Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Clinical profile of enteric fever: a prospective study of fifty enteric fever patients

Background: The protean manifestations of enteric fever make this disease a true diagnostic challenge. Untreated, typhoid fever is a grueling illness that may progress to delirium , obtundation, intestinal hemorrhage, bowel perforation, and death within 1 month of onset. Survivors may be left with long-term or permanent neuropsychiatric complications. This is a prospective study of fifty confirmed enteric fever adult patients done in Kasturba Hospital Mumbai. Methods: Fifty enteric fever patients with clinical and laboratory diagnosis were included in the study. They were admitted in wards with the aim of documenting the epidemiological pattern, clinical picture, therapeutic response and complications of Salmonella. Their history and detailed physical examination were recorded and tests including antibiotic sensitivity and resistance were done. Results: In the study incidence of fever 100%, chills 26%, vomiting 44%, diarrhea 28%, abdominal pain 64%, headache 26%, and signs as splenomegaly 36%, hepatomegaly 42%, rose spots 6%, relative bradycardia 34% were reported. Anemia, leukocytosis and leukopenia and elevated liver enzymes were found in 42.9%, 10%, 21% and 45% respectively. Incidence of Salmonella Typhi, Salmonella Paratyphi was 80% and 20% respectively. There was no mortality in the study. Conclusion: Clinical presentation, signs and symptoms of Typhoid fever patients are varying. For the confirmatory diagnosis in addition to a high index of suspicion, Widal test and blood culture are required. For the proper treatment of Typhoid fever in view of emergence of resistant strains of S. Typhi antibiotic sensitivity and resistance test should be done whenever facilities available.
Exercise and stress protein in blood 1 Elevation of body temperature is essential factor for exercise-increased extracellular 1 heat shock protein 72 level in rat plasma 2 3

1 This study examined whether the exercise-increased extracellular heat shock protein 72 2 (eHsp72) level in rat was associated with body temperature elevation during exercise. In all, 3 26 female Sprague-Dawley rats (3 months old) were assigned randomly to control (CON, n = 4 8), exercise under warm temperature (WEx, n = 9), or exercise under cold temperature (CEx, 5 n = 9). The WEx and CEx were trained respectively at 25oC or 4oC for nine days using a 6 treadmill. Before and immediately after the final exercise bout, the colonic temperatures 7 were measured as an index of body temperature. The animals were subsequently anesthetized 8 and blood samples were collected and centrifuged. Plasma samples were obtained to assess 9 their eHsp72 levels. Only the colonic temperature in WEx was increased significantly (P < 10 0.05) by exercise. The eHsp72 level in WEx was significantly higher (P < 0.05) than that of 11 either the CON or CEx. However, no significant difference was found between CON and 12 CEx. Regression analyses revealed that the eHsp72 level increased as a function of the body 13 temperature. In another experiment, the eHsp72 level of animals with body temperature that 14 was passively elevated through similar kinetics to those of the exercise was studied. Results 15 of this experiment showed that mere body temperature elevation was insufficient to induce 16 eHsp72 responses. Collectively, our results suggest that body temperature elevation during 17 exercise is important for induction of exercise-increased eHsp72. In addition, the possible 18 role of body temperature elevation is displayed when the exercise stressor is combined with 19 it. 20 21
Case studies of lightning related injuries and property damage in Zambia

This is the first investigation and analysis of lightning related incidents in Zambia. Two case studies on both human injuries and equipment damage at five sites are reported. Lightning injuries were mostly attributed to the lack of proper structural protection systems, although lack of awareness among the public may also contribute to the situation. Many injury mechanisms, including unsuccessful upward streamers, may cause injuries. Design of lightning protection schemes should take social structures and affordability by the affected public into account. Losses in the power sector are excessively high in the region and seriously affect the operation of both business and domestic life. Replacement cost incurred by the power companies can be prohibitive. Lightning density and pattern in the localized areas, grounding systems of the installations, and specification and installation techniques of lightning arresters should be revisited in giving proper solutions to transformer and power line failures.
Relationship between optic nerve head microcirculation and visual field loss in glaucoma.

PURPOSE To study the relationship between optic nerve head blood flow velocity and visual field loss in patients with primary open-angle glaucoma (POAG) and normal tension glaucoma (NTG). METHODS This study included 44 eyes of 44 patients with POAG and 44 eyes of 44 patients with NTG. To evaluate optic nerve head blood flow velocity, the square blur rate (SBR) was measured by means of laser speckle flowgraphy. The correlation between SBR and Humphrey visual field indices was evaluated with linear regression analysis. RESULTS In the NTG group, the average SBR at the superior and inferior temporal neuroretinal rim was positively correlated with mean deviation (MD) (r = 0.349, p = 0.020). The SBR at the superior or inferior temporal neuroretinal rim was positively correlated with the sum of the total deviations in the corresponding hemifields (r = 0.299, p = 0.049; r = 0.354, p = 0.019, respectively). The correlations between SBR and MD did not differ statistically between the NTG and POAG groups; however, no significant correlation between SBR and visual field indices was observed in the POAG group. CONCLUSION These results suggested that the change in the circulation of the optic nerve head may be related to visual field damage in the NTG group but may be less involved in visual field damage in the POAG group.
Variation in the Urinary Protein/Creatinine Ratio at Four Different Periods of the Day in Hypertensive Pregnant Women

Objective. To assess the urine protein/creatinine ratio in urine samples of pregnant women with hypertension in regard to: 1) the presence of significant variation at different periods of the day; 2) the differences if they exist, to identify the most reliable period of the day for sampling; and 3) whether the first sample, obtained when the patient arrives at the clinic, correlates with the same accuracy, with the 24-hour proteinuria. Design. Cross-sectional study. Place. Obstetrics Emergency Department, Hospital de Clínicas de Porto Alegre, a teaching hospital in Porto Alegre, Brazil. Population. Seventy-five women with hypertension with 20-week gestation or over. Methods. Urine samples for determination of the protein/creatinine ratio were obtained on arrival (first specimen) and every 6 hours thereafter, totaling four samples in 24 hours. Four sampling periods were established: 1) from 8 am to 2 pm, 2) from 2 pm to 8 pm, 3) from 8 pm to 2 am, and 4) from 2 am to 8 am. The protein/creatinine ratio in the four different day periods were compared with the 24-hour proteinuria obtained simultaneously. The results were analyzed by the Spearman correlation and the receiver-operator characteristic (ROC) curve. Results. The urine protein/creatinine ratio is strongly correlated (Spearman correlation equal to 0.8 or greater) with the 24-hour proteinuria at all four periods of the day (p < 0.001), as well as the first sample obtained on arrival (p = 0.003). These findings were corroborated by the ROC curve in which the values of four day periods and that of the first sample were equal to or greater than 0.930. Conclusion. In hypertensive pregnant women, the single voided urine sample protein/creatinine ratio, irrespective of sampling time, is strongly correlated with the 24-hour proteinuria, as is the sample obtained on arrival.
Optimization of the performance of solar powered permanent magnet dc motor drives

While designing large-scale photovoltaic generators (PVGs), due to high initial cost of PVGs, the power mismatch issue has to be addresses to minimize the losses and improve the array performance. Therefore solar powered electric motor drives must be operated at their optimum performance at all solar radiation levels. This present paper describes a very simple and highly efficient MPPT unit for optimizing performance of a PVG powered permanent magnet (PM) DC motor driving a water pump. The unit is composed of a step-up DC-DC converter with two filter capacitors at the two ends. Energy utilization efficiency and the price-performance ratio of the whole system is maximized by fixing the chopping frequency of the DC-DC converter chopper at a pre-determined value (1.2 kHz in this case) and varying the duty cycle of the chopper according to a relation between the duty cycle and the percent solar radiation level, G, which is established in this present investigation. The proposed system is fully modeled in time domain and both the transient and steady-state performance of the system is closely observed. It is shown that with such an arrangement the PVG is forced to operate very close to its maximum power trajectory. Due to its simplicity and high efficiency, the proposed system may be preferred over other more complicated systems available in the market or proposed in the other publications.
The detection of tyrosinase mRNA in the peripheral blood of stage I melanoma patients is not of clinical relevance in predicting metastasis risk and survival

&NA; The presence of tyrosinase mRNA in the peripheral blood cells of melanoma patients has been recently studied as a possible marker of haematogenous dissemination. However, considerable variations in the rates of detection have been noted. We determined the presence of tyrosinase mRNA‐positive circulating cells using reverse transcriptase‐polymerase chain reaction (RT‐PCR) in 35 patients with stage I melanoma, two patients with stage II melanoma and two patients with stage III melanoma. Among the patients with stage I, 13 were tested before and after surgery (< 1 h). Twenty healthy subjects served as negative controls. Out of the melanoma patients, the tyrosinase gene was expressed in three of the 52 samples tested. Tyrosinase mRNA was present in the circulating cells of only one patient with stage I melanoma after intra‐congenital naevi resection. However, two other stage I patients developed rapidly lethal metastasis within the following 6 months, despite the lack of detectable tyrosinase mRNA. None of stage II patients were positive for the tyrosinase transcripts, while both patients with stage III melanoma showed enzyme expression. Our results confirm those of previous studies, showing that a small proportion of stage I melanoma patients have tyrosinase‐positive circulating cells. Moreover, the lack of tyrosinase mRNA detection in the blood does not necessarily exclude metastatic progression. Therefore, this study indicates that the detection of tyrosinase mRNA‐positive circulating cells by RT‐PCR is not a predictive biomarker of a metastasis risk in patients with stage I melanoma.
Two analytical strategies for an fMRI study on brain activity during sentence processing

This research aimed to evaluate two analytical methods - the one sample T-test and the full factorial ANOVA - in order to investigate the brain regions that are responsible for anaphora-processing by fMRI. The full factorial revealed a main effect of anaphora processing for the right supramarginal gyrus while the one sample T-test resulted mainly in the left putamen. Both regions are related to phonological processing; however it is hard to connect the results of previous functional studies to this result. Further multifaceted approaches will contribute this methodological issue.
Environmental calcium modifies induced defences in snails

Inducible defences are adaptive phenotypes that arise in response to predation threats. Such plasticity incurs costs to individuals, but there has been little interest in how such induced traits in animals may be constrained by environmental factors. Here, we demonstrate that calcium availability interacts with predation cues to modify snail shell growth and form. Small snails increased their growth and were heavier when exposed to fish chemical cues, but this response was calcium limited. There was also an interactive effect of fish cues and calcium on the shell growth of larger snails, but shell strength and aperture narrowness were affected by calcium alone. For small snails, behavioural avoidance was greatest for snails exhibiting least morphological plasticity, suggesting a trade–off. There was no trade–off of somatic growth with plasticity. We suggest that the expression of defensive traits in molluscs can be constrained by calcium availability, which has implications for molluscan ecology and evolution.
Second-Generation Antipsychotics: Looking beyond Efficacy

A few years ago, I was asked to write about “The Aim of Antipsychotic Medications: What Are They and Are They Being Achieved? ”(1). I always believed that the aims of therapy with antipsychotic medications in schizophrenia are basically similar to the aims of therapy with medications used to treat long-term medical conditions that may require life-long treatment. Such aims include efficacy without adverse effects, improved subjective tolerability and quality of life, positive long-term outcomes, and cost-effectiveness. When I review data from the drug-development programs of the recently introduced second-generation antipsychotics, it is clear that the major thrust of research has been directed toward demonstrating efficacy in both the short and long terms. Obviously, efficacy and safety are the major prerequisites for approval of new medications. However, in a long-term illness like schizophrenia, which has significant impact on several aspects of behaviour and mental and emotional functioning, it is equally important to demonstrate the impact of new medications on such issues as subjective tolerability, compliance, and quality of life. The best medications have no value unless they are taken (2). Enhanced tolerability can improve medication compliance, which contributes to less-frequent relapse and less use of health resources, as well as improved quality of life. A few decades ago, research on such outcomes as subjective tolerability or quality of life was looked at as soft science—a view reflected in a certain publication bias and low priority in research funding. In addition, new medical technology such as neuroimaging and neurogenetics attracted much of the research interest, particularly among young researchers. As the late Dr Theodore Van Putten, an early pioneer of research in neuroleptic dysphoria, once lamented: “Research in neuroleptic dysphoria and subjective responses to medications, compared with neuroimaging, is not sexy anymore” (personal communication). I am sure he would be pleased to learn that the few of us who have persisted in researching these areas have already moved them to the forefront. Subjective tolerability, quality of life, and medication compliance behaviour are now all recognized as important outcomes in the long-term management of schizophrenia (3,4).
Mixed Market Structure, Competition and Market Size: How Does Product Mix Respond?

Assuming a double heterogeneity; within industry firm heterogeneity and within firm product heterogeneity, this paper investigates how multiproduct firms respond to tougher competition and greater market size across destinations. Building a theoretical model where monopolistically competitive and oligopolistic firms coexist in the same market, the paper studies how an increase in market size affects both types of firms’ behavior. The model shows that the final impact of bigger market size on the product-mix of multiproduct firms depends on the level of fixed entry costs. For low level of entry costs, big firms increase their product-mix when they export to larger markets as they benefit from scope economies. Yet, when fixed costs are prohibitive, a larger market induces firms to skew their export sales toward their core product. Very strong confirmation of this non-monotonic effect of market size was found for Egyptian exporters across export market destinations.
Entangled Decisions: Knowledge Interdependencies and Terminations of Patented Inventions in the Pharmaceutical Industry

Research Summary: This study explores the role of knowledge interdependencies on the termination of patented inventions. Termination refers to the abandonment of inventive efforts that are no longer deemed promising. We argue that high interdependencies between an inventive effort and the other inventions in the same research program will increase the cognitive burden on managers and decrease the likelihood of termination. Further, in the presence of interdependencies, managers are likely to rely on heuristics for termination decisions. We focus on two such heuristics: interdependencies of an invention with those in other research programs and the level of external competition in the research program. We test our hypotheses with longitudinal data on patent terminations through non‐payment of renewal fees in the pharmaceutical industry. Managerial Summary: Effective management of innovation portfolios requires termination of opportunities that are no longer promising. Most current tools on termination assume that opportunities to be evaluated are independent from one another. This assumption may limit their usefulness in increasingly complex research domains, such as pharmaceutical R&D. In this study, we investigate how interdependencies among inventions influence firms' tendency to terminate those inventions. Our results on patent terminations show that a patent that is more interdependent with other patents in the same research program is less likely to be terminated. This suggests that managers may have difficulty in evaluating the inherent value of interdependent opportunities. This result is stronger when the patent is less interdependent with those in other research programs or in a more competitive area.
Reforming School Finance Systems to Achieve Equity in Funding Education

Taxpayers in Oregon provoked change in school finance policy by passing Measure 5, which cemented the ground for legislators to reform school finance. Measure 5 was aimed at restricting increases in local taxes while shifting most of the burden of schools’ funding to the State. The purpose of this quantitative study of a 20-year time period of school funding was to determine the impact and effectiveness of passing Measure 5 and school finance reforms on the equity of funding. All 197 school districts’ financial relevant data for 1995, 2000, 2005, 2010, and 2015 were collected and adjusted for the consolidation and splitting of districts, if necessary. Then data were analyzed to determine the impact on funding and equity using descriptive analysis and five equity measures; Coefficient of Variation, Federal Range Ratio, Gini Coefficient, McLoone Index, and Correlation Coefficient. Funding, in general, was increased in Oregon, but when adjusted for inflation, it declined. The findings of this study concluded that horizontal equity, which is non-differentiated per-pupil funding, improved from 1995 to 2015. However, evidence showed that vertical equity, which considers additional per-pupil funding needs, such as that for adequately serving special needs students or English Language Learners, worsened for the same period. The findings of this study were consistent with other studies (Driscoll & Salmon, 2008; Ko, 2006) regarding school funding in Missouri and Virginia.
ACCESS TO CREDIT AND SAVING BEHAVIOUR OF GENERATION Y STUDENTS. ARE WE EDUCATING AN OVER-INDEBTED GENERATION?

Credit is deemed central to the economy of a country. However, it becomes a problem when people find it difficult to meet their financial obligations and end up becoming over-indebted. Previous research in consumer behaviour among South Africans has revealed that households are over-indebted. Coupled with this, South Africa is known as a consuming nation with a poor savings culture. The review of literature reveal that university students are not spared since companies are targeting them with credit products in an effort to increase their market share. The purpose of this study was to investigate the influence of access to credit on the savings behaviour of Generation Y students. The study adopted a quantitative research approach. Data were analysed from a total of 145 Generation Y students who had fully completed the questionnaire. Exploratory factor analysis was used to establish whether the data were factorable. Correlation analysis was used to investigate the relationship between access to credit and savings behaviour of Generation Y Students. Single regression analysis was used to investigate whether access to credit influences savings behaviour of Generation Y students. The results show that access to credit has positively influenced the saving behaviour of Generation Y students. Based on this, if access to credit is not managed well, Generation Y students and young people in general will find themselves overindebted. A culture of saving among this cohort should be encouraged. It is therefore recommended that Universities should introduce financial literacy programmes for students across different fields of study. Furthermore, government should institute stringent measures to punish non-compliance with the National Credit Act by credit providers.