Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Reproductive health and the condom dilemma: identifying situational barriers to HIV protection in South Africa

This chapter explores common social and cultural barriers to condom use, and in general to adopting protective behaviour against HIV infection. The soci al situations touched by HIV are many and complex, and each may require different and often apparently conflicting behavioural decisions. Situations and choices may change with time and affect individuals differently as they move through life. He alth care workers should recognize and be sympathetic to the above, and design intervention programs which are situationally and culturally appropriate, and respond directly to the expressed needs of particular groups and to the cultural dynamics characteristic of th eir local environment. Although the points made have universal applicability, the illustrati ve context is that of KwaZulu Natal in South Africa. The problem of identifying barriers to behaviour change Surveying the growing literature on condom use, or non-use, in South Africa leaves one with a growing sense of discontinuity and contradiction. Conflicting evidence is reported for the same region; single studies show little consistency, ei ther in attitudes to condoms, or in reported protective behaviour; and attempts to map change on a broader scale have so far failed to provide a coherent picture of trends in risk avoidance. Cautious reports of increased condom use tend, unfortunately, to be restricted to highly motiv ated and often relatively educated and atypical sections of wider populations and success in cond om intervention programs has, by and large, only followed extensive peer group support and, often, resource-intensive group counselling (Hadden 1997a, b). Even where there is evidence that attitudinal resistance to condoms is decreasing significantly, this is i nvariably weakened by the observation that actual use tends to be inconsistent and decreases with time. A number of the contributions to this volume illustrate the above points only too well. Varga (this volume Chapter 2), for instance, while noting signs of a growing willingness of some young black South Africans to acknowledge the importance, and even the acceptability, of condom use, is uncertain of the extent to which th is change is translated into action. Her data, furthermore, illustrate a point which is beginning to cause concern among health care providers: this is the possibility that advo cating (and even carrying) condoms may be taken as evidence, not only of having a number of sexual partners, but of being HIV-positive. The latter point is reiterated by Meursing (this volume Chapter 3) who makes an otherwise positive assessment of
Hepatitis A: Detection by Immune Electron Microscopy of a Viruslike Antigen Associated with Acute Illness

Spherical 27-nanometer particles were visualized in stools obtained from hepatitis A patients in the acute phase of the disease. The particle was serologically specific for this disease, and every hepatitis A patient tested demonstrated a serologic response to this antigen. The findings suggest that it is the etiologic agent of hepatitis A.
Rheological, mechanical and morphological properties of poly(methyl methacrylate)/poly(ethylene terephthalate) blend with dual reactive interfacial compatibilization

In this work, the rheological, mechanical and morphological behavior of immiscible blend poly (methyl methacrylate) with elastomeric particles (PMMAelast) and post-consumer poly (ethylene terephthalate) (PET) with and without the use of the interfacial compatibilizer poly (methyl methacrylate-co-glycidyl methacrylate-co-ethyl acrylate) (MGE) was studied. The significant increase in torque presented in rheological analyses has shown a indication of chemical reactions between the epoxy group of MGE with end groups of PET chains and also with the elastomeric phase of PMMAelast. The increased concentration of PET yielded an increase in maximum strength and elasticity modulus and a decrease in elongation at break. The PMMAelast/PET binary blend (50/50 wt%) and PMMAelast/PET/MGE compatibilized blend (65/30/5 wt%) showed pronounced results in elongation at break compared to PMMAelast, whereas, in the first results were due to the evidence of a co-continuous morphological structure and in the second, due to the efficiency of the dual reactive interfacial compatibilization of PMMAelast/PET blends. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) analyses showed that PMMAelast/PET/MGE blends exhibit complex phase morphology due to the presence of elastomeric particles in the PMMAelast copolymer and in the use of MGE terpolymer.
Visual fish tracking: Combining a two-stage graph approach with CNN-features

Video based underwater monitoring is used by a growing number of marine researchers to observe changes in the ecosystem over time. Especially the analysis of water organisms such as fish gives important information about the health-state of our oceans. Videos of fish communities can be collected in a large scale but the manual analysis by human experts is slow and expensive. Therefore, automatic methods for fish video analysis are required to make use of all collected data. In this paper we investigate computer vision approaches for visual multi-object tracking of fish in their unrestricted natural environment. Our focus is on a two-stage graph approach that uses activations of a convolutional neural network (CNN) to model object appearance. Evaluation results show that the examined two-stage graph tracking approaches have a higher tracking accuracy and are much faster than state of the art in fish tracking.
Seminal vesicles and urinary bladder as sites of aromatization of androgens in men, evidenced by a CYP19A1‐driven luciferase reporter mouse and human tissue specimens

The human CYP19A1 gene is expressed in various tissues by the use of tissue‐specific promoters, whereas the rodent cyp19a1 gene is expressed mainly in the gonads and brain. We generated a transgenic mouse model containing a >100‐kb 5′ region of human CYP19A1 gene connected to a luciferase reporter gene. The luciferase activity in mouse tissues mimicked the CYP19A1 gene expression pattern in humans. Interestingly, the reporter gene activity was 16 and 160 times higher in the urinary bladder and seminal vesicles, respectively, as compared with the activity in the testis. Accordingly, CYP19A1 gene and P450arom protein expression was detected in those human tissues. Moreover, the data revealed that the expression of CYP19A1 gene is driven by promoters PII, I.4, and I.3 in the seminal vesicles, and by promoters PII and I.4 in the urinary bladder. Furthermore, the reporter gene expression in the seminal vesicles was androgen dependent: Castration decreased the expression ~20 times, and testosterone treatment restored it to the level of an intact mouse. This reporter mouse model facilitates studies of tissue‐specific regulation of the human CYP19A1 gene, and our data provide evidence for seminal vesicles as important sites for estrogen production in males. —Strauss, L. , Rantakari, P., Sjögren, K. , Salminen, A. , Lauren, E. , Kallio, J., Damdimopoulou, P., Boström, M. , Boström, P. J., Pakarinen, P., Zhang, F. P., Kujala, P., Ohlsson, C. , Mäkelä, S. , Poutanen, M. Seminal vesicles and urinary bladder as sites of aromatization of androgens in men, evidenced by a CYP19A1‐driven luciferase reporter mouse and human tissue specimens. FASEB J. 27, 1342–1350 (2013). www.fasebj. org
Professional Commitment of Financial Planners in Australia: An Examination

The purpose of this paper is to examine the demographic variables of age and gender in conjunction with three independent variables: Internal versus external locus of control personality dimension, individualist versus collectivist personality dimension, and perceived environmental uncertainty and to relate same to the professional commitment (PC) of financial planners in Australia. A questionnaire was used to survey a sample of 312 financial planners nationally, with a 36% response rate and statistically significant results. At the 95% confidence level (p=0.05) respondents over the age of 35 demonstrated no difference between their levels of professional commitment than did those under the age of 35, while at the same level of confidence, females demonstrated no statistically significant difference in their level of PC than did their male counterparts. Respondents with an external locus of control displayed lower levels of PC (p=0.05), than those with an internal locus of control but these were not statistically significant. These findings contribute to our understanding of the professional commitment of financial planners, and are important from a public policy perspective in an era of increasing attention to, and likely increased regulation of, the financial planning industry.
Symptom profiles of psychiatric disorders based on graded disease classes: an illustration using data from the WHO International Pilot Study of Schizophrenia

Synopsis The Grade of Membership (GoM) model is a classification procedure which allows a person to be a member of more than one diagnostic class. It simultaneously quantifies the degrees of membership in classes while generating the discrete symptom profiles or ‘pure types’ describing classes. The model was applied to the symptomatology, history, and follow-up of 1065 cases in the WHO International Pilot Study of Schizophrenia. The model produced an eight diagnostic class or ‘pure type’ solution, of which five were related to the diagnostic concepts of schizophrenia and paranoid disorder, two types were affective disorders, and one asymptomatic type. A subtype of paranoid schizophreniform disorder found primarily in developing countries was identified. There was a strong association between pure types and the original clinical and computer generated (CATEGO) diagnoses. A GoM based psychiatric classification might more clearly identify core disease processes than conventional classification models by filtering the confounding effects of individual heterogeneity from pure type definitions.
Funding quality pre-kindergarten slots with Philadelphia’s new ‘sugary drink tax’: simulating effects of using an excise tax to address a social determinant of health

Abstract Objective Philadelphia passed a 1·5-cent-per-ounce sweetened beverage tax (SBT). Revenue will fund 10 000 quality pre-kindergarten slots for poor children. It is imperative to understand how revenue from SBT can be used to fund programmes to address education and other social determinants of health. The objective of the present study was to simulate quality pre-kindergarten attendance, educational achievement and sugar-sweetened beverage (SSB) consumption among Philadelphia children and adolescents under six intervention scenarios: (i) no intervention; (ii) 10 000 additional quality pre-kindergarten slots; (iii) a 1·5-cent-per-ounce SBT; (iv) expanded pre-kindergarten and 1·5-cent-per-ounce SBT; (v) a 3-cent-per-ounce SBT; and (vi) expanded pre-kindergarten and 3-cent-per-ounce SBT. Design We used an agent-based model to estimate pre-kindergarten enrolment, educational achievement and SSB consumption under the six policy scenarios. We identified key parameters in the model from the published literature and secondary analyses of the Panel Study of Income Dynamics – Child Development Supplement. Setting Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA. Subjects Philadelphia children and adolescents aged 4–18 years. Results A 1·5-cents-per-ounce tax would reduce SSB consumption by 1·3 drinks/week among Philadelphia children and adolescents relative to no intervention, with larger effects among children below the poverty level. Quality pre-kindergarten expansion magnifies the effect of the SBT by 8 %, but has the largest effect on moderate-income children just above the poverty level. The SBT and quality pre-kindergarten programme each reduce SSB consumption, but primarily benefit different children and adolescents. Conclusions Pairing an excise tax with a complementary programme to improve a social determinant of health represents a progressive strategy to combat obesity, a disease regressive in its social patterning.
Effect of Time on the Adsorption of Methylene Blue , Methyl Orange and Indigo Carmine onto Activated Carbon

The effect of time on the adsorption of methylene blue (MB), methyl orange (MO) and indigo carmine(IG) from aqueous media onto activated carbon (AC) was monitored using two(2)similar experimental procedures. In the first procedure, 20mg of AC was interacted separately with 10cm 3 of 20ppm of each dye at residence time of 5, 10, 15, 20, 30, 45 and 60 minutes, while in the second procedure, 10mg of AC was interacted separately with 10cm 3 of 10ppm at residence time of 15, 30, 45 and 60 minutes respectively. From the results, MO was adsorbed more than the others while MB was the most time dependent of the three dyes. Results also showed that chemisorption was the predominant adsorption type, while the adsorption process was particle-diffusion controlled.
Blood pressure categories, hypertensive subtypes, and the metabolic syndrome

Background Elevated blood pressure (BP) is one element of metabolic syndrome (MetS); however, the relation of various BP categories and hypertension subtypes to the likelihood of having MetS is not well defined. Methods We determined the odds of MetS, defined by the National Cholesterol Education Program, in various BP categories from a cross-sectional study of 5968 individuals aged at least 18 years and untreated for hypertension (weighted to 124.7 million) in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, 1999–2002. Nonhypertensive BP categories were optimal, normal, and high-normal BP, according to JNC-VI classification. Hypertension consisted of three subtypes: isolated diastolic hypertension (IDH), systolic–diastolic hypertension (SDH), and isolated systolic hypertension (ISH). Results Among those with hypertension and MetS, 25.3% had IDH, 20.2% had SDH, and 54.5% had ISH. The MetS prevalence in nontreated persons was 5.8% for optimal BP, 9.1% for normal BP, 38.2% for high-normal BP, 45.9% for IDH, 44.3% for SDH, and 43.9% for ISH. Risk factor odds ratios (95% confidence intervals; reference group, optimal BP), adjusted for age, sex, total cholesterol, and smoking, were 1.6 (1.2–2.2) for normal BP, 9.4 (6.9–12.7) for high-normal BP, 14.7 (8.9–24.0) for IDH, 12.2 (7.2–20.8) for SDH, and 10.2 (7.0–14.9) for ISH (all P < 0.01); odds ratios were higher for women in all categories. Conclusions Despite having the lowest mean age, IDH subtype is associated with greatest likelihood of MetS. The high frequency of ISH in the hypertensive population, however, makes ISH the most common hypertensive subtype in persons with MetS.
A Monte Carlo solution of a two-dimensional unstructured cluster problem.

In recent years, many papers have appeared describing Monte Carlo techniques which have been applied to structured cluster problems (bond and site) on various twoand threedimensional lattices; see, for example, Frisch, Sonnenblick, Vyssotsky & Hammersley (1961), Frisch, Hammersley & Welsh (1962), Dean (1963). Estimates have been obtained for the expected cluster size, the probability that a point belongs to an infinite cluster, and the critical probability at which infinite clusters occur. In this paper we discuss a twodimensional unstructured cluster problem, i.e. one in which there is no underlying lattice structure as there is in the structured case. It is interesting to note the similarity between the structured and unstructured cases. Consider an infinite plane on which are scattered discs of radius R whose centres are points distributed according to the Poisson law with density A, i.e. the probability that the centre of a disc lies in a small area &A equals A &A + o(6A). A cluster of size n is defined as a set of n discs each of which overlaps at least one other member of the set and none of which overlaps a disc which is not a member of the set. Although the probability of a cluster of size n and the expected number of discs in a cluster depend on the two variables A and R, dimensional analysis suggests that they are functions of only one composite variable t = AR2. This can also be verified by evaluating the probability of a cluster of size n for small values of n. Let pn(t) be the probability of a non-zero cluster of size n, and let e(t) be the expected number of discs in a non-zero cluster. There exists a critical value t = tc at which e(t) becomes infinite (Gilbert, 1961). For t > t, infinite clusters occur. We obtain a graph of e(t) as a function of t and estimate t, by extrapolation. As in the structured cases the difficulties of a direct approach prove insurmountable and hence a Monte Carlo solution is used. Gilbert (1961) has considered this problem in relation to communication networks and the spread of contagious disease. He uses the notation E = 4lTt. He is interested in P,'(E), the probability that a particle belongs to an infinite cluster. This is clearly zero for E < E,. By approximating P,,(E) by PN(E) which is the probability that a particle belongs to a cluster of size N or more, and evaluating PN(E) by a Monte Carlo procedure, he obtains an estimate Ec = 3X2, te = 0255. Section 2 describes a Monte Carlo technique to evaluate e(t) and a graph of e(t) as a
Complement Receptor Mac-1 Is an Adaptor for NB1 (CD177)-mediated PR3-ANCA Neutrophil Activation*

The glycosylphosphatidylinositol (GPI)-anchored neutrophil-specific receptor NB1 (CD177) presents the autoantigen proteinase 3 (PR3) on the membrane of a neutrophil subset. PR3-ANCA-activated neutrophils participate in small-vessel vasculitis. Since NB1 lacks an intracellular domain, we characterized components of the NB1 signaling complex that are pivotal for neutrophil activation. PR3-ANCA resulted in degranulation and superoxide production in the mNB1pos/PR3high neutrophils, but not in the mNB1neg/PR3low subset, whereas MPO-ANCA and fMLP caused similar responses. The NB1 signaling complex that was precipitated from plasma membranes contained the transmembrane receptor Mac-1 (CD11b/CD18) as shown by MS/MS analysis and immunoblotting. NB1 co-precipitation was less for CD11a and not detectable for CD11c. NB1 showed direct protein-protein interactions with both CD11b and CD11a by surface plasmon resonance analysis (SPR). However, when these integrins were presented as heterodimeric transmembrane proteins on transfected cells, only CD11b/CD18 (Mac-1)-transfected cells adhered to immobilized NB1 protein. This adhesion was inhibited by mAb against NB1, CD11b, and CD18. NB1, PR3, and Mac-1 were located within lipid rafts. In addition, confocal microscopy showed the strongest NB1 co-localization with CD11b and CD18 on the neutrophil. Stimulation with NB1-activating mAb triggered degranulation and superoxide production in mNB1pos/mPR3high neutrophils, and this effect was reduced using blocking antibodies to CD11b. CD11b blockade also inhibited PR3-ANCA-induced neutrophil activation, even when β2-integrin ligand-dependent signals were omitted. We establish the pivotal role of the NB1-Mac-1 receptor interaction for PR3-ANCA-mediated neutrophil activation.
Efficient Acquisition Rules for Model-Based Approximate Bayesian Computation

Approximate Bayesian computation (ABC) is a method for Bayesian inference when the likelihood is unavailable but simulating from the model is possible. However, many ABC algorithms require a large number of simulations, which can be costly. To reduce the computational cost, Bayesian optimisation (BO) and surrogate models such as Gaussian processes have been proposed. Bayesian optimisation enables one to intelligently decide where to evaluate the model next but common BO strategies are not designed for the goal of estimating the posterior distribution. Our paper addresses this gap in the literature. We propose to compute the uncertainty in the ABC posterior density, which is due to a lack of simulations to estimate this quantity accurately, and define a loss function that measures this uncertainty. We then propose to select the next evaluation location to minimise the expected loss. Experiments show that the proposed method often produces the most accurate approximations as compared to common BO strategies.
Discomfort experienced after immediate implant placement associated with three different regenerative techniques.

OBJECTIVES To assess patient discomfort in terms of pain, swelling and bleeding following immediate implant placement in molar regions using one of three regenerative techniques. METHODS Ninety-two patients (44 women and 48 men; mean age 50 years [range 23-77], 35 smokers and 57 non-smokers) in need of a single implant crown to replace a molar were included. After placing the implant large periimplant defects were present. These defects were treated either with autologous bone (AB) chips, Ossix membrane (OM) or a combination of AB chips and OM. The postoperative course was recorded on 100 mm visual analogue scales (VAS) with extreme end points for the level of pain on the day of surgery, 1, 2 and 3 days postoperatively (no/extreme pain); swelling on the day of surgery, 1, 2 and 3 days postoperatively (no/severe swelling); and bleeding from the wound on the day of surgery, 1, 2 and 3 days postoperatively (no/severe bleeding). RESULTS Pain peaked 5-6 h postoperatively (mean VAS=25). Swelling (mean VAS=62) and oozing from the wound (mean VAS=13) peaked 1 day postoperatively. There were no significant differences in the perception of pain, swelling or oozing from the wound between the three regenerative groups. The VAS score for pain was higher for smokers than for non-smokers at all times; a significant difference was found from 1 day until 3 days postoperatively (0.011<P<0.048). All pain scores, except the score for the day of the operation, were significantly higher in younger (<50 years) than in older patients (≥50 years) (0.002≤P≤0.49). CONCLUSIONS Patients experienced little to moderate pain in combination with marginally severe swelling and mild oozing after immediate implant placement in molar regions involving regenerative techniques. Being a smoker was associated with more pain in contrast to being >50 years, which was associated with less pain.
Tunneling ionization in the multiphoton regime.

Data on the threshold ionization intensities of rare-gas atoms with 248-nm irradiation in the 10 13 −10 16 -W/cm 2 range of intensity are presented in the context of models involving tunneling ionization. Comparison is also made with the full Keldysh theory. It is shown that, although the experimental conditions fall well outside the tunneling regime as defined by the Keldysh theory, these relatively simple pictures accurately predict the threshold ionization intensities observed under the conditions studied. The main deviation of these results from the keldysh theory occurs for the heavier elements at high charge states
Steroid effects on the in vitro LH secretion from pituitary cells of sexually immature carp (Cyprinus carpio L.) under the influence of naltrexone and morphine.

Dispersed cells from sexually immature carp (footlings) pituitaries were exposed to estradiol (E 2 ) or testosterone (T) (both at 3 × 10 -8 M) in the presence of opioid receptor antagonist naltrexone (10 -8 or 10 -6 M) and/or agonist - morphine (10 -8 or 10 -6 M). Naltrexone alone at 10 -6 M increased the LH level as compared with the control. Morphine (10 -8 or 10 -6 M), T and E 2 had no influence on LH levels. The com - bination of T with naltrexone (10 -8 M) stimulated LH release if compared with the control or with T alone. Morphine (both concentrations) with T caused significantly higher LH secretion than the control medium and T alone. Estradiol with naltrexone (10 -8 and 10 -6 M) had no influence on LH concentration. In media with E 2 and morphine (10 -8 M) LH levels were higher than in the control and estradiol alone. The results show that in common carp sex steroids affect the response of pituitary cells to opioid agonist or antagonist giving an evidence on the role of steroids in LH release mediated by the opioid system.