Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Is increasing urbanicity associated with changes in breastfeeding duration in rural India? An analysis of cross-sectional household data from the Andhra Pradesh children and parents study

Objective To investigate whether village-level urbanicity and lower level socioeconomic factors are associated with breastfeeding practices in transitioning rural communities in India. Setting 29 villages in Ranga Reddy district, southern India between 2011 and 2014. Participants 7848 children under 6 years identified via a cross-sectional household survey conducted as part of the Andhra Pradesh Children and Parents Study. Outcome measures Two key indicators of optimal breastfeeding: termination of exclusive breastfeeding before 6 months and discontinuation of breastfeeding by 24 months. Village urbanicity was classified as low, medium or high according to satellite assessed night-light intensity. Results Breastfeeding initiation was almost universal, and approximately two in three children were exclusively breastfed to 6 months and a similar proportion breastfed to 24 months. Using multilevel logistic regression, increasing urbanicity was associated with breastfeeding discontinuation before 24 months (medium urbanicity OR 1.45, 95% CI 0.71 to 2.96; high urbanicity OR 2.96, 95% CI 1.45 to 6.05) but not with early (<6 months) termination of exclusive breastfeeding. Increased maternal education was independently associated with both measures of suboptimal breastfeeding, and higher household socioeconomic position was associated with early termination of exclusive breastfeeding. Conclusion In this transitional Indian rural community, early stage urbanicity was associated with a shorter duration of breastfeeding. Closer surveillance of changes in breastfeeding practices alongside appropriate intervention strategies are recommended for emerging economies.
Seasonal Detection of Human Viruses and Coliphage in Newport Bay, California

ABSTRACT Recent studies have shown that the fecal indicator bacteria (FIB) currently used to indicate water quality in the coastal environment may be inadequate to reflect human viral contamination. Coliphage was suggested as a better indicator of human viral pollution and was proposed by the U.S. EPA as an alternative indicator for fecal pollution in groundwater. In this study, we investigated the occurrence and distribution of FIB, F+ coliphage, and PCR-detectable human adenovirus and enterovirus for an entire year at 15 locations around the Newport Bay watershed, an important southern California estuary for water recreation and an ecological reserve. Peak concentrations and prevalences of FIB and F+ coliphage were associated with winter storms (wet weather). Human adenoviruses and enteroviruses, however, were detected by PCR in ∼5% of samples collected in the summer (dry weather) but only once in wet weather. These results demonstrated that FIB and coliphage have similar seasonal and freshwater-to-saltwater distribution patterns, while the detection of human viruses depends on a distribution pattern that is the opposite of that of FIB and coliphage. This research suggested that coliphage and FIB share similar environmental sources, while sources of human viruses in Newport Bay are perhaps different.
The relationship of strategic business alignment and enterprise information management in achieving better business performance

Four constructs are developed and five research hypotheses are tested in a structural equation model focused on the role of strategic business alignment and information management in achieving business performance. The data to develop the constructs and test the model are based on a survey of 226 manufacturing firms in the US automobile components industry. The research is interdisciplinary in nature with a focus on building theory in an under-researched area of study by testing a causal model. The structural equation model analysis supports the general theory that ‘the degree of business strategy alignment affects enterprise information management and time-related operating performance, and through these two intermediate constructs, improves business performance’. Enterprise information management is the key mediating variable in the causal model. Other insights based on statistical evidence are presented such as strategic business alignment, which do not directly improve time-related operating performance but must act indirectly through enterprise information management (the mediation construct) to improve performance.
Comparison of Different Sampling Strategies and Laboratory Methods for the Detection of C. jejuni and C. coli from Broiler Flocks at Primary Production

Summary The objective of the study was to evaluate the performance of different combinations of sample type, transport medium and culture methods for the recovery of Campylobacter jejuni and C. coli from broiler flocks at primary production. Boot swabs moistened with one of four different transport media [maximum recovery diluent (n = 120), Exeter broth (EX) (n = 120), buffered peptone water (n = 120) and modified semi‐solid Cary‐Blair (n = 120)], caecal samples (n = 40) and faecal samples (n = 120) from 40 broiler flocks were compared and sensitivity estimates obtained using a Bayesian model. Samples were cultured onto mCCDA before and after enrichment in EX and incubated microaerobically at 41.5°C. Campylobacter suspect colonies were identified to the species level by multiplex PCR. Results from the Bayesian model indicated that boot swabs after enrichment had higher sensitivity (90–94%) than caecal contents before or after enrichment (84% and 89%, respectively) and faecal samples after enrichment (82%) for the detection of Campylobacter spp. , although these differences were not statistically significant. Enrichment significantly increased the sensitivity of boot swab and caecal samples for detection of Campylobacter spp. and C. jejuni, respectively. However, the enrichment of caecal samples resulted in a significant decrease in the sensitivity of these samples for detection of C. coli. There was much greater variation in the sensitivity estimates of the methods for detecting C. coli than for C. jejuni, and the ranking of methods was different between the two species. Boot swabs gave the best sensitivity values for detection of C. jejuni, and enrichment culture of faecal samples was the most sensitive method for detection of C. coli.
Effects of Industrial Action by the Ambulance Service on Day Hospital Patients

The results of loss of treatment were assessed in a group of 248 day hospital patients when industrial action interrupted the ambulance service for five weeks. Almost 10% of the patients failed to return for treatment and 39% of those who returned had deteriorated appreciably. The groups of patients who were most vulnerable were those most in need of physiotherapy and rehabilitation, and many extra admissions to the wards resulted from the loss of diagnostic and treatment facilities in the day hospitals.
The 5-Lipoxygenase Promoter Is Regulated by DNA Methylation*

5-lipoxygenase (5-LO), the key enzyme in leukotriene biosynthesis, is expressed in a tissue- and cell differentiation-specific manner. The 5-LO core promoter required for basal promoter activity has a unique (G+C)-rich sequence that contains five tandem Sp1 consensus sequences. The mechanisms involved in the regulation of cell type-specific 5-LO expression are unknown. Here we show that 5-LO expression is regulated by DNA methylation. Treatment of the 5-LO-negative cell lines U937 and HL-60TB with the demethylating agent 5-aza-2′-deoxycytidine (AdC) up-regulated expression of 5-LO primary transcripts and mature mRNA in a similar fashion, indicating that AdC stimulates 5-LO gene transcription. Analysis of the methylation status of the 5-LO promoter revealed that the core promoter region was methylated in U937 and HL-60TB cells, whereas it was unmethylated in the 5-LO-positive parent HL-60 cell line. Reporter gene assays with 5-LO promoter constructs gave up to 68- and 655-fold repression of 5-LO promoter activity in HeLa and Mono Mac 6 cells by methylation. 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3 and transforming growth factor-beta (TGFβ), potent inducers of the 5-LO pathway in myeloid cell lines, increased 5-LO RNA expression in HL-60TB and U937 cells, but co-treatment with AdC was required to achieve 5-LO expression levels in HL-60TB cells that were comparable with wild-type HL-60 cells. In reporter gene assays, 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3 and TGFβ were unable to induce promoter activity when the 5-LO promoter constructs were methylated, which suggests that 5-LO promoter demethylation is a prerequisite for the high level induction of 5-LO gene expression by 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3 and TGFβ and that the effects of both agents on 5-LO mRNA expression are not related to DNA methylation.
The AGC All-Polyethylene Tibial Component: A Ten-Year Clinical Evaluation

Background: While high success rates have been achieved in association with other all-polyethylene tibial components, an alarming number of failures have occurred at our institution in association with the use of an all-polyethylene version of the AGC tibial component. The purpose of the present study was to describe the survival of the AGC all-polyethylene tibial component. Methods: Five hundred and thirty-six AGC all-polyethylene tibial components were implanted in 405 patients and were followed over a ten-year period. The average age of the patients at the time of surgery was 70.3 years, the average weight was 78 kg, and the most common diagnosis was osteoarthritis (prevalence, 92.9%). A clinical and radiographic analysis was performed, Knee Society knee and function scores were determined, and Kaplan-Meier survivorship analysis was conducted. Failure was defined as aseptic loosening as evidenced by progressive radiolucent lines and/or revision due to aseptic loosening or collapse. Results: A high rate of failure was noted in the early postoperative period, with a survival rate of 90.04% (95% confidence interval, 87.35% to 92.72%) after three years. At ten years, the survival rate was 68.11% (95% confidence interval, 57.57% to 78.65%). Fifty-eight (73.4%) of seventy-nine failures occurred in association with loosening or collapse of the bone beneath the medial tibial plateau. Conclusion: While some all-polyethylene tibial designs have been successful, the low success rate among knees treated with the AGC all-polyethylene tibial component suggests that the results associated with all-polyethylene tibial components are design-sensitive. Level of Evidence: Therapeutic study, Level IV (case series [no, or historical, control group]). See Instructions to Authors for a complete description of levels of evidence.
Iron Deficiency Anemia as a Risk Factor for Osteoporosis in Taiwan: A Nationwide Population-Based Study

The cause-effect relationship between iron deficiency anemia (IDA) and osteoporosis has not been established in the general population. Thus, the current longitudinal study determined the role of IDA as a risk factor for osteoporosis by analyzing a large nationwide population-based sample. In a sample of 1,000,000 randomly sampled individuals from the 1998–2012. Taiwan National Health Insurance Research Database, patients with IDA (case group (n = 35,751)) and individuals without IDA (control group (n = 178,755)) were compared. Patients who were <20 years of age and who had pre-existing osteoporosis prior to the diagnosis of IDA were excluded. Each patient with IDA was age- and gender-matched to five individuals without IDA. The diagnoses of IDA and osteoporosis (coded using ICD-9CM) were further confirmed with blood test results and X-ray bone densitometry to ensure the accuracy of the diagnoses. Osteoporosis occurred more often among patients with IDA compared to individuals without IDA (2.27% vs. 1.32%, p < 0.001). Cox proportional hazard analysis revealed that the risk for osteoporosis was significantly higher in the case than the control group (hazard ratio (HR) = 1.74; 95% CI = 1.61–1.88) and remained similar after adjustment for covariates (adjusted HR = 1.81; 95% CI = 1.67–1.97). Compared with individuals without IDA, the risk for osteoporosis was even higher for patients with IDA who received intravenous ferrum therapy (adjusted HR = 2.21; 95% CI = 1.85–2.63). In contrast, the risk for osteoporosis was reduced for patients with IDA who received a blood transfusion (adjusted HR = 1.47; 95% CI = 1.20–1.80). As a predictor, prior IDA is a significant and independent risk factor for development of osteoporosis.
Testosterone and Cortisol Jointly Predict the Ambiguity Premium in an Ellsberg-Urns Experiment

Previous literature has tried to establish whether and how steroid hormones are related to economic risk-taking. In this study, we investigate the relationship between testosterone (T) and cortisol (C) on one side and attitudes toward risk and ambiguity on the other. We asked 78 male undergraduate students to complete several tasks and provide two saliva samples. In the task “Reveal the Bag,” participants expressed their beliefs on an ambiguous situation in an incentivized framework. In the task “Ellsberg Bags,” we elicited from the participants through an incentive-compatible mechanism the reservation prices for a risky bet and an ambiguous bet. We used the difference between the two prices to calculate each participant's ambiguity premium. We found that participants' salivary T and C levels jointly predicted the ambiguity premium. Participants featuring comparatively lower levels of T and C showed the highest levels of ambiguity aversion. The beliefs expressed by a subset of participants in the “Reveal the Bag” task rationalize (in a revealed preference sense) their choices in the “Ellsberg Bags” task.
A new approach to the statistical enlargement law for comparing the breakdown performances of power cables - part 2: application

A new theoretical approach to the application of the enlargement law for assessing the breakdown performances of shielded power cables was illustrated in the companion paper (Part 1) of this series. In the present paper, practical case-studies of the proposed theory are presented. The so-called crossing quantities of two cable lines, i.e. crossing length, crossing dielectric strength and crossing breakdown voltage, are analyzed on the basis of the results of dielectric strength tests performed on cable models insulated with different commercial compounds. In particular, the application is relevant to mini-cable samples realized with two ethylene-propylene rubber (EPR) compounds, and with two cross-linked polyethylene (XLPE) compounds, all subjected to standard lightning impulse dielectric strength tests. The estimation of the crossing quantities, performed for various power cable voltage ratings, shows that the crossing length - if any - is a strong function of the cable size and voltage rating. Thus the choice of the best compound should be based on a comparison between the value of crossing length and the typical lengths of full-size cables. Furthermore, since the crossing quantities are strongly affected by the values of the Weibull parameters estimated from the dielectric strength tests, a sensitivity analysis of such quantities to the uncertainty in the estimation of the Weibull parameters is also carried out.
A history of food without history: food, trade, and environment in west-central Ghana in the second millennium AD

African foodways are often portrayed as unchanging traditions plagued by chronic food insecurity and forever subject to the vagaries of environmental change. These assumptions are based mostly on the present and obscure our ability to determine why and under what circumstances these problems arose. I provide a long-term perspective on continuity and change in food practices over the last millennium in Banda, west-central Ghana, as the area was drawn into increasingly global networks. Using archaeological, archaeobotanical, environmental, ethnographic, and documentary evidence, I trace how new crops were adopted, how people responded to environmental, economic and political shifts, and the development of food insecurity. People in Banda relied on pearl millet for much of the last millennium supplemented by sorghum in wetter periods, along with cowpea, okra, and shea butter. The area first became involved in long-distance trade during a wet phase (cal. AD 121
Endoscopic Ultrasound for Non-Gastroenterologists: What You Need to Know

Abstract Endoscopic ultrasound (EUS) combines the use of flexible fiberoptic endoscopes with high-resolution ultrasound technology. It is increasingly used for the evaluation, staging, and diagnosis of many luminal and extraluminal gastrointestinal (GI) cancers, as well as non-GI tract ailments, including the staging of lung cancer. In the past decade, EUS has become available on a wide scale, with an increasing number of indications. The technology has been shown to be comparable with and often more sensitive than computed tomography scan and magnetic resonance imaging in staging many malignancies. The use of fine-needle aspiration and ultrasound-guided injection also allows for accurate tissue diagnosis and therapy of GI ailments. Despite increasing availability and indications for EUS over the past decade, general internists may not be aware of EUS technology, when to order an EUS, and how to integrate the results of an EUS into their management decisions. This article will review the general indications for EUS referral, limitations, and role of EUS in the practice of general medicine.
A randomised double-blind clinical trial of two yellow fever vaccines prepared with substrains 17DD and 17D-213/77 in children nine-23 months old

This randomised, double-blind, multicentre study with children nine-23 months old evaluated the immunogenicity of yellow fever (YF) vaccines prepared with substrains 17DD and 17D-213/77. YF antibodies were tittered before and 30 or more days after vaccination. Seropositivity and seroconversion were analysed according to the maternal serological status and the collaborating centre. A total of 1,966 children were randomised in the municipalities of the states of Mato Grosso do Sul, Minas Gerais and São Paulo and blood samples were collected from 1,714 mothers. Seropositivity was observed in 78.6% of mothers and 8.9% of children before vaccination. After vaccination, seropositivity rates of 81.9% and 83.2%, seroconversion rates of 84.8% and 85.8% and rates of a four-fold increase over the pre-vaccination titre of 77.6% and 81.8% were observed in the 17D-213/77 and 17DD subgroups, respectively. There was no association with maternal immunity. Among children aged 12 months or older, the seroconversion rates of 69% were associated with concomitant vaccination against measles, mumps and rubella. The data were not conclusive regarding the interference of maternal immunity in the immune response to the YF vaccine, but they suggest interference from other vaccines. The failures in seroconversion after vaccination support the recommendation of a booster dose in children within 10 years of the first dose.
Mining opinionated product features using WordNet lexicographer files

Online customer reviews are an important assessment tool for businesses as they contain feedback that is valuable from the customer perspective. These reviews provide a significant basis on which potential customers can select the product that best meets their preferences. In online reviews, customers describe positive or negative experiences with a product or service or any part of it (i.e. features). Consumers frequently experience difficulty finding the desired product for comparison because of the massive number of online reviews. The automatic extraction of important product features is necessary to support customers in search of relevant product features. These features are the criteria that make it possible for customers to characterise different types of products. This article proposes a domain independent approach for identifying explicit opinionated features and attributes that are strongly related to a specific domain product using lexicographer files in WordNet. In our approach, N_gram analysis and the SentiStrength opinion lexicon have been employed to support the extraction of opinionated features. The empirical evaluation of the proposed system using online reviews of two popular datasets of supervised and unsupervised systems showed that our approach achieved competitive results for feature extraction from product reviews.
Mirror Symmetry for Stable Quotients Invariants

The moduli space of stable quotients introduced by Marian-Oprea-Pandharipande provides a natural compactification of the space of morphisms from nonsingular curves to a nonsingular projective variety and carries a natural virtual class. We show that the analogue of Givental's J-function for the resulting twisted projective invariants is described by the same mirror hypergeometric series as the corresponding Gromov-Witten invariants (which arise from the moduli space of stable maps), but without the mirror transform (in the Calabi-Yau case). This implies that the stable quotients and Gromov-Witten twisted invariants agree if there is enough "positivity", but not in all cases. As a corollary of the proof, we show that certain twisted Hurwitz numbers arising in the stable quotients theory are also described by a fundamental object associated with this hypergeometric series. We thus completely answer some of the questions posed by Marian-Oprea-Pandharipande concerning their invariants. Our results suggest a deep connection between the stable quotients invariants of complete intersections and the geometry of the mirror families. As in Gromov-Witten theory, computing Givental's J-function (essentially a generating function for genus 0 invariants with 1 marked point) is key to computing stable quotients invariants of higher genus and with more marked points; we exploit this in forthcoming papers.
Lateral flow assay for rapid differentiation of Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex and 97 species of mycobacteria other than tuberculosis grown in Löwenstein-Jensen and TK-SLC medium.

BACKGROUND Mycobacterial antigen MPB64 is a secretory protein specific for Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex. A lateral flow immunochromatographic assay (ICA) is a method used for the rapid differentiation of M. tuberculosis complex. AIM We aimed to evaluate the performance of ICA in rapid differentiation of M. tuberculosis complex from 97 Mycobacterium species other than tuberculosis (MOTT), which are grown in Lφwenstein-Jensen and TK-selective (SLC) medium. MATERIALS AND METHODS The study was performed in our laboratory between January 2009 and January 2010. A total of 394 isolates consisting of reference strains of 34 M. tuberculosis from World Health Organization (WHO) collection, 97 different MOTT bacilli, 7 Mycobacterium bovis BCG substrains and total 256 clinical Mycobacterium isolates were tested by ICA, which is based on anti-MPB64 monoclonal antibodies. All the strains were inoculated onto a TK-SLC (selective) medium and Lowenstein-Jensen medium. TK-SLC is a new rapid mycobacterial culture medium that indicates mycobacterial growth by colour change. RESULTS The growth of mycobacterial strains was observed in 10-12 days on TK-SLC medium. ICA test was performed in 15 minutes. All strains belonging to M. tuberculosis complex group were found positive and all MOTT species were found negative on ICA slides. The results were confirmed with nucleic acid amplification by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) using primers specific for M. tuberculosis complex. CONCLUSION With the additive effect of growth on TK-SLC medium in 10-12 days, the mycobacterial antigen MPB64 is a very useful and specific tool in rapid differentiation of M. tuberculosis and MOTT grown in culture.