Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Male migrants' non-spousal sexual partnerships in the place of origin: an in-depth investigation in two rural settings of India

Male migrants in India are at disproportionately high risk for HIV, not only because of their sexual behaviours in destination areas but also due to their risk behaviours in their place of origin. While studies have documented male migrants' risky behaviours in the home setting, few have attempted to understand the underlying socio-cultural context in which they engage in such behaviours. This paper examines the patterns and context of male migrants' non-spousal sexual partnerships in two high-out-migration districts of India. Data, drawn from a cross-sectional behavioural mixed-methods study conducted in 2008, included a structured survey with 1272 migrants, followed by in-depth interviews with 33 male migrants. Results suggest that sexual activity was common in the place of origin: around 50% of migrants had sex with a non-spousal female partner and two-fifths had initiated sex in this setting. Migrants' non-spousal sexual behaviours in the home village were influenced by the prevailing socio-cultural context, including migrants' enhanced socio-economic status, attitudes to non-spousal sex and accessibility of sexual partners. Male migrants' non-spousal sexual partnerships in source areas are influenced by socio-cultural factors, which must be considered when designing HIV programmes in India and elsewhere.
A representation approach to conceptualizing tangible learning environments

Tangibles, in the form of physical artefacts embedded with sensor technologies, offer the opportunity to exploit and build on our everyday interaction and experience with the world, enabling new forms of engagement and access to tools for supporting learning. The implications for learning are considerable, potentially bringing about a radical change in the way we conceptualise learning and learning activities. However, we know little about the specific learning benefits, and currently lack an effective structure within which to establish them. Although several frameworks have been proposed for conceptualizing tangible environments, none highlight the central role that external representations have in tangible environments. This paper argues for the importance of placing primary emphasis on representation, and the role that this might play in mediating interaction and cognition in tangible environments. The representation-tangible relationship is outlined, together with their differential potentials for learning. Based on this the paper then proposes a conceptual framework for systematically investigating how different ways of linking digital information with physical artefacts influence interaction and cognition, to gain a clearer understanding of their role for learning.
Orientation Specificity in Representations of Place

How organisms code information that allows them to recognize one place in space as distinct from another has been studied neuroanatomically, neurophysiolo gically, and behaviorally in animals. Neurophysiological studies with rats show that cells in CA1 and CA3 regions of the hippocampus respond selectively to the place occupied by a rat, with one place being discriminable from another by its unique configuration of surrounding, local cues (e.g., Muller, Kubie, Bostock, Taube, & Quirk, 1991; O'Keefe, 1979; O'Keefe & Speakman, 1987). A place cells' sensitivity to cue configurations is indicated by its diminished response following a change in the relative location of the cues but by little change in its response rate if one cue is removed from the configuration, as long as the spatial relations among the remaining cues are preserved (O'Keefe, 1979; O'Keefe & Conway, 1978). Findings showing that hippocampal lesions severely disrupt a rat's ability to learn the place occupied by the goal but leave intact its ability to learn an egocentrically defined route to the goal provide behavioral evidence for the role of the hippocampus in cognitive mapping (e.g., O'Keefe &Nadel, 1978). Place learning has been studied behaviorally in human adults on a more limited scale than it has in animals, in part, because it is difficult to control and manipulate large-scale visual environments. Studies that focus on how people cognitively represent configurations of visual cues that can
Efficacy of tension-free vaginal tape with other pelvic reconstructive surgery.

OBJECTIVE The tension-free vaginal tape procedure has been shown in several studies to be a safe and effective method of correcting stress urinary incontinence, but its efficacy when combined with other pelvic surgery has not been examined. STUDY DESIGN Thirty-seven women with stress or mixed urinary incontinence and other pelvic floor defects underwent the tension-free vaginal tape procedure in conjunction with other pelvic floor reconstructive surgery. Preoperative and postoperative voiding diaries, standing stress test results, and patient satisfaction were evaluated. Patient outcome, operative difficulties, and complications are discussed. RESULTS Thirty-five of 37 patients were completely dry (94%) 6 months after surgery. One patient (2.7%) had a recurrent pelvic floor defect. Four of 37 (10.8%) noted postoperative urgency that required treatment. The overall complication rate was 18.9%: the most common complication was urinary retention (43%); mean number of days with a catheter was 5.1 (range, 0-21 days). No serious operative complications occurred. Nine of 9 (100%) patients who underwent a repeat anti-incontinence procedure were cured with no increase in the complication rate. CONCLUSION The tension-free vaginal tape procedure is safe and efficacious when combined with other pelvic floor reconstructive surgery. Postoperative urinary retention was the most common complication.
Wave propagation in ferrite involving planar anisotropy-theory and experiment

We have derived an expression for the effective dc field associated with magnetic easy-plane anisotropy. The field is expressed as the geometric mean between the applied field and the sum of the applied field and the anisotropy field, in agreement with previous publications. This is in contrast to the effective dc field associated with a magnetic easy axis, which adds to the applied field arithmetically. The calculated transmission stopband compares nicely with experiments.
Relationship of Oxidized Phospholipids on Apolipoprotein B-100 Particles to Race/Ethnicity, Apolipoprotein(a) Isoform Size, and Cardiovascular Risk Factors: Results From the Dallas Heart Study

Background— Elevated levels of oxidized phospholipids (OxPLs) on apolipoprotein B-100 particles (OxPL/apoB) are associated with cardiovascular disease and predict new cardiovascular events. Elevated lipoprotein (a) [Lp(a)] levels are a risk factor for cardiovascular disease in whites and also in blacks if they carry small apolipoprotein(a) [apo(a)] isoforms. The relationship of OxPL/apoB levels to race/ethnicity, cardiovascular risk factors, and apo(a) isoforms is not established. Methods and Results— OxPL/apoB levels were measured in 3481 subjects (1831 black, 1047 white, and 603 Hispanic subjects) in the Dallas Heart Study and correlated with age, sex, cardiovascular risk factors, and Lp(a) and apo(a) isoforms. Significant differences in OxPL/apoB levels were noted among racial/ethnic subgroups, with blacks having the highest levels compared with whites and Hispanics (P<0.001 for each comparison). OxPL/apoB levels generally did not correlate with age, sex, or risk factors. In the overall cohort, OxPL/apoB levels strongly correlated with Lp(a) (r=0.85, P<0.001), with the shape of the relationship demonstrating a “reverse L” shape for log-transformed values. The highest correlation was present in blacks, followed by whites and Hispanics; was dependent on apo(a) isoform size; and became progressively weaker with larger isoforms. The size of the major apo(a) isoform (number of kringle type IV repeats) was negatively associated with OxPL/apoB (r=−0.49, P<0.001) and Lp(a) (r=−0.61, P<0.001) regardless of racial/ethnic group. After adjustment for apo(a) isoform size, the relationship between OxPL/apoB and Lp(a) remained significant (r=0.67, P<0.001). Conclusions— OxPL/apoB levels vary according to race/ethnicity, are largely independent of cardiovascular risk factors, and are inversely associated with apo(a) isoform size. The association of OxPL with small apo(a) isoforms, in which a similar relationship is present among all racial/ethnic subgroups despite differences in Lp(a) levels, may be a key determinant of cardiovascular risk.
Synchronous primary ovarian and endometrial cancers: a series of cases and a review of literature

Synchronous cancers account for 0.7-1.8% of all gynecologic cancers. Among them, synchronous ovarian and endometrial cancers are predominant (40-53%). Patients with synchronous cancers have better prognosis than those with single disseminated cancer. We present 10 patients with synchronous ovarian and endometrial cancers who were treated at the Chemotherapy Department of the Medical University of Lodz in 2009-2013. The most often reported symptom of the disease was abnormal vaginal bleeding (6 patients). The range of the patients’ age was 48-62 and the median age was 56. Five patients had stage I of ovarian cancer, single patients had stage IIA, IIB and IIIB, 2 patients had stage IIIC. Three patients had I, 5 – II, and 2 – III stage of endometrial cancer. All patients had endometrioid type of endometrial cancer, 7 of them had also the same histological type of ovarian cancer. All patients had adjuvant chemotherapy because of ovarian cancer, none of them had adjuvant radiotherapy. One patient was lost to follow up. For other patients a median follow up was 13 months (range: 3-53 months). One patient experienced relapse, all patients are alive. Synchronous ovarian and endometrial cancers are usually diagnosed at an earlier stage, have lower histological grade and better prognosis than single cancers. The most common histological type of both endometrial and ovarian cancers is endometrioid carcinoma. The first symptoms reported by our patients and the course of the disease were concordant with data from the literature.
Efficiency of Heatsynch Protocol in Estrous Synchronization, Ovulation and Conception of Dairy Buffaloes (Bubalus bubalis)

The objectives of this study were to test the efficacy of induction of estrus and determine the timing of ovulation in relation to preovulatory LH and estrogen surges in cycling Murrah buffaloes subjected to Heatsynch protocol (GnRH-PGF 2 α-Estradiol benzoate). In experiment 1, the buffaloes (n = 10) were treated with Heatsynch protocol and observed for estrus and ovulation. In experiment 2 and 3, 30 cycling Murrah buffaloes were used to investigate the efficacy of Heatsynch protocol in terms of conception rates in summer (experiment 2) and winter (experiment 3) seasons. Fixed time A.I. was performed in all the buffaloes at 48 and 60 h post-estradiol benzoate (EB) injection. All buffaloes responded to the Heatsynch protocol with expression of estrus for which ovulations were induced in 8 buffaloes (80%). Mean time interval from the EB injection to ovulation was 50.0±2.0 h (range 44.0 to 60.0 h). The interval from the end of LH surge to ovulation was 18.5±2.47 h (range 8 to 26 h). The interval from end of estrogen surge to ovulation was 26.75±2.07 h (range 22 to 36 h). Mean LH peak after EB injection occurred at 20.81±1.61 h (range 14 to 28 h) and mean estrogen peak after EB injection occurred at 9.62±1.03 h (range 7 to 16 h). Hence, the mean estrogen peak preceded the mean LH peak by 11 h. It was observed that the percentage of conceptions to total number of estruses for control buffaloes was 18 and 30 in summer and winter, respectively, whereas it increased to 26 and 40 in Heatsynch treated buffaloes in respective seasons. The results suggest the possibility of using Heatsynch treatment followed by fixed time A.I. in buffaloes for fertility improvement, especially since the incidence of silent heat in buffaloes is very high.
Loss of Neuron-Astroglial Interaction Rapidly Induces Protective CNTF Expression after Stroke in Mice

Ciliary neurotrophic factor (CNTF) is a potent neural cytokine with very low expression in the CNS, predominantly by astrocytes. CNTF increases rapidly and greatly following traumatic or ischemic injury. Understanding the underlying mechanisms would help to design pharmacological treatments to increase endogenous CNTF levels for neuroprotection. Here, we show that astroglial CNTF expression in the adult mouse striatum is increased twofold within 1 h and increases up to >30-fold over 2 weeks following a focal stroke caused by a transient middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO). Selective neuronal loss caused by intrastriatal injection of quinolinic acid resulted in a comparable increase. Cocultured neurons reduced CNTF expression in astrocytes, which was prevented by light trypsinization. RGD (arginine-glycine-aspartic acid) blocking peptides induced CNTF expression, which was dependent on transcription. Astroglial CNTF expression was not affected by diffusible neuronal molecules or by neurotransmitters. The transient ischemia does not seem to directly increase CNTF, as intrastriatal injection of an ischemic solution or exposure of naive mice or cultured cells to severe hypoxia had minimal effects. Inflammatory mechanisms were probably also not involved, as intrastriatal injection of proinflammatory cytokines (IFNγ, IL6) in naive mice had no or small effects, and anti-inflammatory treatments did not diminish the increase in CNTF after MCAO. CNTF−/− mice had more extensive tissue loss and similar astrocyte activation after MCAO than their wild-type littermates. These data suggest that contact-mediated integrin signaling between neurons and astrocytes normally represses CNTF expression and that neuronal dysfunction causes a rapid protective response by the CNS.
H-pilus assembly kinetics determined by electron microscopy

The kinetics of pilus outgrowth were examined for Escherichia coli containing pDT1942, a TnlacZ insertion derivative of the IncHI1 plasmid R27, which was derepressed for transfer. IncHI1 plasmids are thermosensitive for transfer. The pili specified by pDT1942 were examined by transmission electron microscopy after the pilus had been labeled with the H-pilus-specific bacteriophage Hgal, which had been inactivated with RNase A. H pili were extended by extrusion from the cell surface and not by the addition of pilin subunits to the pilus tip. After pili were removed by vortexing, the outgrowth of full-length pili (2 microns long) required 20 min. H pili expressed at the transfer optimal temperature (27 degrees C) remained stable after incubation at the transfer inhibitory temperature (37 degrees C), but the formation of mating aggregates was inhibited at 37 degrees C. Within 1 min of exposure of the host cell to a heat stimulus of 50 degrees C, pili vanished. Pili were observed in straight and flexible forms with a field emission scanning electron microscope, which may indicate a dynamic role for the pilus in conjugation.
Risk Reduction of Cerebral Stroke After Stereotactic Radiosurgery for Small Unruptured Brain Arteriovenous Malformations

Background and Purpose— A Randomized Trial of Unruptured Brain Arteriovenous Malformations (ARUBA) indicated the superiority of medical management in reducing the risks for strokes and other neurological deficits over observation alone. The aim of our study was to verify the rationale for stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS) for small unruptured arteriovenous malformation. Methods— A retrospective review was performed for 292 patients with unruptured arteriovenous malformations referred for SRS. The risks for cerebral hemorrhages were statistically compared before and after SRS. Results— Of the 292 patients in whom arteriovenous malformation was found unruptured at initial diagnosis, 17 sustained hemorrhages in the period between the diagnosis and the initial therapeutic intervention (annual bleeding rate, 2.1%; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.2%–3.4%). Of the remaining 275 patients, 240 were initially treated with SRS, and 16 sustained a hemorrhage after SRS (annual bleeding rate, 1.1%; 95% CI, 0.6%–1.8%), but only 2 sustained a hemorrhage after angiographic obliteration (annual bleeding rate, 0.3%; 95% CI, 0.04%–1.2%). Comparing the risk of hemorrhage between the periods before and after SRS, a 53% risk reduction was achieved after SRS (hazard ratio, 0.47; 95% CI, 0.24–0.94; P=0.03), and 85% reduction was achieved after angiographic obliteration (hazard ratio, 0.15; 95% CI, 0.02–0.53; P=0.002). Conclusions— SRS can significantly reduce the risk of stroke in the patients with small unruptured arteriovenous malformations. To definitively determine the clinical benefits of SRS, a longer follow-up will be necessary. However, based on our results, we can recommend SRS for patients who face a latent risk for stroke from this intractable vascular disease.
Prevalence of respiratory symptoms among female flight attendants and teachers

Background: Potential health effects of the indoor environment in office buildings and aircraft have generated considerable concern in recent years. Aims: To analyse the prevalence of self reported respiratory symptoms and illnesses in flight attendants (FAs) and schoolteachers. Methods: Data were collected as part of a study of reproductive health among female FAs. The prevalences of work related eye, nose, and throat symptoms, wheezing, physician diagnosed asthma, chest illness, and cold or flu were calculated and stratified by smoking status in 1824 FAs and 331 schoolteachers. Results: FAs and teachers were significantly more likely to report work related eye (12.4% and 7.4 %, respectively), nose (15.7% and 8.1%), and throat symptoms (7.5% and 5.7%) than were other working women (2.9% eye, 2.7% nose, and 1.3% throat symptoms). FAs were significantly more likely than teachers and referent working women to report chest illness during the prior three years (32.9%, 19.3%, 7.2%, respectively). Both study groups were more likely to report five or more episodes of cold or flu in the past year than were other working women (10.2% of FAs, 8.2% of teachers, 2.3% of referents), and both groups were more likely to report wheezing than other working women (22.8% of FAs, 28.4% of teachers, 16.4% of referents). FAs were significantly less likely than teachers and other working women to report ever having been diagnosed with asthma (8.2%, 13.3%, 11.8%, respectively). Conclusions: Overall, FAs and schoolteachers report a higher prevalence of work related upper respiratory symptoms, chest illness, and cold or flu than the general working population.
Increased dietary protein in the second trimester of gestation increases live weight gain and carcass composition in weaner calves to 6 months of age

Genetically similar nulliparous Polled Hereford heifers from a closed pedigree herd were used to evaluate the effects of dietary protein during the first and second trimester of gestation upon foetal, placental and postnatal growth. Heifers were randomly allocated into two groups at 35 days after artificial insemination (35 days post conception (dpc)) to a single bull and fed high (15.7% CP) or low (5.9% CP) protein in the first trimester (T1). At 90 dpc, half of each nutritional treatment group changed to a high- or low-protein diet for the second trimester until 180 dpc (T2). High protein intake in the second trimester increased birth weight in females (P=0.05), but there was no effect of treatment upon birth weight when taken over both sexes. Biparietal diameter was significantly increased by high protein in the second trimester with the effect being greater in the female (P=0.02), but also significant overall (P=0.05). Placental weight was positively correlated with birth weight, fibroblast volume and relative blood vessel volume (P<0.05). Placental fibroblast density was increased and trophoblast volume decreased in the high-protein first trimester treatment group (P<0.05). There was a trend for placental weight to be increased by high protein in the second trimester (P=0.06). Calves from heifers fed the high-protein treatment in the second trimester weighed significantly more on all occasions preweaning (at 1 month (P=0.0004), 2 months (P=0.006), 3 months (P=0.002), 4 months (P=0.01), 5 months (P=0.03), 6 months (P=0.001)), and grew at a faster rate over the 6-month period. By 6 months of age, the calves from heifers fed high nutrition in the second trimester weighed 33 kg heavier than those fed the low diet in the second trimester. These results suggest that dietary protein in early pregnancy alters the development of the bovine placenta and calf growth to weaning.
Metabolic parameters associated with arterial stiffness in older adults with Type 2 diabetes: the Edinburgh Type 2 Diabetes Study

Objective: Increased arterial stiffness, as measured by pulse wave velocity (PWV), is associated with increased cardiovascular risk in the general population. Few studies have examined factors associated with increased PWV in people with Type 2 diabetes. The aim of this study was to determine whether there was a link between PWV and clinical variables associated with central obesity, in men and women with Type 2 diabetes. Research designs and methods: Eight hundred and sixty individuals [mean age (±SD) 69 (±4) years] from the Edinburgh Type 2 Diabetes Study, underwent applanation tonometry using a high-fidelity micromanometer. PWV was measured by sequentially recording electrocardiogram-gated carotid and femoral artery waveforms. Results: Waist circumference (&bgr; = 0.10, P < 0.01) and waist : hip ratio (&bgr; = 0.10, P < 0.01) were independently associated with PWV, but not with BMI. In a stepwise multiple regression model, mean arterial pressure (&bgr; = 0.26, P < 0.01) and age (&bgr; = 0.23, P < 0.01) were strongly associated with PWV. The associations between the central obesity measures and PWV were independent of age, sex, duration of diabetes and metabolic factors associated with central obesity. Duration of diabetes (&bgr; = 0.10, P < 0.01) and glycated hemoglobin (&bgr; = 0.09, P < 0.01) were also found to be independent predictors of arterial stiffness. Obesity biomarkers such as C-reactive protein, leptin, tumour necrosis factor-&agr; and interleukin-6 were not associated with arterial stiffness. Conclusion: Central obesity in people with Type 2 diabetes was associated with increased arterial stiffness. This association was independent of the conventional factors associated with central obesity and further studies are required to identify the mechanisms involved.
Calnexin Deficiency Leads to Dysmyelination*

Calnexin is a molecular chaperone and a component of the quality control of the secretory pathway. We have generated calnexin gene-deficient mice (cnx−/−) and showed that calnexin deficiency leads to myelinopathy. Calnexin-deficient mice were viable with no discernible effects on other systems, including immune function, and instead they demonstrated dysmyelination as documented by reduced conductive velocity of nerve fibers and electron microscopy analysis of sciatic nerve and spinal cord. Myelin of the peripheral and central nervous systems of cnx−/− mice was disorganized and decompacted. There were no abnormalities in neuronal growth, no loss of neuronal fibers, and no change in fictive locomotor pattern in the absence of calnexin. This work reveals a previously unrecognized and important function of calnexin in myelination and provides new insights into the mechanisms responsible for myelin diseases.