Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Are couple-based interventions more effective than interventions delivered to individuals in promoting HIV protective behaviors? A meta-analysis

ABSTRACT Despite several advantages to bringing couples together to learn how to protect themselves and new-born children from the risk of HIV infection, most interventions are designed for individuals or groups, not for dyads. This meta-analysis provides a direct test of whether couple-based interventions are more effective in promoting HIV protective behaviors than interventions delivered to individuals. We conducted systematic searches of five electronic databases and 60 journals. Eligible studies were controlled trials or prospective cohort designs; evaluated a couple-based intervention compared to an individual-level intervention; assessed at least one HIV prevention outcome (e.g., protective sex, drug use, HIV testing, medication adherence, and sexually transmitted infections [STI]); and were published between 1988 and 2014. Fifteen interventions, including 21,882 participants from China, Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania, Trinidad, Zambia, and the USA, were evaluated. The results of random-effects models showed statistically significant intervention effects for protective sex (OR = 1.60, 95% CI = 1.21, 2.11), HIV testing (OR = 1.79, 95% CI = 1.31, 2.45), and Nevirapine uptake (OR = 1.51, 95% CI = 1.02, 2.24). The evidence demonstrates the usefulness of couple-based interventions in protecting individuals, partners, and new-born children from the risk of HIV transmission and infection.
Orthodontic bonding to porcelain: a comparison of bonding systems.

STATEMENT OF PROBLEM Direct bonding of orthodontic brackets to porcelain surfaces has been plagued by failure. PURPOSE The purpose of this study was to compare the bond strengths of several different bonding systems when bonding orthodontic brackets to porcelain-fused-to-metal surfaces. MATERIAL AND METHODS Fifty natural glazed feldspathic porcelain-fused-to-noble metal disks 6 mm in diameter and 3 mm in height (1 mm metal and 2 mm porcelain) were fabricated and divided into 5 groups of 10. A different bonding system (GC America Fuji LC, American Ortho Spectrum, 3M Transbond, TP Orthodontics Python, and Kerr Herculite) was assigned to each group, and 50 identical orthodontic brackets were bonded (with the above mentioned systems) to each disk according to each manufacturer's instructions. Each system except TP Orthodontics Python conditioned with phosphoric acid (35% to 37.5%) and all systems were primed with silane before bonding. The specimens were subjected to gradual shear forces up to 123 N in a universal testing machine (Instron Corp, Canton, Mass.) until fracture. The shear bond strength of the bonding systems between the porcelain surface and the bracket was measured in megapascals (MPa). Failures were observed via a Zeiss optical microscope (10x); Tukey's HSD Test and analysis of variance were used to determine significance between the bonding systems at P<. 05 level of significance. RESULTS Failure of all of specimens was adhesive between the porcelain surface and the bonding agents. On the basis of a current literature review, bonding systems were categorized as clinically acceptable if they had a shear bond strength of 6 to 8 MPa. The 3M Transbond Bonding System, American Orthodontics Spectrum Bonding System, and GC America Fuji Ortho LC Bonding System performed within this clinically acceptable range (6 to 8 MPa), whereas Kerr Herculite Bonding System and TP Orthodontics Python Bonding System did not (2 to 4 MPa). The bond strengths of GC America Fuji Ortho LC, 3M Transbond, and American Orthodontics Spectrum were significantly greater (mean = 2.3 times) than TP Orthodontics Python or Kerr Herculite bonding systems. CONCLUSION Within the limitations of this study, the results reaffirm the regimen of conditioning with phosphoric acid and priming with silane before bonding orthodontic brackets to feldspathic porcelain fused to noble metal. All products indicated for this purpose may not achieve satisfactory bond strengths; however, because they do not all include the critical steps of conditioning with phosphoric acid and priming with silane. The 3M Transbond Bonding System, American Orthodontics Spectrum Bonding System, and GC America Fuji Ortho LC Bonding System performed within the clinically acceptable range (6 to 8 MPa), whereas Kerr Herculite Bonding System and TP Orthodontics Python Bonding System did not (2 to 4 MPa).
Design and rational collaborative meta-analysis of all randomized controlled trials of angiotensin receptor antagonists in Marfan syndrome , based on individual patient data : A report from the Marfan Treatment Trialists ' Collaboration

Design and rational collaborative meta-analysis of all randomized controlled trials of angiotensin receptor antagonists in Marfan syndrome, based on individual patient data: A report from the Marfan Treatment Trialists' Collaboration AlexPitcher, BMBCh, a JonathanEmberson, PhD, b RonaldV. Lacro,MD, c LynnA. Sleeper, Sc.D, Mario Stylianou, PhD, e Lynn Mahony, MD, f Gail D. Pearson, MD, ScD, e Maarten Groenink, MD, PhD, g Barbara J. Mulder, MD, PhD, g Aeilko H. Zwinderman, PhD, g Julie De Backer, MD, PhD, h Anne M. De Paepe, MD, PhD, i Eloisa Arbustini, MD, j Guliz Erdem, MD, k Xu Yu Jin, MD, l Marcus D. Flather, MBBS, Michael J. Mullen, MD, n Anne H. Child, MD, FRCP, o Alberto Forteza, MD, PhD, p Arturo Evangelista, MD, q Hsin-Hui Chiu, MD, r Mei-Hwan Wu, MD, PhD, s George Sandor, MD, FRCPC, t Ami B. Bhatt, MD, Mark A. Creager, MD, v Richard B. Devereux, MD, Bart Loeys, MD, PhD, x J. ColinForfar,MD,PhD, l StefanNeubauer,MD, HughWatkins,MD, PhD, z CatherineBoileau, PharmD,PhD, aa Guillaume Jondeau, MD, PhD, ab Harry C. Dietz, MD, ac and Colin Baigent, BM, BCh Oxford, London, Norwich, UK; Boston, Watertown, MA; Bethesda, Baltimore, MD; Dallas, TX; Amsterdam, The Netherlands; Ghent, Antwerp, Belgium; Pavia, Italy; Madrid, Barcelona, Spain; Taipei, Taiwan; British Columbia, Canada; New York, NY; and Paris, France
Blood–brain barrier disruption in post-traumatic epilepsy

Background: Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is an important cause of focal epilepsy. Animal experiments indicate that disruption of the blood–brain barrier (BBB) plays a critical role in the pathogenesis of post-traumatic epilepsy (PTE). Objective: To investigate the frequency, extent and functional correlates of increased BBB permeability in patient with PTE. Methods: 32 head trauma patients were included in the study, with 17 suffering from PTE. Patients underwent brain MRI (bMRI) and were evaluated for BBB disruption, using a novel semi-quantitative technique. Cortical dysfunction was measured using electroencephalography (EEG), and localised using standardised low-resolution brain electromagnetic tomography (sLORETA). Results: Spectral EEG analyses revealed significant slowing in patients with TBI, with no significant differences between patients with epilepsy and those without. Although bMRI revealed that patients with PTE were more likely to present with intracortical lesions (p = 0.02), no differences in the size of the lesion were found between the groups (p = 0.19). Increased BBB permeability was found in 76.9% of patients with PTE compared with 33.3% of patients without epilepsy (p = 0.047), and could be observed years following the trauma. Cerebral cortex volume with BBB disruption was larger in patients with PTE (p = 0.001). In 70% of patients, slow (delta band) activity was co-localised, by sLORETA, with regions showing BBB disruption. Conclusions: Lasting BBB pathology is common in patients with mild TBI, with increased frequency and extent being observed in patients with PTE. A correlation between disrupted BBB and abnormal neuronal activity is suggested.
Congenital Middle Ear Cholesteatoma: Experience from 26 Surgical Cases

Objectives: We analyzed the clinical features and surgical techniques used in cases of childhood congenital cholesteatoma of the middle ear. Methods: We studied 26 patients (26 ears) who underwent surgery for congenital cholesteatoma between January 1998 and December 2009, focusing on the location and type of cholesteatoma, the surgical procedures involved, and the results obtained. Patients with prior otologic procedures were excluded. A 4-stage system was used to grade the cholesteatomas. Results: The frequency of posterior-quadrant involvement and open-type cholesteatomas increased in the more advanced stages. Second-look operations were performed in 60% of stage III and 75% of stage IV cases; and residual cholesteatomas were found in 20% of stage III and 75% of stage IV cases. Of the cases evaluated both before and after the operation, 100% of stage I and II cases, 86% of stage III cases, and 50% of stage IV cases showed improvement in hearing function. Conclusions: The staging system is relatively simple, while accurately reflecting clinical results. However, there are many differences between the anterior and posterior types of congenital cholesteatomas in surgical approach and postoperative progression that are not reflected in the classification systems and require further study. In addition, we reviewed the surgical procedures involved in anterior-quadrant cases, and propose a modified surgical procedure.
Enumeration of Enterococcus sp. using a modified mE method

A modified mE medium (mEI) containing the chromogenic substrate indoxyl‐β‐D‐glucoside to detect β‐D‐glucosidase activity was evaluated with respect to specificity and recovery of enterococci from environmental waters. Extending incubation from 24 to 48 h improved enterococci recovery but 77% of the colonies classified as non‐target were confirmed as enterococci. Randomly chosen enterococcal isolates from sewage, exposed in microcosms containing 0·22 μm membrane filtered fresh or estuarine water, exhibited differences in persistence as a function of exposure treatment. Decreasing the concentration of or eliminating indoxyl‐β‐D‐glucoside from mE did not significantly affect recovery of purified isolates.
What Makes Online Content Viral?

Why are certain pieces of online content (e.g., advertisements, videos, news articles) more viral than others? This article takes a psychological approach to understanding diffusion. Using a unique data set of all the New York Times articles published over a three-month period, the authors examine how emotion shapes virality. The results indicate that positive content is more viral than negative content, but the relationship between emotion and social transmission is more complex than valence alone. Virality is partially driven by physiological arousal. Content that evokes high-arousal positive (awe) or negative (anger or anxiety) emotions is more viral. Content that evokes low-arousal, or deactivating, emotions (e.g., sadness) is less viral. These results hold even when the authors control for how surprising, interesting, or practically useful content is (all of which are positively linked to virality), as well as external drivers of attention (e.g., how prominently content was featured). Experimental results further demonstrate the causal impact of specific emotion on transmission and illustrate that it is driven by the level of activation induced. Taken together, these findings shed light on why people share content and how to design more effective viral marketing campaigns.
REDUCING MUTATION LOAD THROUGH SEXUAL SELECTION ON MALES

Mutation load is a key parameter in evolutionary theories, but relatively little empirical information exists on the mutation load of populations, or the elimination of this load through selection. We manipulated the opportunity for sexual selection within a mutation accumulation divergence experiment to determine how sexual selection on males affected the accumulation of mutations contributing to sexual and nonsexual fitness. Sexual selection prevented the accumulation of mutations affecting male mating success, the target trait, as well as reducing mutation load on productivity, a nonsexual fitness component. Mutational correlations between mating success and productivity (estimated in the absence of sexual selection) were positive. Sexual selection significantly reduced these fitness component correlations. Male mating success significantly diverged between sexual selection treatments, consistent with the fixation of genetic differences. However, the rank of the treatments was not consistent across assays, indicating that the mutational effects on mating success were conditional on biotic and abiotic context. Our experiment suggests that greater insight into the genetic targets of natural and sexual selection can be gained by focusing on mutational rather than standing genetic variation, and on the behavior of trait variances rather than means.
Highly Efficient Organic Light‐Emitting Diode Based on a Hidden Thermally Activated Delayed Fluorescence Channel in a Heptazine Derivative

An orange-red organic light-emitting diode containing a heptazine derivative exhibits high performance with a maximum external quantum efficiency of 17.5 ± 1.3% and a peak luminance of 17000 ± 1600 cd m⁻² without any light out-coupling enhancement. The high electroluminescence performance can be ascribed to the presence of an efficient up-conversion channel from the lowest triplet state to the lowest singlet state.
Endogenous endophthalmitis: microorganisms, disposition and prognosis.

PURPOSE Endogenous endophthalmitis is a severe and potentially blinding complication caused by haematogenous spreading of microorganisms. We evaluated the causative microorganisms, disposition to and prognosis of the disease. METHODS Thirty-one eyes of 28 patients were treated between 1996 and 2006 as the result of an endogenous endophthalmitis. RESULTS The microorganisms responsible for infection could be identified in 94% of all eyes investigated. Candida isolates were obtained in 15, gram-positive isolates in 11, gram-negative in one and Aspergillus in two of the 29 eyes studied. The majority of patients suffered from severe general disease (immuno-deficiency, severe surgical procedures, diabetes mellitus) and one third were intravenous drug abusers. Only one patient was otherwise healthy. The prognosis depended on the causative microorganisms. Whereas none of the eyes with Candida infection became blind, all except two of the eyes with gram-positive bacteria, Nocardia or Aspergillus infection lost visual function or had to be enucleated. CONCLUSION Compared to postoperative endophthalmitis, patients with endogenous endophthalmitis are more likely to have Candida isolates. Visual prognosis depends mainly on the underlying microorganisms, and is particularly poor in the case of infection with gram-positive bacteria or Aspergillus.
Scrub typhus meningitis : An emerging infectious threat

Background: Scrub typhus is prevalent in India although definite statistics are not available. Recent reports from several parts of India indicate that there is a resurgence of scrub typhus. There have been only few studies on scrub meningitis, most are case report. Methods: A prospective study done in Sir Padampat Mother and Child Health Institute, SMS Medical College, Jaipur to find cases of scrub typhus from August 2014 to December 2014. Diagnosis was made by a combination of an acute febrile illness with a positive scrub IgM ELISA. Lumbar puncture performed in patients with headache, vomiting, meningeal signs, seizures, or altered sensorium. Results: Forty nine cases of scrub typhus were found, and 7 (~15%) had meningitis. There were 25 males and 24 females. Only one patient had an eschar. Mean CSF cell count, lymphocyte percentage, CSF protein, CSF glucose/blood glucose, CSF ADA were 42 cells/μL, 97%, 81 mg/dL, 0.7 and 5.2 U/mL. Complications including thrombocytopenia, severe anemia, acute kidney injury and respiratory failure are more common in scrub typhus meningitis. There were no mortality from meningitis, all made uneventful recovery. Conclusion: Our finding is contrary to current perception that scrub typhus rarely causes meningitis. Meningitis in scrub typhus is mild with quick and complete recovery. Clinical features and CSF findings can mimic tuberculous meningitis, except for ADA levels. Both are endemic in india, so scrub IgM and CSF ADA levels may be helpful in differentiating these two and in avoiding prolonged empirical ATT in cases of lymphocytic meningitis.
Diabetic patients have a decreased incidence of acute respiratory distress syndrome

Objective Our ability to predict which critically ill patients will develop acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) is imprecise. Based on the effects of diabetes mellitus on the inflammatory cascade, we hypothesized that a history of diabetes might alter the incidence of ARDS. Design A prospective multicenter study. Setting Intensive care units at four university medical centers. Patients One hundred thirteen consecutive patients with septic shock. Interventions None. Measurements and Main Results All patients were prospectively followed during their intensive care course for the development of ARDS. A history of diabetes was identified in 28% (32/113) of the patients. In this study, nondiabetics were more likely to develop septic shock from a pulmonary source (48%, 39/81) compared with diabetics (25%, 8/32) (p = .02). Forty-one percent (46/113) of the patients with septic shock developed ARDS. Forty-seven percent of the nondiabetic patients developed ARDS compared with only 25% of those with diabetes (p = .03, relative risk = 0.53, 95% confidence interval = 0.28–0.98). In a multivariate logistic regression analysis, when we adjusted for several variables including source of infection, the effect of diabetes on the incidence of ARDS remained significant (p = .03, odds ratio = 0.33, 95% confidence interval = 0.12–0.90). Conclusions In patients with septic shock, a history of diabetes is associated with a lower risk of developing ARDS compared with nondiabetics.
Rates of self‐reported ‘burnout’ and causative factors amongst urologists in Ireland and the UK: a comparative cross‐sectional study

To determine the incidence of ‘burnout’ among UK and Irish urological consultants and non‐consultant hospital doctors (NCHDs). The second objective was to identify possible causative factors and to investigate the impact of various vocational stressors that urologists face in their day‐to‐day work and to establish whether these correlate with burnout. The third objective was to develop a new questionnaire to complement the Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI), more specific to urologists as distinct from other surgical/medical specialties, and to use this in addition to the MBI to determine if there is a requirement to develop effective preventative measures for stress in the work place, and develop targeted remedial measures when individuals are affected by burnout.
Breast-milk iodine concentration declines over the first 6 mo postpartum in iodine-deficient women.

BACKGROUND Little is known about the iodine status of lactating mothers and their infants during the first 6 mo postpartum or, if deficient, the amount of supplemental iodine required to improve status. OBJECTIVE The objective was to determine maternal and infant iodine status and the breast-milk iodine concentration (BMIC) over the first 6 mo of breastfeeding. DESIGN A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled supplementation trial was conducted in lactating women who received placebo (n = 56), 75 μg I/d (n = 27), or 150 μg I/d (n = 26) after their infants' birth until 24 wk postpartum. Maternal and infant urine samples and breast-milk samples were collected at 1, 2, 4, 8, 12, 16, 20, and 24 wk. Maternal serum thyrotropin and free thyroxine concentrations were measured at 24 wk. RESULTS Over 24 wk, the median urinary iodine concentration (UIC) of unsupplemented women and their infants ranged from 20 to 41 μg/L and 34 to 49 μg/L, respectively, which indicated iodine deficiency (ie, UIC < 100 μg/L). Mean maternal UIC was 2.1-2.4 times higher in supplemented than in unsupplemented women (P < 0.001) but did not differ significantly between the 2 supplemented groups. BMIC in the placebo group decreased by 40% over 24 wk (P < 0.001) and was 1.3 times and 1.7 times higher in women supplemented with 75 μg I/d (P = 0.030) and 150 μg I/d (P < 0.001), respectively, than in unsupplemented women. Thyrotropin and free thyroxine did not differ significantly between groups. CONCLUSION BMIC decreased in the first 6 mo in these iodine-deficient lactating women; supplementation with 75 or 150 μg I/d increased the BMIC but was insufficient to ensure adequate iodine status in women or their infants. The study was registered with the Australian New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry as ACTRN12605000345684.
Optimized Direct Power Control Strategy using Output Regulation Subspaces and Pulse Width Modulation

In this paper, a direct power control (DPC) using output regulation subspaces (ORS) for a three-phase two-level converter is presented. An optimal controller design and the use of optimized modulation techniques permit to improve the system performance minimizing the necessary grid-connection inductance. ORS plus proportional controllers are proposed for the generation of the reference vector to decrease active and reactive power errors and to achieve unity power factor. The generation of the reference vector is carried out thanks to simple pulse width modulation techniques. The computational cost of the proposed control is really low and all the calculations can be done online allowing its implementation in low cost microprocessors. Simulation and experimental results are shown in order to illustrate the good performance of the proposed control strategy
Harvesting Common-sense Navigational Knowledge for Robotics from Uncurated Text Corpora

As robotic systems are deployed into everyday situations, the need for abstract reasoning becomes more pronounced. The ideal robotic assistant should be able to understand verbal commands and work independently to fulfill human-prescribed goals, even if instructions are ambiguous or circumstances change. This paper presents a new algorithm for high-level reasoning based on Euclidean representations of words and their meanings. Rather than using ontologies or knowledge graphs, we model information about the world as a learned geometry of the contexts in which human beings tend to use each idea. Building on the analogy algorithms utilized by Mikolov et al. [1], we perform mathematical operations on the vector space to infer responses to previously unseen problems, and apply our method to a sequence of semantic reasoning tasks in order to answer questions such as ‘Where can I find a dustpan? ’, ‘Where do the crayons belong? ’, and ‘What transportation method will bring me to the airport? ’. Our Directional Scoring Method (DSM) returns a ranked list of possible responses, many of which are plausible answers to the query. Additionally, DSM’s top-ranked response is significantly more likely to be correct than the top-ranked responses of naive analogy estimations.