HIV infection than did auxiliary nurses (χ2 = 16.4; df = 1; P<.001). With regard to the causative agent of AIDS, nurses holding a bachelor of science in nursing or a master of science in nursing (MSN) had a significantly higher level of knowledge than did auxiliary nurses (χ2 = 18.6; df = 1; P<.001). Women more often answered correctly that it is not possible to identify HIV-infected patients by their appearance during the early stages of disease than did men (χ2 = 17.52; df= 1; P<.001). Although 50.7% of respondents had previously cared for patients with AIDS and 54.3% had participated in education programs on AIDS, nearly half stated that they would not want to have to care for patients with AIDS and that, if assigned to care for such a patient, they would ask to be assigned elsewhere. Conclusions. Our finding that those who scored best on the questionnaire were midwives and single female nurses holding an MSN who had previously cared for HIV-infected patients scored best might indicate that use of selective education campaigns is the most suitable education strategy. The effectiveness of targeted education programs on HIV/AIDS should be repeatedly evaluated in the future.
The Dimensionality of Genomic Information and Its Effect on Genomic Prediction

The genomic relationship matrix (GRM) can be inverted by the algorithm for proven and young (APY) based on recursion on a random subset of animals. While a regular inverse has a cubic cost, the cost of the APY inverse can be close to linear. Theory for the APY assumes that the optimal size of the subset (maximizing accuracy of genomic predictions) is due to a limited dimensionality of the GRM, which is a function of the effective population size (Ne). The objective of this study was to evaluate these assumptions by simulation. Six populations were simulated with approximate effective population size (Ne) from 20 to 200. Each population consisted of 10 nonoverlapping generations, with 25,000 animals per generation and phenotypes available for generations 1–9. The last 3 generations were fully genotyped assuming genome length L = 30. The GRM was constructed for each population and analyzed for distribution of eigenvalues. Genomic estimated breeding values (GEBV) were computed by single-step GBLUP, using either a direct or an APY inverse of GRM. The sizes of the subset in APY were set to the number of the largest eigenvalues explaining x% of variation (EIGx, x = 90, 95, 98, 99) in GRM. Accuracies of GEBV for the last generation with the APY inverse peaked at EIG98 and were slightly lower with EIG95, EIG99, or the direct inverse. Most information in the GRM is contained in ∼NeL largest eigenvalues, with no information beyond 4NeL. Genomic predictions with the APY inverse of the GRM are more accurate than by the regular inverse.
Drinking Pattern, Abstention and Problem Drinking as Risk Factors for Depressive Symptoms: Evidence from Three Urban Eastern European Populations

Purpose To examine whether the frequency and amount of alcohol consumed in binge drinking sessions, total annual volume of alcohol consumed, problem drinking and abstaining from alcohol are associated with depressive symptoms in Eastern Europe. Subjects and Methods Cross-sectional data from a total of 24,381 participants from general population samples of the Czech Republic (N = 7,601), Russia (N = 6,908) and Poland (N = 9,872) aged 45–69 years in 2002–2005. Depressive symptoms were defined as ≥16 points on the Centre for Epidemiological Studies – Depression (CES-D) scale. Several alcohol related measures were derived using responses from the graduated frequency questionnaire. Binge drinking was defined at several sex-specific thresholds (ranging from 60+ to 140+ g of ethanol) and two frequencies (at least monthly or weekly). Total annual alcohol intake in grams was also extracted. Problem drinking was defined as ≥2 positive answers on the CAGE questionnaire. Results Problem drinking was consistently associated with approximately a 2-fold increase in odds of depressive symptoms across all countries and in both sexes. Abstaining from alcohol was typically associated with increased odds of depressive symptoms. Analyses separating lifelong abstainers and former drinkers in the Russian cohort revealed that this increased odds was driven by former drinkers. Amongst men, heavy frequent binge drinking was associated with increased odds of depressive symptoms in the Czech Republic and Poland. In women, heavy infrequent binge drinking was associated with increased odds of depressive symptoms in Russia and Poland. Only in Polish men was higher annual volume of alcohol intake associated with increased odds of depressive symptoms. Conclusion Abstaining from alcohol and problem drinking were associated with increased odds of depressive symptoms in these Eastern European populations. Annual volume of alcohol intake as well as frequency and amount of alcohol consumed in a binge drinking session were less consistently associated with depressive symptoms.
Interference Reduction in Reverberant Speech Separation With Visual Voice Activity Detection

The visual modality, deemed to be complementary to the audio modality, has recently been exploited to improve the performance of blind source separation (BSS) of speech mixtures, especially in adverse environments where the performance of audio-domain methods deteriorates steadily. In this paper, we present an enhancement method to audio-domain BSS with the integration of voice activity information, obtained via a visual voice activity detection (VAD) algorithm. Mimicking aspects of human hearing, binaural speech mixtures are considered in our two-stage system. Firstly, in the off-line training stage, a speaker-independent voice activity detector is formed using the visual stimuli via the adaboosting algorithm. In the on-line separation stage, interaural phase difference (IPD) and interaural level difference (ILD) cues are statistically analyzed to assign probabilistically each time-frequency (TF) point of the audio mixtures to the source signals. Next, the detected voice activity cues (found via the visual VAD) are integrated to reduce the interference residual. Detection of the interference residual takes place gradually, with two layers of boundaries in the correlation and energy ratio map. We have tested our algorithm on speech mixtures generated using room impulse responses at different reverberation times and noise levels. Simulation results show performance improvement of the proposed method for target speech extraction in noisy and reverberant environments, in terms of signal-to-interference ratio (SIR) and perceptual evaluation of speech quality (PESQ).
The Human Thalamus Is an Integrative Hub for Functional Brain Networks

The thalamus is globally connected with distributed cortical regions, yet the functional significance of this extensive thalamocortical connectivity remains largely unknown. By performing graph-theoretic analyses on thalamocortical functional connectivity data collected from human participants, we found that most thalamic subdivisions display network properties that are capable of integrating multimodal information across diverse cortical functional networks. From a meta-analysis of a large dataset of functional brain-imaging experiments, we further found that the thalamus is involved in multiple cognitive functions. Finally, we found that focal thalamic lesions in humans have widespread distal effects, disrupting the modular organization of cortical functional networks. This converging evidence suggests that the human thalamus is a critical hub region that could integrate diverse information being processed throughout the cerebral cortex as well as maintain the modular structure of cortical functional networks. SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT The thalamus is traditionally viewed as a passive relay station of information from sensory organs or subcortical structures to the cortex. However, the thalamus has extensive connections with the entire cerebral cortex, which can also serve to integrate information processing between cortical regions. In this study, we demonstrate that multiple thalamic subdivisions display network properties that are capable of integrating information across multiple functional brain networks. Moreover, the thalamus is engaged by tasks requiring multiple cognitive functions. These findings support the idea that the thalamus is involved in integrating information across cortical networks.
Three-Dimensional Reconstruction of Three-Way FRET Microscopy Improves Imaging of Multiple Protein-Protein Interactions

Fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET) microscopy is a powerful tool for imaging the interactions between fluorescently tagged proteins in two-dimensions. For FRET microscopy to reach its full potential, it must be able to image more than one pair of interacting molecules and image degradation from out-of-focus light must be reduced. Here we extend our previous work on the application of maximum likelihood methods to the 3-dimensional reconstruction of 3-way FRET interactions within cells. We validated the new method (3D-3Way FRET) by simulation and fluorescent protein test constructs expressed in cells. In addition, we improved the computational methods to create a 2-log reduction in computation time over our previous method (3DFSR). We applied 3D-3Way FRET to image the 3D subcellular distributions of HIV Gag assembly. Gag fused to three different FPs (CFP, YFP, and RFP), assembled into viral-like particles and created punctate FRET signals that become visible on the cell surface when 3D-3Way FRET was applied to the data. Control experiments in which YFP-Gag, RFP-Gag and free CFP were expressed, demonstrated localized FRET between YFP and RFP at sites of viral assembly that were not associated with CFP. 3D-3Way FRET provides the first approach for quantifying multiple FRET interactions while improving the 3D resolution of FRET microscopy data without introducing bias into the reconstructed estimates. This method should allow improvement of widefield, confocal and superresolution FRET microscopy data.
Response decision processes and externalizing behavior problems in adolescents

Externalizing behavior problems of 124 adolescents were assessed across Grades 7–11. In Grade 9, participants were also assessed across social-cognitive domains after imagining themselves as the object of provocations portrayed in six videotaped vignettes. Participants responded to vignette-based questions representing multiple processes of the response decision step of social information processing. Phase 1 of our investigation supported a two-factor model of the response evaluation process of response decision (response valuation and outcome expectancy). Phase 2 showed significant relations between the set of these response decision processes, as well as response selection, measured in Grade 9 and (a) externalizing behavior in Grade 9 and (b) externalizing behavior in Grades 10–11, even after controlling externalizing behavior in Grades 7–8. These findings suggest that on-line behavioral judgments about aggression play a crucial role in the maintenance and growth of aggressive response tendencies in adolescence.
Emerging concepts and translational priorities in pulmonary arterial hypertension.

Since its first description,1,2 pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) has fascinated clinicians and scientists, and, despite recent progress, it remains an intriguing and mysterious disease. An impressive array of molecular abnormalities has been described over the past few years and is summarized in recent reviews.3–8 Generally, these abnormalities result in an obliterative remodeling of the pulmonary circulation, characterized by occlusion of the lumen in medium-sized and small pulmonary arteries (PAs) due to excessive cellular proliferation in the vascular wall and in situ thrombosis, as well as loss of microvessels and capillaries (Figure 1A). The afterload of the right ventricle increases, resulting in right heart failure and premature death.9 However, the relevance to human disease and the translational potential of several of those described abnormalities remain unclear. Only 3 abnormalities have been translated into clinical practice: the downregulation of the prostacyclin axis (reversed by exogenous prostacyclin analogues), the downregulation of the NO/cGMP axis (reversed by inhaled NO and sildenafil), and the upregulation of the endothelin axis (reversed by endothelin receptor antagonists). 10 All of these therapies were developed on the basis of the “vasodilator” hypothesis of pulmonary hypertension. Despite the realization that PAH is not a disease of vascular tone (<10% of patients respond acutely to vasodilators), these therapies continue to dominate the field, although some of them were also, in retrospect, found to have some antiproliferative properties. Furthermore, these therapies were all designed and originally developed for nonpulmonary vascular diseases. Figure 1. A, PAH pathology. Immunohistochemistry in human samples from a patient with iPAH; staining with an antibody against smooth muscle actin is shown. Note the excessive cell proliferation in remodeled PAs. B, A new conceptual framework for the development of PAH-specific therapies. The parenteral use of prostacyclin analogues can significantly slow down the progression of the …
QUOTE-HIV: an instrument for assessing quality of HIV care from the patients’ perspective

Background: An HIV-specific version of the QUOTE questionnaire was developed to measure the quality of care of patients infected with HIV from the patients’ perspective. The consistency and validity of the questionnaire was assessed. Methods: Focus group discussions were held to select aspects for inclusion in the questionnaire that are important to patients with HIV. Item and inter-item analysis, factor analysis, and reliability analysis were performed to test the internal consistency and validity of the questionnaire. Results: Twenty seven items (13 generic and 14 HIV specific) were used in the QUOTE-HIV questionnaire. Separate factor analyses of the generic and HIV specific aspects indicated that each loaded onto a single factor. The internal consistency of the total questionnaire was good (Cronbach’s alpha ≥0.80). Feasibility of the questionnaire was shown by the diversity of importance and performance scores for general practitioners as well as for HIV specialists and AIDS nursing consultants. Conclusion: The QUOTE-HIV questionnaire is a useful instrument for measuring the quality of care from the perspective of HIV infected patients.
Gender Disparities in the Access and Use of Urban Public Transport in Abuja, Nigeria

In Nigerian cities, many different urban mass transit modes convey people from one point to another. However, each gender faces unique challenges and has different experiences of accessing and using public transport systems in metropolitan cities such as Abuja, especially with its growing increase in infrastructural development and its being the seat of government. Most studies of urban mobility have been undertaken in developed countries; there is little evidence on this subject in developing countries such as Nigeria. This paper aims to assess gender disparities in the access and use of urban public transport in Abuja, Nigeria. This research explored individual experiences and challenges in accessing and using public transport services and making recommendations for improvements. A mixed design approach was used to collect primary data comprising qualitative and quantitative data to achieve the research goal. Qualitative data were collected by conducting a focus group discussion which aided the researcher in gathering the overall perceptions of public transport commuters in terms of structure, experience, and challenges, and was subsequently used in designing a questionnaire for the quantitative data. This research sought to fill a gap in knowledge of gender disparities in public transport use in Abuja, Nigeria, by looking into the structure of the public transport system and how it affects men and women differently. The research findings revealed that females use more public transport services than males, that demographic characteristics affected respondents’ choices of public transport use, and that trip-related characteristics played a vital role in their use of public transport. It further revealed that men are generally more satisfied and face fewer challenges than women in accessing and using public transport services. There is, therefore, a need to improve the system to cater for the different mobility needs of women and to develop policies and frameworks to regulate the delivery of public transport services in Nigeria.
Monospecific anti‐GD1b IgG is required to induce rabbit ataxic neuropathy

Of 22 rabbits sensitized with GD1b, 12 developed experimental sensory ataxic neuropathy. The affected rabbits had a higher level of serum IgG monospecific to GD1b than the unaffected ones. The GD1b‐positive neuronal cytoplasms of rabbit dorsal root ganglia had larger diameters than the negative ones. IgG antibody monospecific to GD1b may preferentially bind to large primary sensory neurons, causing sensory ataxic neuropathy. Ann Neurol 1999;45:400–403
A Characterisation of Mathematics Question-and-Answer Networks on Twitter

Twitter is one of the most popular microblogging platforms these days. People use the platform to communicate, share information or to ask questions. Therefore, it will be no surprise that it is also used for educational purposes. This paper focuses on the use of Twitter for mathematics-related questions. It aims to understand the structure of this network as well as identify the extent to which questions are answered for new participants. Using this network, nodes are filtered based on whether they are friends who respond versus random users who respond. This will result in two network graphs. These graphs will be compared using topological characteristics. Subsequently, this paper will compare its outcomes with previous research on the Twitter community. The results suggest that the probability a mathematics-related questions gets answered is small, however, it also suggest no difference in the probability for receiving an answer from a stranger or from a friend.
The specificity of endoscopic criteria in diagnosis Of biliary reflux The specificity of endoscopic criteria in diagnosis Of biliary reflux gastritis gastritis

Background : Bile re ﬂ ux gastritis can be triggered by an excess of bile in the duodenum, the absence of a pylorus as a barrier to retrograde ﬂ ow, and/or decreased stomach and duodenum retrograde peristalsis. This can occur as a result of gastric or biliary surgery or due to biliary re ﬂ ux disease. The purpose of this research was to assess the speci ﬁ city of endoscopic criteria in the diagnosis of biliary gastritis by comparing endoscopic ﬁ ndings with histopathological examination. Patients and methods : In this prospective research, cases with upper gastrointestinal symptoms were subjected to esophagogastroduodenoscopy. In all, 113 patients with intragastric bile were involved in the research. All cases were subjected to endoscopic examination for biliary re ﬂ ux gastritis (BRG) and histopathological examination. Results : In this prospective study, 113 individuals were involved, who were divided into two groups, BRG (62 patients) and nonbiliary re ﬂ ux gastritis (NBRG) (51 patients). Endoscopic ﬁ ndings of the patients in the BRG group showed that all patients had intragastric bile and most of the patients had erythema (83.9%) followed by erosions (54.8%). Histological ﬁ ndings in the BRG group showed that most patients had foveolar hyperplasia (83.9%) followed by chronic active in ﬂ ammation (75.8%) and congestion (64.5%). The positive predictive value of endoscopic diagnosis of biliary gastritis was 54.86%. Conclusion : In BRG, the endoscopic ﬁ ndings are not speci ﬁ c but can aid in diagnosis. Histopathological features can characterize BRG from NBRG.
Quantification of Giardia and Cryptosporidium in surface water: a risk assessment and molecular characterization

This study aimed to estimate the annual probability of Giardia and Cryptosporidium infection for a population supplied by contaminated drinking water sources. Parasites were quantified by the USEPA Method 1623.1/2012. Annual risk was estimated using the quantitative microbial risk assessment (QMRA) approach. Genotyping was performed using specific primers based on the 18S rRNA gene for Cryptosporidium and gdh gene for Giardia. Giardia was detected in 83.3% of the samples (<0.1 to 8.6 cysts/L) and Cryptosporidium in 37.5% (<0.1 to 2 oocysts/L). In general, annual risk values for Giardia were 1 log higher when compared with those obtained for Cryptosporidium. Giardia intestinalis A and B were present as well as C. hominis and C. parvum. The lack of protection measures for the water supply catchment point put the population's health at risk. The results provide data to support decision-makers to take actions to improve environmental quality resulting in a positive impact on consumers' health.