Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Condom Use Prevents Genital Ulcers in Women Working as Prostitutes: Influence of Human Immunodeficiency Virus Infection

Control of genital ulcer disease (GUD) is a proposed intervention to slow the dissemination of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection. Programs for the control of sexually transmitted diseases (STD) should focus on groups of high-frequency transmitters, such as prostitutes and their clientele. This study illustrates the interaction between the prevalence of chancroid, use of barrier prophylaxis against STDs, and HIV infection in a population of female prostitutes in Nairobi. Four hundred and twenty three women were evaluated. Despite the increased use of condoms, the prevalence of genital ulcers remained constant between 1986-87 and 1987-88. Genital ulcer disease was simultaneously associated with HIV infection (adjusted odds ratio: 3.7, P less than .01) whereas it was independently and inversely associated with more consistent condom use (P less than .01). The authors conclude that genital ulcer disease can be controlled in these populations but concurrent HIV infection increases the difficulty of this intervention.
GENETIC STRUCTURE OF GIANT CLAM (TRIDACNA MAXIMA) POPULATIONS IN THE WEST PACIFIC IS NOT CONSISTENT WITH DISPERSAL BY PRESENT‐DAY OCEAN CURRENTS

The Pacific marine biota, particularly species with long planktonic larval stages, are thought to disperse widely throughout the Pacific via ocean currents. The little genetic data available to date has supported this view in that little or no significant regional differentiation of populations has been found over large geographical distances. However, recent data from giant clams has demonstrated not only significant regional differentiation of populations, but routes of gene flow that run perpendicular to the main present‐day ocean currents. Extensive surveys of genetic variation at eight polymorphic loci in 19 populations of the giant clam Tridacna maxima, sampled throughout the West and Central Pacific, confirmed that the patterns of variation seen so far in T. gigas were not unique to that species, and may reflect a fundamental genetic structuring of shallow‐water marine taxa. Populations of T. maxima within highly connected reef systems like the Great Barrier Reef were panmictic (average FST < 0.003), but highly significant genetic differences between reef groups on different archipelagos (average FST = 0.084) and between West and Central Pacific regions (average FST = 0.156) were found. Inferred gene flow was high (Nem usually > 5) between the Philippines and the Great Barrier Reef, between the Philippines and Melanesia (the Solomon Islands and Fiji), and between the Philippines and the Central Pacific island groups (Marshall Islands, Kiribati, Tuvalu and Cook Islands). Gene flow was low between these three sets of island chains (Nem < 2). These routes of gene flow are perpendicular to present‐day ocean currents. It is suggested that the spatial patterns of gene frequencies reflect past episodes of dispersal at times of lower sea levels which have not been erased by subsequent dispersal by present‐day circulation. The patterns are consistent with extensive dispersal of marine species in the Pacific, and with traditional views of dispersal from the Indo‐Malay region. However, they demonstrate that dispersal along present‐day ocean surface currents cannot be assumed, that other mechanisms may operate today or that major dispersal events are intermittent (perhaps separated by several thousands of years), and that the nature and timing of dispersal of Pacific marine species is more complex than has been thought.
Expression of intracellular cytokines, HSP72, and apoptosis in monocyte subsets during exertional heat stress in trained and untrained individuals.

This study examined intracellular cytokine, heat shock protein (HSP) 72, and cellular apoptosis in classic and inflammatory CD14(+) monocyte subsets during exertional heat stress (EHS). Subjects were divided into endurance-trained [TR; n = 12, peak aerobic power (Vo(2peak)) = 70 +/- 2 ml.kg lean body mass (LBM)(-1). min(-1)] and sedentary-untrained (UT; n = 11, Vo(2peak) = 50 +/- 1 ml.kg LBM(-1). min(-1)) groups before walking at 4.5 km/h with 2% elevation in a climatic chamber (40 degrees C, 30% relative humidity) wearing protective clothing until exhaustion (Exh). Venous blood samples at baseline and 0.5 degrees C rectal temperature increments (38.0, 38.5, 39.0, 39.5, and 40.0 degrees C/Exh) were analyzed for cytokines (TNF-alpha, IL-1beta, IL-6, IL-1ra, and IL-10) in CD14(++)CD16(-)/CD14(+)CD16(+) and HSP72/apoptosis in CD14(Bri)/CD14(Dim) subsets. In addition, serum levels of extracellular (e)HSP72 were also examined. Baseline and Exh samples were separately stimulated with LPS (1 microg/ml) or heat shocked (42 degrees C) and cultured in vitro for 2 h. A greater temperature-dependent increase in CD14(+)CD16(+) cells was observed in TR compared with UT subjects as well as a greater LPS tolerance following in vitro LPS stimulation. TNF-alpha and IL-1beta cytokine expression was elevated in CD14(+)CD16(+) but not in CD14(++)CD16(-) cells. A greater induction of intracellular HSP72 and eHSP72 was observed in TR compared with UT subjects, which coincided with reduced apoptosis at Exh and following in vitro heat shock. Induced HSP in vitro was not uniform across CD14(+) subsets. Findings suggest that circulating CD14(+)CD16(+), but not CD14(++)CD16(-) monocytes, contribute to the proinflammatory cytokine profiles observed during EHS. In addition, the enhanced HSP72 response in endurance-trained individuals may confer improved heat tolerance through both anti-inflammatory and anti-apoptotic mechanisms.
Towards a European tephrochronological framework for Termination 1 and the Early Holocene

The record of deposition of tephras in Europe and the North Atlantic during the period 18.5–8.0 14C ka BP (the Last Termination and Early Holocene) is reviewed. Altogether, 34 tephras originating from four main volcanic provinces (Iceland, the Eifel district, the Massif Central and Italy) have been identified so far in geological sequences spanning this time–interval. Most of the records have been based, until very recently, on observations of visible layers of tephras. Here, we report on the potential for extending the areas over which some of the tephras can be traced by the search for layers of micro–tephra, which are not visible to the naked eye, and on the use of geochemical methods to correlate them with known tephra horizons. This approach has greatly extended the area in Northern Europe over which the Vedde Ash can be traced. The same potential exists in southern Europe, which is demonstrated for the first time by the discovery of a distinct layer of micro–tephra of the Neapolitan Yellow Tuff in a site in the Northern Apennines in Italy, far to the north of the occurrences of visible records of this tephra. The paper closes by considering the potential for developing a robust European tephrostratigraphy to underpin the chronology of records of the Last Termination and Early Holocene, thereby promoting a better understanding of the nature, timing and environmental effects of the abrupt climatic changes that characterized this period.
Effective behavior change techniques in asthma self-care interventions: systematic review and meta-regression.

OBJECTIVES The purpose of this study is to update previous systematic reviews of interventions targeting asthma self-care in adults with asthma, and to use meta-regression to examine the association between the use of specific behavior change techniques and intervention effectiveness. METHODS Electronic bibliographies were searched systematically to identify randomized controlled trials of interventions targeting asthma self-care. Intervention content was coded using a published taxonomy of behavior change techniques. For trials with a low-to-moderate risk of bias, study outcomes were pooled using random effects meta-analysis. Associations between intervention content and effect size were explored using meta-regression. RESULTS Meta-analysis of 38 trials (7883 patients) showed that interventions targeting asthma self-care reduced symptoms (standardized mean difference [SMD] = -0.38 [-0.52, -0.24]) and unscheduled health care use (odds ratio [OR] = 0.71 [0.56 to 0.90]) and increased adherence to preventive medication (OR = 2.55 [2.11 to 3.10]). meta-regression analyses found that "active involvement of participants" was associated with a reduction in unscheduled health care use (OR = 0.50 vs. 0.79). Inclusion of "stress management" techniques was associated with an increase in asthma symptoms (SMD = 0.01 vs. -0.44). Existing recommendations about the "optimal" content of asthma self-care interventions were tested but were not supported by the data. CONCLUSIONS Interventions targeting asthma self-care are effective. Active involvement of participants is associated with increased intervention effectiveness, but the use of stress management techniques may be counterproductive. Taxonomy-based systematic reviews using meta-regression have potential for identifying techniques associated with increased effectiveness in behavioral interventions.
Nursing Students' and Tutors' Satisfaction With a New Clinical Competency System Based on the Nursing Interventions Classification.

PURPOSE To assess students' satisfaction with their clinical tutors, their clinical practices, and tutors' satisfaction with the new approach of clinical placements and tutorship. METHODS A cross-sectional study was used, with a study population of second and third year nursing students and clinical tutors. RESULTS Global satisfaction was 7.47 (SD 1.61) (range from 1 to 9). Regarding students' satisfaction, 75.67% of the items were equal to or greater than 4 (range from 1 to 5). The overall mean score was 4.05 (DE 1.08). CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS FOR NURSING PRACTICE A competency-structured practicum, assessed through the Nursing Interventions Classification and supported on information and communications technologies, is a reliable and valid method that encourages students and tutors to an active participation, and implies a high degree of satisfaction in both tutors and students.
Alternative medicine in Britain

Mike Saks: Introduction I. Health Care in Britain Before the Mid-Nineteenth Century: Christina Larner: Healing in Pre-industrial Britain Ann Oakley: The Wisewoman and the Doctor Peter Wright: Astrology in Seventeenth-century England Eric Maple: The Great Age of Quackery Terry Parssinen: Medical Mesmerists in Victorian Britain II. The Rise of Medical Orthodoxy and the Development of Alternative Medicine: Phillip Nicholls: Homeopathy in Britain after the Mid-nineteenth Century Mary Chamberlain: The Old Wife, Pregnancy, and Birth Control Paul Vaughan: 'Secret Remedies' in the Late Nineteenth and Early Twentieth Centuries Gerald Larkin: Orthodoxy and Osteopathic Medicine in the Inter-war Years Brian Inglis: Unorthodox Medicine after the Establishment of the National Health Service III. Alternative Medicine in Modern Britain: Jill Vincent: Self-help Groups and Health Care in Contemporary Britain Gillian Allen and Roy Wallis: Pentecostalists as a Medical Minority Stephen Fulder: Alternative Therapists in Britain Mike Saks: The Paradox of Incorporation: Acupuncture and the Medical Profession in Modern Britain IV. Alternative Medicine: The Future: Ruth West: Alternative Medicine: Prospects and Speculations British Medical Association: Report on Alternative Medicine British Holistic Medical Association: Response to the British Medical Association Report Tom Huggon and Alan Trench: Brussels post-1992: Protector or Persecutor?
The Rural Exodus in Mexico and Mexican Migration to the United States 1

During the 1950s, labor conditions in the United States attrated Mexican migrants, mostly from rural areas, in sharply fluctuating patterns of active recruitment, laissez-faire or repatriation. Because these two movements have varied simultaneously and because they are interrelated, it has been assumed that the rural exodus in Mexico generally explains the flow of migrants across the border to the United States. This article argues that they must be analyzed instead as two distinct movements. Data presented show that most of the migrants created by the prevailing conditions in Mexican rural villages settle within Mexico, and that only specific types of migrants are attracted over the border.
Seven key actions to eradicate rheumatic heart disease in Africa: the Addis Ababa communiqué

Abstract Acute rheumatic fever (ARF) and rheumatic heart disease (RHD) remain major causes of heart failure, stroke and death among African women and children, despite being preventable and imminently treatable. From 21 to 22 February 2015, the Social Cluster of the Africa Union Commission (AUC) hosted a consultation with RHD experts convened by the Pan-African Society of Cardiology (PASCAR) in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, to develop a ‘roadmap’ of key actions that need to be taken by governments to eliminate ARF and eradicate RHD in Africa. Seven priority areas for action were adopted: (1) create prospective disease registers at sentinel sites in affected countries to measure disease burden and track progress towards the reduction of mortality by 25% by the year 2025, (2) ensure an adequate supply of high-quality benzathine penicillin for the primary and secondary prevention of ARF/RHD, (3) improve access to reproductive health services for women with RHD and other non-communicable diseases (NCD), (4) decentralise technical expertise and technology for diagnosing and managing ARF and RHD (including ultrasound of the heart), (5) establish national and regional centres of excellence for essential cardiac surgery for the treatment of affected patients and training of cardiovascular practitioners of the future, (6) initiate national multi-sectoral RHD programmes within NCD control programmes of affected countries, and (7) foster international partnerships with multinational organsations for resource mobilisation, monitoring and evaluation of the programme to end RHD in Africa. This Addis Ababa communiqué has since been endorsed by African Union heads of state, and plans are underway to implement the roadmap in order to end ARF and RHD in Africa in our lifetime.
Transaction costs and organisational learning in strategic outsourcing relationships

The present paper examines the role of organisational learning and transaction costs economics in strategic outsourcing decisions. Interorganisational learning is critical to competitive success, and organisations often learn more effectively by collaborating with other organisations. However, learning processes may also complicate the process of forming interorganisational partnerships which may increase transaction costs. Based on the literature, the authors develop refutable implications for outsourcing supply chain logistics and a sample of 121 firms in the supply chain logistics industry is used to test the hypotheses. The results show that trust and transaction costs are significant and substantial drivers of strategic outsourcing of supply chain logistics (a strategic flexibility action). Learning intent and knowledge acquisition have no significant influence on the decision to outsource supply chain logistics. The paper concludes with a discussion of the different and often conflicting implications for managing interorganisational learning processes.
Stiffness analysis of a Stewart platform-based parallel kinematic machine

Stiffness is one of the important considerations in the design of Stewart platform based parallel kinematic machine (PKM). In most stiffness models of PKMs, the machine frames are thought of rigid bodies. In this paper, an approach is presented to establish the stiffness model of a Stewart platform-based PKM, considering the deformation of the frame. The deformation of legs and the frame is considered as kinematic parameter errors of Stewart platform. According to the differential error model, the machine structure is decomposed into two subsystems: the parallel links subsystem and the machine frame subsystem. The stiffness matrix of each subsystem is established respectively, assuming that the other one is a rigid structure. By linear superposition of the two subsystems, the stiffness model of the machine structure is obtained. A finite element analysis (FEA) model is used to simulate the physical structure. The FEA results are compared to those derived from a mathematical model, and the comparison shows the validity of this approach.
The antibacterial mechanism of berberine against Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae

This study demonstrated berberine to be a potential natural compound against Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae. Liquid doubling dilution, transmission electron microscopy (TEM), SDS-PAGE and 4′,6-diamidino-2-phenylindole (DAPI) staining were employed to elucidate the antibacterial activity and mechanism of berberine. The minimal inhibitory concentration of berberine was 0.3125 mg/mL, and time–kill curves showed concentration and time dependence. The TEM micrographs displayed damaged cell wall, concentrated cytoplasm, cytoplasmic content leakage and cell death. SDS-PAGE and DAPI assays revealed that berberine can restrain DNA and protein syntheses. Berberine inhibited the synthesis of proteins associated with the growth and cleavage of bacteria and then blocked the division and development of bacteria. The compound ultimately induced cytoplasm pyknosis and bacterial death.
Essentialist Beliefs about Personality and Their Implications

Two studies examine implicit theories about the nature of personality characteristics, asking whether they are understood as underlying essences. Consistent with the hypothesis, essentialist beliefs about personality formed a coherent and replicable set. Personality characteristics differed systematically in the extent to which they were judged to be discrete, biologically based, immutable, informative, consistent across situations, and deeply inherent within the person. In Study 1, the extent to which characteristics were essentialized was positively associated with their perceived desirability, prevalence, and emotionality. In Study 2, essentialized characteristics were judged to be particularly important for defining people’s identity, for forming impressions of people, and for communicating about a third person. The findings indicate that people understand some personality attributes in an essentialist fashion, that these attributes are taken to be valued elements of a shared human nature, and that they are particularly central to social identity and judgment.
Semi-supervised ensemble tracking

In this paper, we propose a semi-supervised ensemble tracking approach under the framework of particle filter. The particle filter is used not only for object searching, but also for unlabelled sample generation. By adopting the semi-supervised learning technology, these unlabelled samples which are generated online are utilized to progressively modify the classifier and make the ensemble tracker to be more robust to environment changing. On the other hand, utilizing semi-supervised learning technology can avoid the drifting phenomenons which are often encountered when using supervised learning. Finally, the performance of the proposed approach is evaluated using real visual tracking examples.
Correlation between body composition and efficacy of lateral wedged insoles for medial compartment osteoarthritis of the knee.

OBJECTIVE To investigate anthropometric measures that closely correlate with symptomatic relief of osteoarthritis (OA) of the knee in response to lateral wedged insole use. METHODS Seventy-one patients with medial compartment knee OA were treated with insoles with subtalar strapping or insoles with talonavicular strapping. Randomization was performed according to birth date. The following variables were evaluated: age, disease duration, Kellgren-Lawrence radiographic stage, body mass index, percent body fat, waist to hip ratio, lower extremity lean body mass (L-LBM) per body weight, and radiographic femorotibial angle at baseline. The trial lasted 8 weeks. The correlation between each variable and the remission score (delta score) using the Lequesne index of severity was analyzed. RESULTS In the subtalar strapping group (n = 34), delta score of knee OA was more strongly associated with age (p = 0.004, r = 0.48) than other variables. A significant correlation was also observed between L-LBM per body weight and delta score (p = 0.041, r = -0.36) in the subtalar strapping group. No other variables significantly correlated with the delta score in the subtalar strapping groups. No variable significantly correlated with the ? score in the talonavicular strapping group (n = 37). CONCLUSION We previously reported that use of insoles with subtalar strapping leads to valgus realignment of the femorotibial angle in patients with knee OA with varus deformity, and it may have a similar therapeutic effect to that of high tibial osteotomy. These data suggest that the insole with subtalar strapping is more efficacious for younger patients and those with a higher L-LBM per body weight, and less efficacious for older patients with sarcopenia.
The Cytotoxicity and OS-Mediated Toxicity of One Nanosize Titanium Dioxide

One kind of nanosize titanium dioxide (nano-TiO 2 ) was successfully made through anodization of titanium in this study, and its cytotoxicity and OS-mediated toxicity was detected by MTT, SOD and MDA assay in vitro and in vivo. The results showed that high does (0.8, 1.6 mg/mL) of this nano-TiO 2 can cause cytotoxicity and OS-mediated toxicity, and reverse dose-rate effect happened in the low and medium does (0.1, 0.2, 0.4 mg/mL) in the OS-mediated toxicity detection.
What can veterinarians learn from studies of physician-patient communication about veterinarian-client-patient communication?

There is limited information in the veterinary litera- ture on veterinarian-client-patient communication, and what is available is predominantly based on expert opin- ion and anecdotal information, not peer-reviewed scien- tific studies. In contrast, the human medical communi- cation literature contains a large number of empirical studies. Thus, a review of research of physician-patient interactions is a logical starting place to determine what steps veterinary researchers, educators, and practition- ers could take to investigate and address veterinarian- client-patient interactions. The purposes of this report were to summarize recent advances in human medical communication research and education, link findings in human medical communication research to veterinary medicine, and provide a rationale for development of communication research and education programs in vet- erinary medical schools.