Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The influence of e-hailing apps on urban mobilities in South Africa

ABSTRACT E-hailing apps have played an important role in increasing mobilities in countries of the Global South. This study explores the ways in which e-hailing has influenced local urban mobilities using South Africa as a case study. Many trends were noted in this study of Johannesburg Uber users including an indication that Uber has generated a new userbase of taxi cab services. Results also showed the increased freedom Uber can provide by allowing individuals to move throughout the city due to its many safety features. Respondents feel that Uber has transformed both their personal mobilities and broad mobilities in South Africa.
Inflammatory cytokine receptor blockade in a rodent model of mild traumatic brain injury

In rodent models of traumatic brain injury (TBI), both Interleukin‐1β (IL‐1β) and tumor necrosis factor‐α (TNFα) levels increase early after injury to return later to basal levels. We have developed and characterized a rat mild fluid percussion model of TBI (mLFP injury) that results in righting reflex response times (RRRTs) that are less than those characteristic of moderate to severe LFP injury and yet increase IL‐1α/β and TNFα levels. Here we report that blockade of IL‐1α/β and TNFα binding to IL‐1R and TNFR1, respectively, reduced neuropathology in parietal cortex, hippocampus, and thalamus and improved outcome. IL‐1β binding to the type I IL‐1 receptor (IL‐1R1) can be blocked by a recombinant form of the endogenous IL‐1R antagonist IL‐1Ra (Kineret). TNFα binding to the TNF receptor (TNFR) can be blocked by the recombinant fusion protein etanercept, made up of a TNFR2 peptide fused to an Fc portion of human IgG1. There was no benefit from the combined blockades compared with individual blockades or after repeated treatments for 11 days after injury compared with one treatment at 1 hr after injury, when measured at 6 hr or 18 days, based on changes in neuropathology. There was also no further enhancement of blockade benefits after 18 days. Given that both Kineret and etanercept given singly or in combination showed similar beneficial effects and that TNFα also has a gliotransmitter role regulating AMPA receptor traffic, thus confounding effects of a TNFα blockade, we chose to focus on a single treatment with Kineret. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Maternal nutrition: opportunities in the prevention of gestational diabetes

Gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) is currently defined as glucose intolerance that is of variable severity with onset or first recognition during pregnancy. The Hyperglycemia and Adverse Pregnancy Outcome Study, including 25 000 nondiabetic pregnant women in 15 centers across the world, reported that an average of 17.8% of pregnancies are affected by GDM and its frequency can be as high as 25.5% in some countries, based on the International Association of Diabetes and Pregnancy Study Groups criteria. Nevertheless, true global prevalence estimates of GDM are currently lacking due to the high level of heterogeneity in screening approaches, diagnostic criteria, and differences in the characteristics of the populations that were studied. The presence of systemic high blood glucose levels in pregnancy results in an adverse intrauterine environment, which has been shown to have a negative impact on short- and long-term health outcomes for both the mother and her offspring, including increased risks for the infant to develop obesity and for both mother and child to develop type 2 diabetes mellitus later in life. Epigenetic mechanisms that are directly influenced by environmental factors, including nutrition, may play a key role in shaping these future health risks and may be part of this vicious cycle. This article reviews the burden of GDM and the current evidence that supports maternal nutritional interventions as a promising strategy to break the cycle by addressing risk factors associated with GDM.
Kanamycin Susceptibility Testing of Mycobacterium tuberculosis Using Mycobacterium Growth Indicator Tube and a Colorimetric Method

ABSTRACT Two novel systems were evaluated for performing indirect kanamycin susceptibility tests on 72 strains of Mycobacterium tuberculosis. The microplate Alamar blue colorimetric method (breakpoint, 2.5 μg/ml) and the Mycobacterium Growth Indicator Tube (MGIT) system (breakpoint, 5.0 μg/ml) both produced 98.6% agreement when compared with the conventional proportion method performed on 7H10 agar using 5.0 μg of kanamycin/ml. Both systems provided results within an average of 1 week.
Pre‐ and Postmenopausal Women Have Different Bone Mineral Density Responses to the Same High‐Impact Exercise

The effects of a vertical jumping exercise regime on bone mineral density (BMD) have been assessed using randomized controlled trials in both pre‐ and postmenopausal women, the latter stratified for hormone replacement therapy (HRT). Women were screened for contraindications or medication likely to influence bone. The premenopausal women were at least 12 months postpartum and not lactating; the postmenopausal women had been stable on, or off, HRT for the previous 12 months and throughout the study. BMD was measured blind using dual‐energy X‐ray absorptiometry at the spine (L2–L4) and the proximal femur. The exercise consisted of 50 vertical jumps on 6 days/week of mean height 8.5 cm, which produced mean ground reactions of 3.0 times body weight in the young women and 4.0 times in the older women. In the premenopausal women, the exercise resulted in a significant increase of 2.8% in femoral BMD after 5 months (p < 0.001, n = 31). This change was significantly greater (p < 0.05) than that found in the control group (n = 26). In the postmenopausal women, there was no significant difference between the exercise and control groups after 12 months (total n = 123) nor after 18 months (total n = 38). HRT status did not affect this outcome, at least up to 12 months. It appears that premenopausal women respond positively to this brief high‐impact exercise but postmenopausal women do not.
Nurses' perceived knowledge, beliefs, skills, and needs regarding evidence-based practice: implications for accelerating the paradigm shift.

BACKGROUND The paradigm shift to evidence-based nursing practice in the United States has been slow. Although multiple barriers to evidence-based practice (EBP) have been identified through prior studies, there is a gap in the literature specifically identifying key variables (e.g., belief that EBP produces quality outcomes) that are correlated with the extent to which nurses engage in EBP. AIM The primary aims of this study were to (1) describe nurses' knowledge, beliefs, skills, and needs regarding EBP; (2) determine whether relationships exist among these variables; and (3) describe major barriers and facilitators to EBP. METHODS A descriptive survey was conducted with a convenience sample of 160 nurses who were attending EBP conferences or workshops in four states located within the Eastern Region of the United States. RESULTS Although participant beliefs about the benefit of EBP were high, knowledge of EBP was relatively low. Significant relationships were found between the extent to which the nurses' practice is evidence-based and (1) nurses' knowledge of EBP, (2) nurses' beliefs about the benefits of EBP, (3) having an EBP mentor, and (4) using the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews and the National Guideline Clearinghouse. CONCLUSION AND IMPLICATIONS Health care systems need to implement interventions that not only increase nurses' EBP knowledge and skills, but also strengthen their beliefs about the benefit of evidence-based care. EBP mentors may be key in accelerating a more rapid shift toward evidence-based nursing practice. Theoretically driven randomized controlled trials are urgently needed to test the effectiveness of interventions on advancing evidence-based care.
Molecular composition and heterogeneity of the LRRC8‐containing swelling‐activated osmolyte channels in primary rat astrocytes

The volume‐regulated anion channel (VRAC) is a swelling‐activated chloride channel that is permeable to inorganic anions and a variety of small organic molecules. VRAC is formed via heteromerization of LRRC8 proteins, among which LRRC8A is essential, while LRRC8B/C/D/E serve as exchangeable complementary partners. We used an RNAi approach and radiotracer assays to explore which LRRC8 isoforms contribute to swelling‐activated release of diverse organic osmolytes in rat astrocytes. Efflux of uncharged osmolytes (myo‐inositol and taurine) was suppressed by deletion of LRRC8A or LRRC8D, but not by deletion of LRRC8C+LRRC8E. Conversely, release of charged osmolytes (d‐aspartate) was strongly reduced by deletion of LRRC8A or LRRC8C+LRRC8E, but largely unaffected by downregulation of LRRC8D. Our findings point to the existence of multiple heteromeric VRACs in the same cell type: LRRC8A/D‐containing heteromers appear to dominate release of uncharged osmolytes, while LRRC8A/C/E, with the additional contribution of LRRC8D, creates a conduit for movement of charged molecules.
The Relationship Between Postconcussive Symptoms and Quality of Life in Veterans With Mild to Moderate Traumatic Brain Injury

Objective:To assess the relationship between postconcussive symptoms and quality of life (QOL) in Veterans with mild to moderate traumatic brain injury (TBI). Methods:Sixty-one Operation Enduring Freedom/Operation Iraqi Freedom/Persian Gulf War Veterans with a history of mild or moderate TBI, more than 6 months postinjury, and 21 demographically matched Veteran controls were administered self-report measures of QOL (World Health Organization Quality of Life–BREF) and postconcussive symptom severity (Neurobehavioral Symptom Inventory). Results:Perceived QOL was significantly worse in Veterans with mild-moderate TBI than in controls. In the TBI group, QOL was predominantly associated with affective symptoms, and moderate to strong correlations with fatigue and depression were evident across all QOL areas. Multivariate analyses revealed depression and fatigue to be the best predictors of Psychological, Social, and Environmental QOL, whereas sleep difficulty best predicted Physical QOL in mild-moderate TBI. Conclusion:Veterans with post–acute mild-moderate TBI evidence worse QOL than demographically matched Veteran controls. Affective symptoms, and specifically those of fatigue, depression, and sleep difficulty, appear to be the most relevant postconcussive symptoms predicting QOL in this population. These findings underscore the importance of examining specific symptoms as they relate to post–acute TBI QOL and provide guidance for treatment and intervention studies.
Differences in age-related alterations in muscle contraction properties in rat tongue and hindlimb.

PURPOSE Because of differences in muscle architecture and biomechanics, the purpose of this study was to determine whether muscle contractile properties of rat hindlimb and tongue were differentially affected by aging. METHOD Deep peroneal and hypoglossal nerves were stimulated in 6 young and 7 old Fischer 344-Brown Norway rats to allow recording of muscle contractile properties of tongue and extensor digitorum longus (EDL) muscle in the hindlimb. In the same animals, the following measurements were made: (a) twitch contraction time (CT; in milliseconds), (b) half decay time (HDT; in milliseconds), (c) maximum twitch force (in grams), (d) tetanic force, and (e) fatigue index determined from repetitive stimulation of the muscles. RESULTS No significant differences were observed in young versus old groups in retrusive tongue forces, whereas a significant (p < .05) decrement in EDL tetanic forces was found in old rats. Slower CT in old rats was observed only in the tongue. Old and young groups were not significantly different in fatigue index or HDT for tongue or EDL. CONCLUSIONS Old animals generated equivalent maximum tongue forces with stimulation, but they were slower in achieving these forces than young animals. Limb and cranial muscles were not affected equally by aging. As such, information derived from limb muscle studies may not easily generalize to the cranial motor system.
Outage probability and capacity analysis of the collaborative NOMA assisted relaying system in 5G

It is challenging for the base station (BS) to serve multiple cell-edge users concurrently with data rate guarantee due to limited power and spectrum resource. Using the relay enhances cell-edge user received signal strength by short-distance communication in low transmit power. Non-orthogonal multiple access (NOMA), a promising spectral efficient technology for the 5-th generation network (5G), enables the relay to transmit multiple messages to cell-edge users concurrently. In this paper, a Collaborative NOMA Assisted Relaying (CNAR) system for 5G is proposed with the collaboration of the source-relay (S-R) and relay-destination (R-D) NOMA link. The relay decodes its own message from the S-R NOMA signal and transmits the remaining part with adjusted power to cell-edge users in the R-D link. Then the exact expression of system outage probability is derived by analyzing the outage behavior in S-R and R-D links separately. To guarantee the data rate, the optimal power allocation among NOMA users is provided by minimizing the outage probability. To further characterize the system performance, the ergodic sum capacity in high SNR regime is approximated from discussions on the interference at cell-edge users. Simulation results validate our mathematical analysis, and show that the relaying system assisted by NOMA achieves lower outage probability and higher sum capacity than orthogonal multiple access (OMA).
Characterization of blood vessels in bone marrow from patients with chronic myeloid leukemia and polycythemia vera

Angiogenesis is a feature of hematological malignancies which may provide prognostic information. However, there is, as yet, no established marker for leukemia-associated vessels in bone marrow. In this study, immunohistochemical stainings for von Willebrand factor (vWf), CD34, Tie-2, angiomodulin, glycodelin, cycloxygenase-2 (Cox-2) and endoglin were compared in order to identify the bone marrow vasculature. Chronic myeloid leukemia (CML), a disease displaying intense angiogenesis, and polycythemia vera (PV), a disease with a low microvascular density (MVD), were studied, as well as normal bone marrow. Only vWf, CD34 and Tie-2 stained the bone marrow endothelium. Although more vessels were stained for vWf than for CD34, there was no evidence that vWf stained more disease-associated vessels. In double staining, Tie-2 co-localized with CD34, but vessels staining only for Tie-2 were also found. However, the number of Tie-2-positive vessels did not correlate to either the MVD or the disease. Angiomodulin, glycodelin, Cox-2 and endoglin did not stain vessel-like structures. In conclusion, estimating the MVD by means of CD34 staining appears to be the most reliable method, but none of the tested molecules qualified as a specific marker for leukemia-associated vessels in the bone marrow.
Retinopathy of prematurity malpractice claims: the Ophthalmic Mutual Insurance Company experience.

OBJECTIVE To examine the causes of retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) malpractice claims filed with the Ophthalmic Mutual Insurance Company. METHODS All closed ROP malpractice claims were reviewed. RESULTS Eight cases involved failure of transfer of care on patient discharge from the hospital, 3 cases demonstrated inappropriately long periods between follow-up examinations, 1 case was due to failure of outpatient referral from screening to the treating ophthalmologist, and 1 case concerned unsupervised resident provision of ROP care. CONCLUSIONS Many preventable factors can be addressed to improve ROP care. It is essential to ensure that ophthalmologists, neonatologists, pediatricians, and families are updated on current guidelines for ROP screening and treatment and to facilitate follow-up appointments before patient discharge from the hospital. Doing so can help avoid future malpractice claims and patient harm.
Effect of saturation on iron loss in PMSM

In order to improve the efficiency of permanent magnet synchronous motor (PMSM) during all operation load conditions, this paper analyzes the iron loss in stator core taking into account magnetic saturation. Firstly, the flux density waveforms at five different positions of stator core have been studied respectively by finite element analysis (FEA) when the motor are operated in different loads. Fast Fourier transforms (FFT) of the flux density waveforms gives the explanation for the changes of the waveforms. Then the losses of five different parts are predicted through FEA, which are consistent with the rate of changes of the flux density seriously. In the end, the conclusion is given that the degree of saturation affects the iron loss in the stator core obviously.
Using realist synthesis to understand the mechanisms of interprofessional teamwork in health and social care

Abstract Realist synthesis offers a novel and innovative way to interrogate the large literature on interprofessional teamwork in health and social care teams. This article introduces realist synthesis and its approach to identifying and testing the underpinning processes (or “mechanisms”) that make an intervention work, the contexts that trigger those mechanisms and their subsequent outcomes. A realist synthesis of the evidence on interprofessional teamwork is described. Thirteen mechanisms were identified in the synthesis and findings for one mechanism, called “Support and value” are presented in this paper. The evidence for the other twelve mechanisms (“collaboration and coordination”, “pooling of resources”, “individual learning”, “role blurring”, “efficient, open and equitable communication”, “tactical communication”, “shared responsibility and influence”, “team behavioural norms”, “shared responsibility and influence”, “critically reviewing performance and decisions”, “generating and implementing new ideas” and “leadership”) are reported in a further three papers in this series. The “support and value” mechanism referred to the ways in which team members supported one another, respected other’s skills and abilities and valued each other’s contributions. “Support and value” was present in some, but far from all, teams and a number of contexts that explained this variation were identified. The article concludes with a discussion of the challenges and benefits of undertaking this realist synthesis.
Revisiting Time as a Trade Barrier: Evidence from a Panel Structural Gravity Model

In this paper we revisit the evidence on the effects of time spent on border-crossing procedures for international trade using a theory-consistent structural gravity model. We exploit a rich panel data set including domestic trade flows and employ a recent econometric estimator that exhibits favorable asymptotic properties. The results indicate a significant negative effect of the time required for border procedures that is driven by the time needed for document preparation. We find that an additional day spent on those procedures corresponds to an ad valorem tariff equivalent of 0.82 percentage points. The parameters of our structural model are used to simulate three counterfactual scenarios, quantifying the effect of past and potential future trade facilitation efforts for middle, low and high income countries. Full endowment general equilibrium effects suggest that lower and middle income countries benefit most in all scenarios in terms of trade and welfare. In times of stagnating multilateral and bilateral trade liberalization efforts, unilateral implementation of trade facilitation carries the potential to induce an alternative stimulus for trade and welfare, especially for low and middle income countries.
Party group coordinators and rapporteurs: Discretion and agency loss along the European Parliament’s chains of delegation

The European Parliament organizes its legislative activities along two chains of delegation to the rapporteurs – one institutional, one partisan. We analyze discretion and agency loss along these chains of delegation from the perspective of party group coordinators who select the rapporteur on behalf of the party group. Do coordinators minimize agency loss towards their national party, their European party group, the committee median or the plenary median when allocating reports? Data from the 2009–2014 legislative term demonstrate that coordinators tend to select rapporteurs who are close to their own national party’s ideal point on the integration dimension. This has important implications for intra-parliamentary and intra-party delegation, party group cohesion and broader policy-making in the European Union.
Preterm newborns at Kangaroo Mother Care: a cohort follow-up from birth to six months

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate clinical outcomes, growth and exclusive breastfeeding rates in premature infants assisted by Kangaroo Mother Care at birth, at discharge and at six months of life. METHODS: Prospective study of a premature infants cohort assisted by Kangaroo Mother Care in a tertiary public maternity in Northeast Brazil with birth weight ≤1750g and with clinical conditions for Kangaroo care. RESULTS: The sample was composed by 137 premature infants, being 62.8% female, with average birth weight of 1365±283g, average gestational age of 32±3 weeks and 26.2% were adequate for gestational age. They have been admitted in the Kangaroo Ward with a median of 13 days of life, weighing 1430±167g and, at this time, 57.7% were classified as small for corrected gestational age. They were discharged with 36.8±21.8 days of chronological age, weighing 1780±165g and 67.9% were small for corrected gestational age. At six months of life (n=76), they had an average weight of 5954±971g, and 68.4% presented corrected weight for gestational age between percentiles 15 and 85 of the World Health Organization (WHO) weight curve. Exclusive breastfeeding rate at discharge was 56.2% and, at six months of life, 14.4%. CONCLUSIONS: In the studied sample, almost two thirds of the children assisted by Kangaroo Mother Care were, at six months of life, between percentiles 15 and 85 of the WHO weight curves. The frequency of exclusive breastfeeding at six months was low.
Derivation and Characterization of Canine Embryonic Stem Cell Lines with In Vitro and In Vivo Differentiation Potential

Embryonic stem cells (ESCs) represent permanent cell lines that can be maintained in an undifferentiated state. In an environment that induces differentiation, they form derivatives of the three embryonic germ layers: mesoderm, ectoderm, and endoderm. These characteristics give ESCs great potential for both basic research and clinical applications in the areas of regenerative medicine and tissue engineering. The establishment of ESCs from large animals that model human diseases is of significant importance. We describe the derivation of permanent canine cell lines from preimplantation‐stage embryos. Similar to human ESCs, canine ESCs expressed OCT3/4, NANOG, SOX2, SSEA‐3, SSEA‐4, TRA‐1–60, TRA‐1–81, and alkaline phosphatase, whereas they expressed very low levels of SSEA‐1. They maintained a normal karyotype and morphology typical of undifferentiated ESCs after multiple in vitro passages and rounds of cryopreservation. Plating cells in the absence of a feeder layer, either in attachment or suspension culture, resulted in the formation of embryoid bodies and their differentiation to multiple cell types. In vivo, canine ESCs gave rise to teratomas comprising cell types of all three embryonic germ layers. These cells represent the first pluripotent canine ESC lines with both in vitro and in vivo differentiation potential and offer the exciting possibility of testing the efficacy and safety of ESC‐based therapies in large animal models of human disease. STEM CELLS 2009;27:329–340