Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Impact of NGO-Led Self-Help Groups on the Empowerment of Rural Women – Experiences from South India

The concept and process of the empowerment of women encompass a wide range of actions and issues, among them enhancing awareness and increasing access to economic, social and political resources. The organization of women into groups is a key element of the process of empowerment, as groups provide a basis for solidarity, strength and collective action. In this context, a study was conducted in the Madurai district of Tamil Nadu to assess the impact of self-help groups (SHGs) led by non-governmental organizations (NGOs) on the empowerment of rural women. The effectiveness of such groups was measured using Bennett's Hierarchy. Following multi-stage random sampling, data were collected from 180 SHG members of the most prominent NGO, the Association of Sarva Seva Farms (ASSEFA). The authors' analysis shows that the SHG members were more empowered psychologically, socially, economically and politically than other women.
High‐sensitive Troponin T measurements early after heart transplantation predict short‐ and long‐term survival

Following heart transplantation, cardiac biomarkers remain elevated for several weeks eventually as a result of membrane leakage of the donor organ. We now test the predictive power of blood levels of troponin T (TNT) measured by the new hsTNT assay (Roche Diagnostics, Roche Diagnostics, Mannheim, Germany) early after heart transplantation. TNT was determined in 141 cardiac allograft recipients and 40 controls. Our findings demonstrate that patients who died within the first year after transplantation had significantly higher median hsTNT serum levels 6 weeks after transplantation (156 ng/l ± 203 vs. 29 ng/l ± 21, P = 0.0002). Using ROC analysis, a serum hsTNT concentration of 33.55 ng/l 6 weeks after transplantation was found to be the best cutoff to predict death at 1 year (HR 0.16, 95%CI:0.05–0.46, P = 0.001) with a sensitivity of 90.91% and a specificity of 70.97%. In addition, survival at 5 years (HR 0.15, 95% CI 0.06–0.35, P < 0.0001) was significantly better among patients below that cutoff value. In multivariate analysis, hsTNT serum level 6 weeks after transplantation emerged as an independent predictor for first‐year mortality (hsTNT–HR 0.90, 95% CI: 0.81–1.00, P = 0.03). Cardiac troponin T concentrations early after transplantation as measured with a highly sensitive assay represent a strong and independent risk predictor of death after heart transplantation.
Employee voice and collective formation in the Indian ITES-BPO industry

The growth of the information technology enabled services-business process outsourcing industry calls for attention to employees' working conditions and rights. Can an independent organisation such as unites Pro (the union of information technology enabled services professionals) represent employees' interests and effectively work towards protecting their rights and improving their working conditions? A survey of unites members indicates that they identify with the need for such an organisation to deal with poor supervisory and managerial treatment, concerns for employee safety, grievances related to pay and workload, and even the indignities of favouritism.
Fluorine-18 fluorodeoxyglucose imaging using dual-head coincidence positron emission tomography without attenuation correction in patients with head and neck cancer.

PURPOSE An accurate, preoperative assessment of tumor extent and lymph node involvement is necessary to plan and tailor therapy for patients with head and neck cancer. Metabolic imaging with fluorine-18 fluorodeoxy-glucose (FDG) is a good method to detect primary tumors in the head and neck and to assess the involvement of lymph nodes, but it is not widely available because of the high cost of positron emission tomography (PET). Recently, an alternative method for using FDG was developed: coincidence detection PET (CoDe PET) using a gamma camera. The aim of this study was to evaluate the clinical utility of FDG CoDe PET using a gamma camera in patients with head and neck cancer. MATERIALS AND METHODS Thirty FDG CoDe PET studies without attenuation correction were performed in seven patients before therapy and in 19 patients after therapy (ages: 25-79 years, mean, 50 +/- 13 years; 18 men, 8 women) with various head and neck cancers. All patients had fasted for 6 to 12 hours and were injected with 111 to 370 MBq F-18 FDG 1 hour before imaging. Visually detectable focal FDG uptake in the primary tumor site or in the neck was considered positive except for physiologic uptake. The FDG CoDe PET studies were correlated with MRI. The gold standard for the presence of disease was the combination of repeated MRIs, endoscopic examination, and 3 months of follow-up clinical evaluation. RESULTS FDG CoDe PET had a detection rate that was comparable to that of MRI in the pretherapy group. However, in the posttherapy group, FDG CoDe PET could differentiate residual tumor or tumor recurrence from radiation change more accurately than could MRI. However, it had a less accurate detection rate for cervical node metastases because of asymmetric neck muscle uptake. CONCLUSIONS FDG CoDe PET is a sensitive and cost-effective method to detect primary tumor and lymph node involvement in primary head and neck cancers. It is also useful in differentiating residual tumor or tumor recurrence from posttherapy changes in patients with head and neck tumors.
Emerging swine enteric coronaviruses: Comparison of pathogenicity and antibody response

Porcine epidemic diarrhea virus (PEDV) and porcine deltacoronavirus (PDCoV) recently emerged in the U.S. swine population resulting in an estimated loss of $481 $929 million U.S. dollars in 2013-14. Both PEDV and PDCoV cause diarrheic disease resulting in dehydration, weight loss, and sometimes death. Although pigs of all ages are susceptible to these viruses, suckling piglets suffer the most severe disease. During 2013, PEDV associated pre-weaning morality rates approached 100% in naïve breeding farms. Many studies to date have demonstrated the significant impact of PEDV and PDCoV infections in pre-weaning piglets, but information on the diseases impact on older animals is limited or absent. To address this issue, a comparative pathogenicity study was conducted to characterize PEDV and PDCoV infection using 6-week-old experimentally-infected nursery pigs. Animals were challenged and then periodically necropsied until 42 days post inoculation (dpi). As a result, both PEDV and PDCoV were pathogenic and caused diarrhea in growing pigs, although the duration of diarrhea was shorter than reported in pre-weaning piglets. Compared to PDCoV, PEDV caused more severe clinical disease including reduced average daily gain and higher viral load in tissues and feces. Additionally, PEDV caused lesions in small intestinal tissues, but no apparent lesions were observed in pigs inoculated with PDCoV. Differences in the magnitude and duration of serum antibody response was also apparent between PEDVand PDCoV-infected animals when measured by indirect fluorescent antibody (IFA) test and serum-virus neutralization (SVN) assay. Unexpectedly, anti-PDCoV antibodies waned to undetectable levels by 28 dpi, while antiPEDV antibodies were detectable through the end of the study (42 dpi). Taken together, the pathogenicity of PEDV and PDCoV in growing pigs clearly differed under the study conditions, warranting further studies to elucidate pathogenesis and immunobiology of these coronaviruses in different age groups.
Intra‐annual variation and landscape composition interactively affect aphid community composition

Agricultural intensiﬁcation impacts local arthropod communities. The temporal and spatial variation of agricultural environments can have a signiﬁcant impact on insect pest populations, yet little work has been done to date on the effect of intra-annual variation (within season) or spatiotemporal effects on arthropod functional community composition. The aim of this research was to evaluate the effects of intra-annual variation and landscape composition on the aphid community. To that end, we investigated the following research question: How do intra-annual variation and landscape composition affect aphid abun- dance, species richness, and functional community composition? In this study, we quantiﬁed landscape com- position as percent cropland, intra-annual variation as sampling week measured throughout the growing season, and aphid functional community composition as crop virus transmission—or vectoring—ability. We collected data in two agricultural regions: a diversiﬁed agricultural region in New York State (NY) and an agriculturally intense potato-growing region in Wisconsin (WI). We found that the interactive effect of land- scape composition and intra-annual variation signiﬁcantly affected aphid abundance and species richness in both study regions, and functional community composition in NY. These results indicate that spatiotempo- ral shifts in agroecosystems have signiﬁcant implications for aphid functional community composition.
Does Whole-Blood Neutrophil Gelatinase-Associated Lipocalin Stratify Acute Kidney Injury in Critically Ill Patients?

Purpose To analyse the capacity of whole-blood NGAL (wbNGAL) to stratify AKI in critically ill patients with and without sepsis. Methods Whole-blood NGAL was measured with a point-of-care device at admission and 48 hours later in patients admitted to a general ICU. Patients were classified by the AKIN and KDIGO classifications at admission and 24 and 48 hours. We performed an ROC curve analysis. wbNGAL values at admission were compared in patients with sepsis and septic shock. Results The study included 100 consecutively admitted patients (40 female) with mean age 59.1 ± 17.8 years. Thirty-three patients presented AKI at admission, and 10 more developed it in the next 48 h. Eighteen patients had AKI stage 3, 14 of them at admission. Nine patients required renal replacement therapy. According to KDIGO at admission, wbNGAL values were 78 μg/L (60-187) in stage 0 (n = 67), 263 μg/L (89-314) in stage 1 (n = 8), 484 μg/L (333-708) in stage 2 (n = 11), and 623 μg/L (231-911) in stage 3 (n = 14), p = 0.0001 for trend. Ten patients did not complete 48 hours of study: 6 of 10 were discharged (initial wbNGAL 130 μg/L (60-514)) and 4 died (773 μg/L (311-1010)). The AUROC curve of wbNGAL to predict AKI was 0.838 (95% confidence interval 0.76-0.92, p = 0.0001), with optimal cut-off value of 178 μg/L (sensitivity 76.7%, specificity 78.9%, p < 0.0001). At admission, twenty-nine patients had sepsis, of whom 20 were in septic shock. wbNGAL concentrations were 81 μg/L (60-187) in patients without sepsis, 481 (247-687) in those with sepsis, and 623.5 μg/L (361-798) in the subgroup of septic shock (p < 0.0001). Conclusions Whole-blood NGAL concentration at ICU admission was a good stratifier of AKI in critically ill patients. However, wbNGAL concentrations were higher in septic patients irrespective of AKI occurrence.
Diaper Dermatitis: Frequency and Severity Among a General Infant Population

Abstract: The frequency and severity of diaper dermatitis was measured among a midwestem suburban population of 1089 infants ranging in age from 1 to 20 months. No diagnosis of specific etiology was made. Fecal samples were collected and analyzed for Candida albicans, and information on family characteristics, infant diet, general health, history of rash, and diapering habits and practices was collected by questionnaire. The distribution of the severity of observed diaper rash can be described as a logarithmic‐normal function, implying several multiplicative causative factors. Within the total severity range, there appear to be three subcategories of diaper rash, differing in some manner, perhaps reflecting different etiologies. The frequency of observed diaper rash was a function of the maturity of the infant, reaching a maximum around 9 to 12 months of age. The prevalence of severe rash correlated with the presence and level of fecal C. albicans. Infants diapered exclusively in disposable diapers showed less rash (P<0.001) than those diapered exclusively or sometimes in cloth diapers.
The longevity of amalgam versus compomer/composite restorations in posterior primary and permanent teeth: findings From the New England Children's Amalgam Trial.

BACKGROUND Limited information is available from randomized clinical trials comparing the longevity of amalgam and resin-based compomer/composite restorations. The authors compared replacement rates of these types of restorations in posterior teeth during the five-year follow-up of the New England Children's Amalgam Trial. METHODS The authors randomized children aged 6 to 10 years who had two or more posterior occlusal carious lesions into groups that received amalgam (n=267) or compomer (primary teeth)/composite (permanent teeth) (n=267) restorations and followed them up semiannually. They compared the longevity of restorations placed on all posterior surfaces using random effects survival analysis. RESULTS The average+/-standard deviation follow-up was 2.8+/-1.4 years for primary tooth restorations and 3.4+/-1.9 years for permanent tooth restorations. In primary teeth, the replacement rate was 5.8 percent of compomers versus 4.0 percent of amalgams (P=.10), with 3.0 percent versus 0.5 percent (P=.002), respectively, due to recurrent caries. In permanent teeth, the replacement rate was 14.9 percent of composites versus 10.8 percent of amalgams (P=.45), and the repair rate was 2.8 percent of composites versus 0.4 percent of amalgams (P=.02). CONCLUSION Although the overall difference in longevity was not statistically significant, compomer was replaced significantly more frequently owing to recurrent caries, and composite restorations required seven times as many repairs as did amalgam restorations. CLINICAL IMPLICATIONS Compomer/composite restorations on posterior tooth surfaces in children may require replacement or repair at higher rates than amalgam restorations, even within five years of placement.
Infection-related hospitalizations in older patients with ESRD.

BACKGROUND Infection is an important cause of hospitalization and death in patients receiving dialysis. Few studies have examined the full range of infections experienced by dialysis patients. The purpose of this study is to examine types, rates, and risk factors for infection in older persons starting dialysis therapy. STUDY DESIGN Retrospective observational cohort study. SETTING & PARTICIPANTS The cohort was assembled from the US Renal Data System and included patients aged 65-100 years who initiated dialysis therapy between January 1, 2000, and December 31, 2002. Exclusions included prior kidney transplant, unknown dialysis modality, or death, loss to follow-up, or transplant during the first 90 days of dialysis therapy. Patients were followed up until death, transplant, or study end on December 31, 2004. PREDICTORS Baseline demographics, comorbid conditions, and serum albumin and hemoglobin levels. OUTCOMES & MEASUREMENTS Infection-related hospitalizations were ascertained using discharge International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision, Clinical Modification (ICD-9-CM) codes. Hospitalization rates were calculated for each type of infection. The Wei-Lin-Weissfeld model was used to examine risk factors for up to 4 infection-related events. RESULTS 119,858 patients were included, 7,401 of whom were on peritoneal dialysis therapy. During a median follow-up of 1.9 years, infection-related diagnoses were observed in approximately 35% of all hospitalizations. Approximately 50% of patients had at least 1 infection-related hospitalization. Rates (per 100 person-years) of pulmonary, soft-tissue, and genitourinary infections ranged from 8.3-10.3 in patients on peritoneal dialysis therapy and 10.2-15.3 in patients on hemodialysis therapy. Risk factors for infection included older age, female sex, diabetes, heart failure, pulmonary disease, and low serum albumin level. LIMITATIONS Use of ICD-9-CM codes, reliance on Medicare claims to capture hospitalizations, use of the Medical Evidence Form to ascertain comorbid conditions, and absence of data for dialysis access. CONCLUSION Infection-related hospitalization is frequent in older patients on dialysis therapy. A broad range of infections, many unrelated to dialysis access, result in hospitalization in this population.
Essays on heterogeneity and macroeconomics

The first chapter of this dissertation is based on the observation that during the past 50 years, the US economy has been characterized by a rapid decline of labor unions and a substantial rise in wage inequality. The chapter proposes that the rise in the skill premium in the non-union sector, for instance, due to technical change, can potentially explain these trends. Based on the premise that labor unions compress wages between skilled and unskilled workers, a larger skill premium encourages skilled workers to withdraw from the union. If this is accompanied by a fall in the productivity of unskilled workers, firms become more reluctant to hire the relatively expensive union workers, reinforcing the decline in the unionization rate. To evaluate this hypothesis, we develop a macroeconomic model of endogenous union membership with heterogenous agents, where union members are selected from the middle of the skill distribution and have significant wage gains that are decreasing in skill, consistent with US evidence. The model predicts that the rise in skill prices in the non-union sector explains 30-60% of the decline in the unionization rate. It was argued that the declining union activity contributed to the rise in wage inequality by changing the labor force composition. We find this effect to be much smaller due to selection into union jobs. In the second chapter, I investigate the role of heterogeneity and misaggregation in explaning the empirically missing correlations between the relative consumption and real exchange rates between countries, referred to as the BackusSmith puzzle. I construct a two-country general-equilibrium model with heteroge-
On Numerosity of Deep Convolutional Neural Networks

Subitizing, or the sense of small natural numbers, is a cognitive construct so primary and critical to the survival and well-being of humans and primates that is considered and proven to be innate; it responds to visual stimuli prior to the development of any symbolic skills, language or arithmetic. Given highly acclaimed successes of deep convolutional neural networks (DCNN) in tasks of visual intelligence, one would expect that DCNNs can learn subitizing. But somewhat surprisingly, our carefully crafted extensive experiments, which are similar to those of cognitive psychology, demonstrate that DCNNs cannot, even with strong supervision, see through superficial variations in visual representations and distill the abstract notion of natural number, a task that children perform with high accuracy and confidence. The DCNN black box learners driven by very large training sets are apparently still confused by geometric variations and fail to grasp the topological essence in subitizing. In sharp contrast to the failures of the black box learning, by incorporating a mechanism of mathematical morphology into convolutional kernels, we are able to construct a recurrent convolutional neural network that can perform subitizing deterministically. Our findings in this study of cognitive computing, without and with prior of human knowledge, are discussed; they are, we believe, significant and thought-provoking in the interests of AI research, because visual-based numerosity is a benchmark of minimum sort for human cognition.
Bbcontacts: Prediction of Β-strand Pairing from Direct Coupling Patterns

MOTIVATION It has recently become possible to build reliable de novo models of proteins if a multiple sequence alignment (MSA) of at least 1000 homologous sequences can be built. Methods of global statistical network analysis can explain the observed correlations between columns in the MSA by a small set of directly coupled pairs of columns. Strong couplings are indicative of residue-residue contacts, and from the predicted contacts a structure can be computed. Here, we exploit the structural regularity of paired β-strands that leads to characteristic patterns in the noisy matrices of couplings. The β-β contacts should be detected more reliably than single contacts, reducing the required number of sequences in the MSAs. RESULTS bbcontacts predicts β-β contacts by detecting these characteristic patterns in the 2D map of coupling scores using two hidden Markov models (HMMs), one for parallel and one for antiparallel contacts. β-bulges are modelled as indel states. In contrast to existing methods, bbcontacts uses predicted instead of true secondary structure. On a standard set of 916 test proteins, 34% of which have MSAs with < 1000 sequences, bbcontacts achieves 50% precision for contacting β-β residue pairs at 50% recall using predicted secondary structure and 64% precision at 64% recall using true secondary structure, while existing tools achieve around 45% precision at 45% recall using true secondary structure. AVAILABILITY AND IMPLEMENTATION bbcontacts is open source software (GNU Affero GPL v3) available at https://bitbucket.org/soedinglab/bbcontacts .
Interrelationship between fatty liver and insulin resistance in the development of type 2 diabetes.

CONTEXT Although fatty liver and insulin resistance are known to be associated, the relationship between the two in the development of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) is unclear. OBJECTIVE We investigated the 5-yr risk of developing T2DM in individuals diagnosed with fatty liver using ultrasound and stratified by insulin sensitivity using quartiles of fasting insulin concentration. DESIGN AND METHODS We examined the clinical and laboratory data of 11,091 Koreans who had a medical evaluation including fasting insulin concentration and abdominal ultrasound at baseline and had a follow-up after 5 yr. RESULTS At baseline, 27% of the population had fatty liver. Almost half (47%) of the individuals with fatty liver had baseline insulin concentration in the highest quartile compared with 17% in those without fatty liver (P < 0.001). Regardless of baseline insulin concentration, individuals with fatty liver had significantly (P < 0.001) more baseline clinical and metabolic abnormalities, including higher glucose and triglyceride concentration and lower high-density lipoprotein cholesterol concentration. In addition, regardless of baseline insulin concentration, individuals with fatty liver had a significantly increased risk for incident T2DM compared with those without fatty liver [crude odds ratio, 5.05 (95% confidence interval, 2.08-12.29) in the lowest insulin quartile and 6.34 (3.58-11.21) in the highest quartile]. In individuals in the highest insulin quartile, the odds ratio for developing T2DM remained significant even after multivariate adjustment including baseline glucose concentration [2.42 (1.23-4.75)]. CONCLUSION Although associated with insulin resistance, fatty liver diagnosed by ultrasound appears to independently increase the risk of T2DM.