Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Changing profile of Vibrio cholerae O1, O139 in Delhi & its periphery (2003-2005).

BACKGROUND & OBJECTIVE Cholera caused by either Vibrio cholerae O1 or O139 is endemic in Delhi and its peripheral areas. The present study was carried out to understand the changing epidemiology of V. cholerae in terms of prevalence of serotypes, antibiogram pattern and phage types. METHODS A total of 9858 stool samples from the admitted diarrhoea patients were used for the isolation of V. cholerae O1 and O139. Subsets of isolates were tested against thirteen antimicrobials and phage typed. RESULTS Among 4251 (43.1%) confirmed cases, 41.6 per cent were V. cholerae O1 and rest (1.5 %) V. cholerae O139. Detection of V. cholerae O1 serotype Inaba was 87.7 per cent during 2005 and rest were serotype Ogawa. Majority of cases (93.1%) were from Delhi. Male:Female ratio remained 1.5:1.0. Children below 5 yr age group constituted 32.7 per cent cases. Shift in the age groups and seasonal incidence were recorded. All 226 strains of V. cholerae O1 and O139 were resistant to nalidixic acid; 96 per cent V. cholerae O1 isolates were multidrug resistant (FX NA SXT). Phage type 27 (98.7%) was the most prevalent and the new phage types were 4, 16 and 25 in this area. INTERPRETATION & CONCLUSION Enhanced surveillance helped in bringing down cases from 47.7 per cent in 2003 to 36.8 per cent in 2005. Additionally, the changing epidemiology of V. cholerae O1 and O139 infections and drug resistance need regular monitoring.
Mothers' understanding of the term ‘exclusive breastfeeding’: a systematic review

There is a lack of knowledge and understanding of the term exclusive breastfeeding (EBF) among health professionals. The purpose of this review was to examine the best available literature on mothers' understanding of the term EBF. A systematic search of eight electronic databases (Medline, Embase, CINAHL, CDSR, CENTRAL, Cab Abstracts, Scopus and African Index Medicus) was conducted (Protocol registration in PROSPERO: CRD42015019402). All study designs were eligible for inclusion. Studies were included if they: (1) involved mothers aged 18 years or older; (2) assessed mothers' knowledge/understanding/awareness of the term 'EBF'; (3) used the 1991 WHO definition of EBF and (4) were published between 1988 and 2015. Two reviewers retrieved articles, assessed study quality and performed data extraction. Of the 1700 articles identified, 21 articles met the inclusion criteria. Quantitative findings were pooled to calculate a proportion rate of 70.9% of mothers who could correctly define EBF, although the range varied between 3.1 and 100%. Qualitative findings revealed three themes: (1) EBF was understood by mothers as not mixing two milks; (2) the term 'exclusive' in EBF was incorrectly understood as not giving breast milk and (3) mothers believing that water can be given while exclusively breastfeeding. Research investigating aspects of self-reported EBF may consequently be unreliable. A standardised tool to assess mothers' knowledge of EBF could provide more accurate data. Public health campaigns should emphasise EBF to target mothers, while addressing the education of health professionals to ensure that they do not provide conflicting advice.
Psychological resilience moderates the impact of social support on loneliness of “left-behind” children

This study examined the moderator effect of psychological resilience on the relationship between social support and loneliness of the “left-behind” children. A total of 200 left-behind girls and 214 left-behind boys completed the measures of psychological resilience, social support, and loneliness. Hierarchical regression analysis showed that psychological resilience moderated the association between social support and loneliness. When left-behind children reported a low level of psychological resilience, those with high social support reported lower scores in loneliness than those with low social support. However, the impact of social support on loneliness was much smaller in the high psychological resilience group, compared with that in low psychological resilience group.
HLA polymorphisms in Sindhi community in Mumbai, India

Indian population is an amalgamation of various ethnicities, cultural and linguistic diversities, primarily due to marriages within a community. HLA‐A, B and DRB1 alleles and haplotype frequencies were investigated in the Sindhi and compared with Marathi, Gujarati and North Indian population from Mumbai. This work is a part of a larger effort aimed at analysis of the HLA profile of diverse Indian ethnics to establish an umbilical cord stem cell panel in India. HLA polymorphisms at the HLA‐A, B and DRB1 loci were determined in 413 cord blood samples by the molecular method of polymerase chain reaction using sequence‐specific primer amplification. The most frequent alleles included A*01, A*02, A*11 and A*24 at A locus, B*35 and B*40 at B locus and DRB1*07 and DRB1*15 in all the four groups, although the frequency fluctuated in individual communities. HLA‐DRB1*03 was significantly high (P < 0.05) in the Sindhi. Phylogenetic association using neighbour‐joining tree, based on DA genetic distances for HLA‐A and HLA‐B alleles, indicated that the Sindhis cluster with North Indian and Pakistan Sindhi. The three locus haplotype analysis revealed that A*02‐B*40‐DRB1*15 and A*33‐B*44‐DRB1*07 were common haplotypes in all the groups. The three locus haplotypes found suggest an influence from Caucasian and Oriental populations. The data will be useful in developing an umbilical cord stem cell panel in India. The results will have clinical implications in unrelated umbilical cord stem cell for transplantation in India.
Determinants and Volatility of Remittances in the Caribbean

Remittances are the second largest source of external financing, behind foreign direct investment (FDI) but are considered less volatile, providing stable flows to receiving countries. Their volatility compared to other capital flows is investigated, employing average rolling five-year standard deviation of growth rates for each country. Estimates of determinants using cross-sectional time series data on 15 Caribbean countries during 1987 to 2005 are derived using panel feasible Generalized Least Squares (GLS) with cross-section weights. Remittances are less volatile than FDI and official capital flows. The significance of determinants suggest actions needed to mobilize the flow of remittances in the Caribbean.
New directions in the use of network analysis in research and product development evaluation

In recent years, the use of social network analysis (SNA) has received increased attention in R&D evaluation. While SNA provides insights into communication and knowledge flows, its efficacy in evaluation methodology remains unclear. As Rogers et al (2001) discuss, the applicability of SNA in the evaluation of R&D is marked by several shortcomings, such as the weakness of understanding the content of ties and the inability to identify a generalizable concept of network effectiveness. This paper explores these issues through a discussion of two recent studies of social networks in R&D and concludes with an assessment of the results of these studies using the challenges outlined by Rogers et al. Copyright , Beech Tree Publishing.
A Non-Isolated Bridge-Type DC–DC Converter for Hybrid Energy Source Integration

The implementation of a non-isolated dual input bridge-type dc–dc converter for hybrid energy source integration is discussed in this paper. The proposed converter accommodates two sources using an inductor, a capacitor, two insulated-gate bipolar transistors (IGBTs) without the anti-parallel diode and two IGBTs with the anti-parallel diode. The different modes of operation of the converter are explained with detailed analytical waveforms and equivalent circuits. From the analysis, the steady-state output equation of the converter is derived. The boundary condition between the continuous conduction mode and discontinuous conduction mode operations is also derived. The dynamics of the converter is analyzed in detail with the help of a small signal model. The step response of different transfer functions is discussed. The computer simulations of the proposed converter topology have been carried out using MATLAB/Simulink. An experimental prototype of the proposed converter is also built and tested successfully in the laboratory environment. Performance comparison of the proposed converter is carried out with the conventional converter topologies in terms of component counts, efficiency, loss breakdown, and power density.
Pyschometric testing of the Family Impact of Pain Scale using a sample of families in Australia.

AIM To test the psychometric properties of the Family Impact of Pain Scale (FIPS) using a sample of families resident in North Queensland. BACKGROUND While pain has a significant effect on the individual, the entire family can be affected when a member of the family has chronic pain. FIPS is the only tool designed to measure the effect of pain on the family. It was originally developed in the UK using a sample of people with dental pain, so to test the psychometric properties of the tool with Australians with chronic pain was essential. DATA SOURCES; Participants (n = 67) completed a survey consisting of four tools: FIPS, the Connor Davidson Resilience Scale (CD-RISC), the Medical Outcomes Study Short Form 36 (SF-36) and the Medical Outcomes Study Social Support Survey (MOS SSS). DISCUSSION Psychometric characteristics of FIPS were consistent with previous studies, indicating that the tool can be used reliably to measure the impact of chronic pain on the family in Australia. CONCLUSION The FIPS is a reliable tool for predicting the impact of chronic pain on the family and for use with an Australian population. IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE/RESEARCH The validation of a tool such as FIPS in an Australian population adds to the current body of knowledge and extends the use of the tool. Such validation supports its reliability and stability across populations and provides Australian healthcare workers with a valid tool to measure the impact of pain on the family.
Space-time coding using MSK

Recent papers have shown that space-time (ST) coding using continuous phase modulation has a number of advantages relative to linear modulation, among which is its constant envelope, which allows transmission with inexpensive and power-efficient Class C amplifiers. The present paper presents a particularly simple variant, ST coding based on minimum shift keying (MSK), an offset format. ST codes with offset modulation give much better performance than quadrature phase shift-keying (QPSK), for the same number of states, and the MSK ST decoding computational load is smaller than that of QPSK by a ratio that improves exponentially with the number of transmitter antennas. The relationship between offset and nonoffset modulation formats is explored and the effect of pulse shape is shown explicitly.
Loan Supply Growth, Recession Expectation and Deficit i induced Policy Uncertainty

Using Autoregressive Distributed Lag (ARDL) co-integration framework advanced by Pesaran et al (2001), this study examines short and long run effects of recession expectation, deficit induced policy uncertainty and other modeled variables on loan supply growth. Empirical results based on augmented ARDL bounds test framework confirm existence of significant long run relationship between loan supply growth ii , recession expectation and budget deficit induced policy uncertainty. Short and long run elasticity estimates following preliminary co-integration analysis further show that percentage change (increase) among study regressors iii has varying, but significant negative impact on loan supply growth. Comparative analyses further confirm that modeled regressors tend to have more constraining impact on loan supply growth in the long run than in the short run. This study also finds that among study regressors, heightened inflation expectations tend to restrict loan supply growth more than recession expectations and macroeconomic uncertainty.
Use of NSAIDs in triathletes: prevalence, level of awareness and reasons for use

Objective To determine the level of awareness regarding nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) and the prevalence and reasons for their consumption among athletes competing at the 2008 Brazil Ironman Triathlon (3.8 km swim, 180 km cycle and 42.2 km run). Design Survey study. Setting 2008 Brazil Ironman Triathlon, Florianópolis, Brazil, May 2008. Participants 327 Of the 1250 athletes competing at the 2008 Brazil Ironman Triathlon were enrolled in the study. Main Outcome Measures Athletes answered a questionnaire about NSAID effects, side effects and consumption at the bike checkout or awards lunch. Results 196 (59.9%) Athletes reported using NSAIDs in the previous 3 months; of these, 25.5% (n=50), 17.9% (n=35) and 47.4% (n=93) consumed NSAIDs the day before, immediately before and during the race, respectively. Among NSAID users, 48.5% (n=95) consumed them without medical prescription. The main reason given for NSAID consumption in the previous 3 months was the treatment of injuries, while the main reason given for consuming NSAIDs during the race was pain prevention. Despite anti-inflammatory and analgesic effects, most athletes were unaware of the effects of NSAIDs, and the only adverse effects known by most athletes were the gastrointestinal complications. Conclusions This study found a high prevalence of NSAID consumption, limited awareness of the effects and side effects of them and a high rate of nonprescribed use. It is suggested that long-distance triathlon events include in their programmes educational devices such as talks or folders about NSAID use, effects and side effects.
C. elegans RHY-1 and CYSL-1 act independently of HIF-1 to promote survival in hydrogen sulfide

Hydrogen sulfide (H2S) is an endogenously produced signaling molecule that can be cytoprotective, especially in conditions of ischemia/reperfusion injury. However, exposure to exogenous H2S can be toxic, perhaps due to unregulated activation of endogenous H2S signaling pathways. We use the nematode C. elegans to define mechanisms that mediate the physiological effects of H2S in animals. We have previously shown that in C. elegans the hypoxia inducible factor (hif-1) coordinates the initial transcriptional response to H2S and is essential to survive exposure to low concentrations of H2S. In this study, we performed a forward genetic screen to identify mutations that suppress the lethality of hif-1 mutant animals in H2S. The mutations we recovered do not suppress embryonic lethality or reproductive arrest of hif-1 mutant animals in hypoxia, nor can they improve viability of hif-1 mutant animals exposed to hydrogen cyanide, indicating that these are specific for H2S. We found that the hif-1 suppressor mutations activate the skn-1/Nrf2 transcription factor. Activation of SKN-1 by hif-1 suppressor mutations increased the expression of a subset of H2S-responsive genes, consistent with our previous finding that skn-1 plays a role in the transcriptional response to H2S. Using transgenic rescue, we show a single gene, rhy-1, alone is sufficient to protect hif-1 mutant animals in H2S. Our data indicate that RHY-1 acts in concert with CYSL-1, an orthologue of human cystathionine β-synthase, to promote survival in H2S. The rhy-1 gene encodes a predicated O-acyltransferase enzyme that has previously been shown to negatively regulate HIF-1 activity. Our studies reveal a novel function of RHY-1, which is independent of hif-1, that protects against toxic effects of H2S.
Sensitivity Enhancement of Metal– Semiconductor –Metal Photodetectors on Low-Temperature-Grown GaAs Using Alloyed Contacts

We have fabricated and characterized metal- semiconductor-metal (MSM) photodetectors based on low- temperature-grown GaAs with alloyed (i.e., ohmic-type) contacts. The annealed contacts optimize the electric field distribution inside the photodetector structure which results in an up-to-200% responsivity increase of the devices, compared to conventional MSM detectors with standard nonalloyed (Schottky-type) metallization fabricated on identical material. The improved MSM device with alloyed contacts shows more than three times larger output amplitude at illumination with a 100-fs Ti: sapphire laser, compared to the nonalloyed devices, without degradation of detector speed.
Price linkages in the international skim milk powder market: empirical evidence from nonparametric and time‐varying copulas

The objective of this article is to assess the integration of the international skim milk powder (SMP) market. This is pursued using monthly data over 2001 to 2014 from the three principal SMP-producing regions (the EU, the USA and Oceania) and nonparametric kernel-based and time-varying copulas. The empirical results point to a strong and an increasing degree of overall price co-movement and to statistically significant probabilities for joint price crashes and booms. While the EU and Oceania have been the regions with the highest degree of integration, the USA has been catching up with them.
Magnetic resonance hyperpolarization imaging detects early myocardial dysfunction in a porcine model of right ventricular heart failure

Abstract Aims Early detection of heart failure is important for timely treatment. During the development of heart failure, adaptive intracellular metabolic processes that evolve prior to macro-anatomic remodelling, could provide an early signal of impending failure. We hypothesized that metabolic imaging with hyperpolarized magnetic resonance would detect the early development of heart failure before conventional echocardiography could reveal cardiac dysfunction. Methods and results Five 8.5 kg piglets were subjected to pulmonary banding and subsequently examined by [1-13C]pyruvate hyperpolarization, conventional magnetic resonance imaging, echocardiography, and blood testing, every 4 weeks for 16 weeks. They were compared with a weight matched, healthy control group. Conductance catheter examination at the end of the study showed impaired right ventricular systolic function along with compromised left ventricular diastolic function. After 16 weeks, we saw a significant decrease in the conversion ratio of pyruvate/bicarbonate in the left ventricle from 0.13 (0.04) in controls to 0.07 (0.02) in animals with pulmonary banding, along with a significant increase in the lactate/bicarbonate ratio to 3.47 (1.57) compared with 1.34 (0.81) in controls. N-terminal pro-hormone of brain natriuretic peptide was increased by more than 300%, while cardiac index was reduced to 2.8 (0.95) L/min/m2 compared with 3.9 (0.95) in controls. Echocardiography revealed no changes. Conclusion Hyperpolarization detected a shift towards anaerobic metabolism in early stages of right ventricular dysfunction, as evident by an increased lactate/bicarbonate ratio. Dysfunction was confirmed with conductance catheter assessment, but could not be detected by echocardiography. Hyperpolarization has a promising future in clinical assessment of heart failure in both acquired and congenital heart disease.
Coverage, capacity and interference analysis for an aerial base station in different environments

With the advancing 5G technology of base stations mounted on aerial platforms, such as unmanned aerial vehicles, the issue of coverage area, capacity and inter-cell interference is assuming higher importance for the cellular networks. In this paper, we follow a deterministic approach to analyze these problems using the data obtained from a commercial software for wireless electromagnetic wave propagation. We analyze the above mentioned parameters by varying the threshold of the received power. Also, we find an optimal altitude and power consumption model for an aerial base station. Simulations were carried out in three generalized environments, Suburban, Urban and Urban High Rise, developed according to ITU-R parameters. To derive these results we used an air-to-ground channel model obtained from the analysis of simulation data.
The mental representations of allomorphs: an investigation with artificial grammar learning

This dissertation studies the nature of lexical representation by conducting behavioral experiments in the artificial grammar learning paradigm. It begins with an important question in the phonological and morphological traditions: How are the pronunciations of morphemes represented in long-term memory? When there are multiple pronunciations of a morpheme (e.g., the English plural [-s], [-z], [-ız]), is each of the forms stored separately, or is only one form stored, with the other pronunciations derived by phonological transformations? In this dissertation, I refer to the former view as Morpheme Alternant Theory (MAT) and the latter view as Generative Phonology (GP), following Kenstowicz and Kisseberth (1979). This question is fundamental to phonology because the role phonology plays in grammar is significantly different according to each view. MAT argues that phonology plays a minimal role, and thus predicts that the pronunciations of the allomorphs are memorized or listed as their own forms as the underlying representations. GP argues that phonology is crucial in organizing the mental lexicon and in language, and thus phonology has greater priority than morphological listing. This dissertation brings a new kind of evidence to bear on the question. Artificial grammar learning experiments were conducted which compared how well learners could learn allomorphy patterns that were more or less amenable to a phonological analysis under the GP view. The results consistently reject the view that speakers just memorize which allomorphs are used in which phonological environments. A more careful examination of the results also shows they are inconsistent with the views that the subjects either prioritized phonological rule learning or that they infer phonological rules only after memorizing which allomorphs are used in which phonological
Dendritic differentiation of cerebellar Purkinje cells is promoted by ryanodine receptors expressed by Purkinje and granule cells

Cerebellar Purkinje cells have the most elaborate dendritic trees among neurons in the brain. We examined the roles of ryanodine receptor (RyR), an intracellular Ca2+ release channel, in the dendrite formation of Purkinje cells using cerebellar cell cultures. In the cerebellum, Purkinje cells express RyR1 and RyR2, whereas granule cells express RyR2. When ryanodine (10 µM), a blocker of RyR, was added to the culture medium, the elongation and branching of Purkinje cell dendrites were markedly inhibited. When we transferred small interfering RNA (siRNA) against RyR1 into Purkinje cells using single‐cell electroporation, dendritic branching but not elongation of the electroporated Purkinje cells was inhibited. On the other hand, transfection of RyR2 siRNA into granule cells also inhibited dendritic branching of Purkinje cells. Furthermore, ryanodine reduced the levels of brain‐derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) in the culture medium. The ryanodine‐induced inhibition of dendritic differentiation was partially rescued when BDNF was exogenously added to the culture medium in addition to ryanodine. Overall, these results suggest that RyRs expressed by both Purkinje and granule cells play important roles in promoting the dendritic differentiation of Purkinje cells and that RyR2 expressed by granule cells is involved in the secretion of BDNF from granule cells. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Develop Neurobiol 74: 467–480, 2014