Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Potential drug interactions in drug therapy prescribed for older adults at hospital discharge: cross-sectional study

ABSTRACT BACKGROUND: Older adults with a range of comorbidities are often prescribed multiple medications, which favors drug interactions. OBJECTIVES: To establish the frequency of potential drug interactions in prescriptions at hospital discharge among older adults and to identify the associated factors. DESIGN AND SETTING: Cross-sectional study conducted in a public hospital. METHODS: An initial face-to-face interview, data collection from the electronic medical records (covering sociodemographic, clinical, functional and drug therapy-related variables) and telephone follow-up after discharge were conducted to confirm the medication prescribed at discharge. Drug interactions were identified through the Micromedex DrugReax software, along with interactions that should be avoided among the elderly, as per the 2015 American Geriatric Society/Beers criteria. Multivariable logistic regression was performed. RESULTS: Potential for drug interactions was identified in the discharge drug therapy of 67.8% of the 255 older adults evaluated (n = 172), and 54.5% (n = 145) of the drug interactions were major. Among the drug interactions that should be avoided among older adults, those that increase the risk of falls were the most frequent. The drug interactions thus identified were independently associated with polypharmacy (odds ratio, OR = 12.62; 95% confidence interval, CI 6.25-25.50; P = 0.00), diabetes mellitus (OR = 2.16; 95% CI 1.05-4.44; P = 0.04), hypothyroidism (OR = 7.29; 95% CI 2.03-26.10; P = 0.00), chronic kidney disease (OR = 3.41; 95% CI 1.09-10.64; P = 0.03) and hospitalization in geriatric units (OR = 0.45; 95% CI 0.22-0.89; P = 0.02). CONCLUSION: The frequency of potential drug interactions in drug therapy prescribed at discharge for these older adults was high. Polypharmacy, diabetes mellitus, hypothyroidism and chronic kidney disease were positively associated with occurrences of drug interactions, while hospitalization in geriatric units showed an inverse association.
The Roles of Ebola Virus Soluble Glycoprotein in Replication, Pathogenesis, and Countermeasure Development

Ebola virus (EBOV) is a highly lethal pathogen that has caused several outbreaks of severe hemorrhagic fever in humans since its emergence in 1976. The EBOV glycoprotein (GP1,2) is the sole viral envelope protein and a major component of immunogenicity; it is encoded by the GP gene along with two truncated versions: soluble GP (sGP) and small soluble GP (ssGP). sGP is, in fact, the primary product of the GP gene, and it is secreted in abundance during EBOV infection. Since sGP shares large portions of its sequence with GP1,2, it has been hypothesized that sGP may subvert the host immune response by inducing antibodies against sGP rather than GP1,2. Several reports have shown that sGP plays multiple roles that contribute to the complex pathogenesis of EBOV. In this review, we focus on sGP and discuss its possible roles with regards to the pathogenesis of EBOV and the development of specific antiviral drugs.
Students’ survey for assessing HE teachers’ work – advantages and disadvantages

Uma pesquisa de autoavaliação é uma das ferramentas básicas usadas por todas as instituições de educação superior com o propósito de identificar e melhorar a qualidade dos serviços educacionais. Parte relevante do procedimento de autoavaliação é o trabalho do professor da ES; a avaliação é realizada através de um questionário preenchido por cada estudante de cada curso, respectivamente. O objetivo deste artigo é mostrar as vantagens e desvantagens do questionário de avaliação aplicado aos estudantes como parte do processo de autoavaliação da Universidade "Sv. Kliment Ohridski” em Bitola, na Macedônia. Este trabalho de pesquisa segue o modelo qualitativo, sendo que as doze perguntas feitas na avaliação são analisadas sob a ótica do impacto que elas tem na validade e objetividade dos resultados a serem fornecidos sobre a qualidade dos professores da ES, e em função da relevância na construção de um ensino multidimensional. Também inclui um modelo quantitativo, como na análise das opções dos 100 professores da ES desta Universidade, sobre os efeitos das respostas dos estudantes no seu ensino, e uma análise dos 200 estudantes da Universidade sobre a eficiência do questionário que responderam. A pesquisa tem um desenho descritivo. O método usado para o processamento dos dados e análise dos resultados buscando conclusões significativas consiste em análise, síntese e comparação. Os resultados da pesquisa indicam que além das vantagens, este questionário dos estudantes tem inúmeras desvantagens que deveriam ser levadas em consideração, porque influenciam ambos, a validade e a objetividade da nota atribuída ao trabalho dos professores da ES. Consequentemente, urge a necessidade de revisão das perguntas do questionário.
Wheat x Azotobacter x VA Mycorrhiza interactions towards plant nutrition and growth – a review

Nitrogen-fixing and phosphate-mobilizing bateria, as well as mycorrhizal fungi, can influence plant nutrition beneficially and thus be used as biofertilizers in agriculture. This paper briefly reviews the role of wheat genotypes in the interaction of wheat with soil microorganisms like phosphate solubilizing and nitrogen fixing bacteria, specifically Azotobacter sp. , and with mycorrhizal fungi for the development of sustainable wheat crop production. The role of rhizosphere microorganisms and the mechanisms, factors affecting response of bioinoculants and the possibilities of breeding wheat genotypes responsive to these bioinoculants for sustainable wheat production in semi-arid tropics are discussed.
Race, Class, Gender, and the Happiness of College Students

Using data from students at 25 selective colleges from the National Longitudinal Survey of Freshman (NLSF), we estimate regressions with college-specific random effects and find that males, white students, those who have at least one parent who completed college, and those with higher family incomes relative to others at their college report higher levels of emotional well-being and life evaluation. We also investigate college characteristics that are correlated with student happiness and find that students report higher levels of happiness at schools that are more racially homogeneous, have lower tuition, and fewer students that have financial need. We show that fraternity dominance reduces the negative impact of greater racial diversity on student happiness, possibly because fraternities allow students to reduce the incidence of cross-racial interactions.
Prevalence of triple viral infections of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), hepatitis B and C among tuberculosis patients and associated risk factors: The case of West Arsi Zone, Ethiopia

Tuberculosis, human immunodeficiency virus and hepatitis B and C infections are serious public health problems in Ethiopia. This study was conducted to assess the prevalence of triple viral infections and associated factors among tuberculosis patients who were on anti-tuberculosis treatment in the year 2011/12 in West Arsi Zone, Ethiopia. A cross sectional study design was conducted among 374 TB patients who were on first line anti-TB treatment. Simple random sampling technique was employed to draw the study subjects until the calculated sample size was achieved. Blood samples were collected to determine the HIV serostatus by rapid HIV testing kits; whereas the hepatitis B and C sero-status was determined by instant one step HBsAg and Flavicheck-HCVWB kits, respectively. Socio-demographic and risk factors information was collected and analysed using univariate and multivariate logistic regression. Injection drug users were excluded from this study. From a total of 374 tuberculosis patients enrolled, TB-HIV co-infection was found to be 56 (14.97%) among which 5 (8.92%) hepatitis B and 4 (7.14%) were hepatitis C triple infected. The overall TB-HIV-Hepatitis triple infection prevalence was 2.4% (9/374). Though the current level of triple viral infections among TB patients seems to be low, an integrated program for treatment, prevention and control strategy is crucial to be considered in TB patient management. Key words: Co-infection, HBV, HCV, HIV, TB, triple infection, West Arsi Zone, Ethiopia.
Characterization of the CaCO 3 biomineral in coralline red algae (Corallinales) from the Pacific coast of Mexico Caracterización del biomineral CaCO 3 en algas rojas coralinas (Corallinales) de las costas del Pacífico mexicano

Coralline red algae assimilate HCO3 - to precipitate CaCO3 in their tissues in the form of calcite or aragonite. A characterization of the biomolecular content and the crystalline structure of the biomineral of coralline red algae from the Pacific coast of Mexico was performed by powder X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron (SEM) and tunneling microscopy (STM), and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). The preliminary conclusion drawn from the results is that this type of calcite-aragonite biomineral has a very low organic content occluded within the crystals. FTIR bands at 2945 and 2889 cm -1 indicate that the most likely organic molecules are carbohydrates; moreover, peptide bond bands (amide I ~1640 and amide II ~1540 cm -1 ) were not detected, suggesting that proteins are not related to mineral synthesis or their stabilization. This could be explained if the biomineral is synthesized by a biologically controlled extracellular mineralization process. The XRD study showed two main mineral phases, calcite and aragonite, with very similar structural parameters to the inorganic mineral counterparts. The crystallite shapes, seen by STM, were found as plates and needles with different sizes, between 20 and 100 nm.
One-Year Outcomes of 1 Dose versus 3 Loading Doses Followed by Pro Re Nata Regimen Using Ranibizumab for Neovascular Age-Related Macular Degeneration: The ARTIS Trial

Purpose. To compare the functional and anatomical outcomes of one dose and three loading doses followed by the pro re nata (PRN) regimen in Chinese neovascular age-related macular degeneration (nvAMD) (including polypoidal choroidal vasculopathy (PCV)) patients. Methods. In this multicenter, prospective, open-label, controlled, 12-month study (ClinicalTrials.gov: NCT02810808), patients were randomized (1 : 1) to 1 dose + PRN (PRN group) or 3 loading doses + PRN (LD group) using intravitreal ranibizumab treatment. Best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA) and central retinal thickness (CRT) were evaluated. The main outcome was the change in BCVA. The noninferiority limit was 5 letters. Results. Forty-five patients in the PRN group and 49 patients in the LD group finished 12-month follow-up. Each group included 4 PCV patients. The mean change in BCVA from baseline was 7.8 letters in the PRN group, compared with 10.9 letters in the LD group (P=0.344). There were no significant differences between two groups in the mean change of CRT (−159.3 μm vs. −120.5 μm) at month 12. The mean number of injections during the 12-month follow-up was 6.0 in the PRN group and 6.8 in the LD group. The proportion of patients who gained an improvement in visual acuity by 15 or more letters was 28.9% in the PRN group and 44.9% in the LD group (P=0.066). Conclusion. One dose + PRN showed noninferior visual gains than 3 loading doses + PRN regimen using ranibizumab in Chinese nvAMD and PCV patients. Number of injections in the PRN group was similar as that in the LD group but remained a potential risk of vision instability during one-year follow-up using OCT-guided retreatment criteria. This trial is registered with NCT02810808.
Phenotypic characteristics of rhizobial and non-rhizobial isolates recovered from root nodules of chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.) grown in Ethiopia

Fifty endophytic bacteria recovered from surface sterilized root nodules of chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.) grown in Ethiopia were authenticated using three chickpea cultivars (Natoli, ICC-4918 and ICC-5003). These isolates were characterized based on morphological and phenotypic traits. The test isolates were divided into two: bacteria nodulating chickpea (27 isolates, Group I] and endophytic non-nodulating bacteria (23 isolates, Group II]. Twenty isolates from Group I were able to re-infect and form symbiosis with two chickpea cultivars, while the remaining seven isolates re-infected only one chickpea cultivar. The result demonstrated that: a number of the tested isolates were able to produce siderophore, showed variations in terms of their resistance to different antibiotics, grew at pH ranging between 5 and 9.5, tolerated salt concentration as high as 2.5% and grew at a temperature as high as 40oC, indicating the existence of a wide physiological diversity among themselves. Dendrogram construction indicated the existence of four clusters when 78% similarity level was used as cut-off point. Such diversity among the tested isolates showed the presence of diverse rhizobial and non-rhizobial isolates within chickpea nodules. Further investigation aimed at identifying the types of endophytic bacteria, their invading mechanism, and varietal preferences for nodule formation is recommended. Key words: BNF, Chickpea, Endophytic, Mesorhizobium, non-nodulating, rhizobia.
Mourning Dove Hunting in Alabama: Motivations, Satisfactions, and Sociocultural Influences

Knowledge of factors affecting participation in, and satisfactions gained from, hunting is important yet unstudied among mourning dove hunters. We tested the multiple-satisfactions model of hunting and investigated effects of motivational factors and sociocultural characteristics on development and maintenance of dove hunting behavior using a mail survey of hunters in Alabama. Most Alabama hunters appeared motivated by multiple, primarily nonsuccess-based, satisfactions. Dove hunters were more strongly motivated by nonsuccess-based satisfactions and less by obtaining a bag limit than were other types of hunters. Childhood socialization was important in developing hunting behavior among both dove and nondove hunters. Early initiation into hunting and family tradition and mentoring were particularly important in developing dove hunting behavior. Attrition from dove hunting was low (< 20%), and was positively associated with currently living in an urban area, but was unrelated to other sociocultural variables or to motivational factors. Management for multiple hunting satisfactions seems appropriate, given the importance of nonsuccess-based motivations and satisfactions. Lack of family tradition and mentoring may limit success of youth programs encouraging hunting.
9 The Population Ageing in Italy: Facts and Impact on Household Portfolios

9.0 Abstract This paper aims to assess the impact of ageing on household portfolios in Italy and hence ultimately on fi nancial markets. To this end, the analysis is carried out in two steps. First, the dimension of population ageing in Italy is assessed by means of both historical and forecast data on the structure of Italian population. Second, based on data taken from the Bank of Italy Survey of Household Income and Wealth (SHIW) over the last decade, we analyse the average household portfolio in relation to demographic characteristics. The main fi ndings are: fi rst, Italy turns out to be one of the countries most affected by ageing; second, fi nancial choices of Italian households are sensibly affected by age. Thus, the exceptional ageing in Italy might have relevant consequences on the Italian fi nancial market.
Neural substrates of habit

Active reward pursuit is supported by the balance between the cognitive and habitual control of behavior. The cognitive, goal‐directed strategy relies on the prospective evaluation of anticipated consequences, which allows behavior to readily adapt when circumstances change. Repetition of successful actions promotes less cognitively taxing habits, in which behavior is automatically executed without prospective consideration. Disruption in either of these behavioral regulatory systems contributes to the symptoms that underlie many psychiatric disorders. Here, I review recently identified neural substrates, at multiple neural levels, that contribute to habits and outline gaps in knowledge that must be addressed to fully understand the neural mechanisms of behavioral control.
Match Performance of Soccer Teams in the Chinese Super League—Effects of Situational and Environmental Factors

To investigate the effects of situational factors (match location, strength of team and opponent) and environmental factors (relative air humidity, temperature and air quality index) on the technical and physical match performance of Chinese Soccer Super League teams (CSL). The generalized mixed modelling was employed to determine the effects by using the data of all 240 matches in the season 2015 collected by Amisco Pro®. Increase in the rank difference would increase the number of goal-scoring related, passing and organizing related actions to a small-to-moderate extent (Effect size [ES]: 0.37–0.99). Match location had small positive effects on goal-scoring related, passing and organizing related variables (ES: 0.27–0.51), while a small negative effect on yellow card (ES = −0.35). Increment in relative air humidity and air quality index would only bring trivial or small effects on all the technical performance (ES: −0.06–0.23). Increase in humidity would decrease the physical performance at a small magnitude (ES: −0.55–−0.38). Teams achieved the highest number in the physical performance-related parameters at the temperature between 11.6 and 15.1 °C. In the CSL, situational variables had major effects on the technical performance but trivial effects on the physical performance, on the contrary, environmental factors affected mainly the physical performance but had only trivial or small impact on the technical performance.
Effects of Image Degradation and Degradation Removal to CNN-Based Image Classification

Just like many other topics in computer vision, image classification has achieved significant progress recently by using deep learning neural networks, especially the Convolutional Neural Networks (CNNs). Most of the existing works focused on classifying very clear natural images, evidenced by the widely used image databases, such as Caltech-256, PASCAL VOCs, and ImageNet. However, in many real applications, the acquired images may contain certain degradations that lead to various kinds of blurring, noise, and distortions. One important and interesting problem is the effect of such degradations to the performance of CNN-based image classification and whether degradation removal helps CNN-based image classification. More specifically, we wonder whether image classification performance drops with each kind of degradation, whether this drop can be avoided by including degraded images into training, and whether existing computer vision algorithms that attempt to remove such degradations can help improve the image classification performance. In this article, we empirically study those problems for nine kinds of degraded images—hazy images, motion-blurred images, fish-eye images, underwater images, low resolution images, salt-and-peppered images, images with white Gaussian noise, Gaussian-blurred images, and out-of-focus images. We expect this article can draw more interests from the community to study the classification of degraded images.
Study on the Evaluation of Various Types of Sham Acupuncture Treatments in Hemiplegic Stroke Patients: The Protocol of a Randomized Clinical Trial

Background Various sham acupuncture devices have been developed and used in studies on acupuncture. However, there is controversy on whether these devices act as an appropriate placebo or control. In particular, validation of sham acupuncture has only been performed in studies involving healthy individuals. In this regard, questions on the suitability of various sham acupuncture treatments in studies involving disease treatment remain unanswered. Therefore, in this study, we would like to investigate the most appropriate sham acupuncture in the research on treatment of hemiplegic stroke. Methods The proposed study is a single-center, prospective, randomized sequence, participant- and assessor-blinded trial with four parallel arms. A total of 90 participants will be randomly assigned to Group 1, Group 2, Group 3, or Group 4 in a 1 : 1 : 1 : 1 ratio. All groups will be treated with Quchi (LI11) for 20 minutes. Group 1 will be treated with verum acupuncture; Group 2, with Park Sham Device; Group 3, with Streitberger's needle; and Group 4, with insertion- and removal-type devices. Participants will undergo one treatment session. The primary outcome is Bang's blinding index. Secondary outcomes are the “Discomfort caused by acupuncture therapy” questionnaire and the Massachusetts General Hospital Acupuncture Sensation Scale index. Immediately after the procedure, all participants will also be monitored for adverse events. Discussion This study will help identify the optimal sham acupuncture device that can be used for clinical studies on acupuncture treatment in hemiplegic stroke patients. This trial is registered with KCT0002622.
Agronomic Performance, Nutritional Phenotyping and Trait Associations of Okra (Abelmoschus esculentus) Genotypes in South Africa

Okra, Abelmoschusesculentus L. (Moench),isanimportantfruitvegetablecropwhichbelongs seed weight, which indicates that all yield components are important for the improvement of grain yield in okra genotypes. Number of fruit was positively and significantly associated with yield contributing traits such as fruit length, fruit diameter, fruit yield, grain yield, number of seeds per fruit, thousand seed weight as well as shelled fruit weight without seeds. Moderately positive and significant association was also observed between grain yield and fruit yield ( r = 0.48) and plant height ( r = 0.34). Plant height was moderately and positively significantly associated with number of fruits per plant, number of internodes, number of seeds per fruit, internode length, and thousand seed weight. Moreover, fruit length was also positively and significantly associated with grain yield and its related traits. The strong positive association between the different phenotypic traits would allow the breeder for simultaneous selection and improvement of these traits. In this study, plant height, number of fruits per plant, fruit length, fruit diameter, fruit yield, grain yield, number of seeds per fruit, and thousand seed weight were identified as selection criteria for obtaining potential and good parents for the development of new cultivar in the okra breeding programme in the South African condition.