Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Status of aflatoxin contamination in cow milk produced in smallholder dairy farms in urban and peri-urban areas of Nairobi County: a case study of Kasarani sub county, Kenya

ABSTRACT Introduction: Milk consumption in Kenya supersedes other countries in East Africa. However, milk contamination with aflatoxin M1 (AFM1) is common, but the magnitude of this exposure and the health risks are poorly understood and need to be monitored routinely. This study aimed at assessing the awareness, knowledge and practices of urban and peri-urban farmers about aflatoxins and determining the levels of aflatoxin contamination in on-farm milk in a selected area within Nairobi County. Materials and methods: A cross-sectional study was undertaken to assess aflatoxin contamination levels of milk in Kasarani sub-county. A total of 84 milk samples were collected from small-holder dairy farms and analyzed for AFM1 using Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay (ELISA). Results and Discussion: Ninety nine percent of the samples (83/84) analysed were contaminated with AFM1. The mean aflatoxin level was 84 ng/kg with 64% of the samples exceeding the EU legal limit of 50 ng/kg. Whereas 80% of the farmers were aware of aflatoxin, there was no correlation between farmers’ knowledge and gender with AFM1 prevalence. Conclusion: This study concludes that AFM1 is a frequent contaminant in milk and there is need to enhance farmers awareness on mitigation.
Stroke in the 21st Century: A Snapshot of the Burden, Epidemiology, and Quality of Life

Stroke is ranked as the second leading cause of death worldwide with an annual mortality rate of about 5.5 million. Not only does the burden of stroke lie in the high mortality but the high morbidity also results in up to 50% of survivors being chronically disabled. Thus stroke is a disease of immense public health importance with serious economic and social consequences. The public health burden of stroke is set to rise over future decades because of demographic transitions of populations, particularly in developing countries. This paper provides an overview of stroke in the 21st century from a public health perspective.
The effect of glucomannan on pregnancy constipation

Introduction: Constipation is a common complication among pregnant women; it refers to hard and infrequent bowel movements where the stools defected from body becomes hard and dry, as well. various medical interventions are nowadays implemented to treat constipation, Some of which are either banned or not willingly implemented by pregnant women; thus, doctors try to avoid such methods. Glucomannan, a combination of a few simple sugars, is an effective substance for treating constipation. According to the results of studies conducted in this area, glucomannan has been greatly welcomed and approved by pregnant women. Thus, the present study was conducted to investigate the effect of glucomannan on pregnancy constipation and to compare it with other common treatment methods. Materials and Methods: This study is a clinical trial in which 64 pregnant women with constipation were investigated in the two groups of intervention and control (32 participants in each group). All participants were in their third trimester of pregnancy. The intervention group was treated with glucomannan, while the control group was treated with magnesium hydroxide. After 1 month, the participants were investigated and the questionnaires were responded to. The collected data were analyzed using the SPSS software and Chi-square tests. Results: The post-treatment frequency of bowel repulses increased in both the groups. However, the increase was different in the two groups. About 75% of the participants in the glucomannan group reported having at least 6 times of bowel movements. Moreover, 25% of the participants in the glucomannan group reported having >6 times of bowel movements. Using a Chi-square test, it was found that there is a significant difference between pre- and post-treatment frequency of bowel movements per week (P = 0.002). Moreover, there was a significant difference between the post-intervention frequency of bowel movements in the two groups (P = 0.001). Discussion: In the present study, it was attempted to investigate the effect of glucomannan on pregnancy constipation. The findings indicated that glucomannan is likely to improve constipation symptoms in pregnancy and reduce pregnant women's complaints to a significant level through increasing the frequency of bowel movements and affecting the stool consistency. Conclusion: Along with other treatment methods, glucomannan is recommended as a healthy medicinal plant for treating pregnancy constipation.
A Theory of Satisfiability-Preserving Proofs in SAT Solving

We study the semantics of propositional interference-based proof systems such as DRAT and DPR. These are characterized by modifying a CNF formula in ways that preserve satisfiability but not necessarily logical truth. We propose an extension of propositional logic called overwrite logic with a new construct which captures the meta-level reasoning behind interferences. We analyze this new logic from the point of view of expressivity and complexity, showing that while greater expressivity is achieved, the satisfiability problem for overwrite logic is essentially as hard as SAT, and can be reduced in a way that is well-behaved for modern SAT solvers. We also show that DRAT and DPR proofs can be seen as overwrite logic proofs which preserve logical truth. This much stronger invariant than the mere satisfiability preservation maintained by the traditional view gives us better understanding on these practically important proof systems. Finally, we showcase this better understanding by finding intrinsic limitations in interference-based proof systems.
The Triguarded Fragment of First-Order Logic

Past research into decidable fragments of first-order logic (FO) has produced two very prominent fragments: the guarded fragment GF, and the two-variable fragment FO. These fragments are of crucial importance because they provide significant insights into decidability and expressiveness of other (computational) logics like Modal Logics (MLs) and various Description Logics (DLs), which play a central role in Verification, Knowledge Representation, and other areas. In this paper, we take a closer look at GF and FO, and present a new fragment that subsumes them both. This fragment, called the triguarded fragment (denoted TGF), is obtained by relaxing the standard definition of GF: quantification is required to be guarded only for subformulae with three or more free variables. We show that, in the absence of equality, satisfiability in TGF is N2ExpTime-complete, but becomes NExpTime-complete if we bound the arity of predicates by a constant (a natural assumption in the context of MLs and DLs). Finally, we observe that many natural extensions of TGF, including the addition of equality, lead to undecidability.
Clinical and Laboratory Investigations Antibiotic-resistant acne: lessons from Europe

Division of Microbiology, School of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Leeds, Leeds LS2 9JT, U.K. *Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Bradford, U.K. †Department of Dermatology, Leeds General Infirmary, U.K. ‡Department of Dermatology, University of Ferrara, Ferrara, Italy §Department of Dermatology, A.Sygros Hospital, Athens, Greece –Clinic of Dermatology, Malaga, Spain **Department of Dermatology, Akademiska Hospital, Uppsala, Sweden ††Department of Dermatology, County Hospital, Kecskemét, Hungary
A Prevalence of Witches: Witchcraft and Popular Culture in the Making of a Yoruba Town

This paper considers two instances of witchcraft representation. The first is a representation that develops from the author’s fieldwork and his own experience of witnessing a witchcraft trail. The second is in Nigerian graphic comics that were popular in the 1990s and which to an extent influenced the current form of popular Nigerian soap opera and video films. This paper contrasts attitudes toward witchcraft in the Ekiti Yoruba town of Ikole outlining the multiplicity of moral attitudes toward witchcraft among the various constituents of the town, and the way that these generate local understandings of the town’s identity.
Wanneer planten, wanneer een TEELT beëindigen? : effecten van start- en eindtijdstip van de teelt van komkommer, paprika en tomaat op productie en energiegebruik

n de vruchtgroenteteelt wordt over het algemeen in november of december geplant. Dit zijn, samen met de maand januari, gemiddeld de donkerste en koudste maanden van het jaar. Dat betekent dat er veel energie nodig is om de kas op temperatuur te houden en dat de planten weinig groei (drogestof toename) vertonen door de lage hoeveelheid licht. In de afgelopen jaren zijn de energieprijzen sterk gestegen. De vraag is dan ook of de huidige manier van inrichting van de teelt nog wel de meest geschikte is. In opdracht van PT en LNV is door Wageningen UR Glastuinbouw onderzoek gedaan om na te gaan of het nog wel het meest gunstig is om na een teeltwisseling van 2 tot 4 weken in december met een nieuwe teelt te starten. Ook is gekeken wat er in het teeltconcept veranderd moet worden als er met de teeltstart geschoven wordt. Dit is gedaan voor onbelichte teelten tomaat, paprika en komkommer. Ontwikkeling jong gewas Een teelt start met het planten van een jong gewas. Voor de (vroege) productie is het van belang dat het jonge gewas zich snel ontwikkelt tot het een LAI van ongeveer 3 heeft bereikt, waarmee het alle licht dat in de kas valt kan onderscheppen. Bij een hogere temperatuur splitsen bladeren zich sneller af. Bij paprika en tomaat wordt de ontwikkelingssnelheid niet door licht bepaald, bij komkommer wel. Meer licht zorgt dat er meer assimilaten beschikbaar zijn voor het jonge gewas. Dat leidt tot grotere en dikkere bladeren. Het effect van CO2 is vergelijkbaar met dat van licht, maar dan minder sterk. Bij een hogere luchtvochtigheid worden over het algemeen iets grotere en dunnere bladeren gevormd. Op deze manier wordt de gevormde droge stof efficient gebruikt om snel tot een grotere lichtonderschepping te komen. Om een jong gewas te planten is het voorjaar een gunstiger seizoen dan de winter, vanwege de hogere lichtniveaus. Er moet in het voorjaar nog wel gestookt worden om de temperatuur op een gewenst niveau te houden en gezorgd worden voor voldoende CO2 in de kas en bij voorkeur een hoge RV aan het begin van de teelt. Een groot voordeel van het voorjaar is dat het assimilatenaanbod in de pas loopt met de assimilatenvraag. Beiden lopen op bij het planten van een jong gewas in het voorjaar.
The limits of statistical significance of Hawkes processes fitted to financial data

Many fits of Hawkes processes to financial data look rather good but most of them are not statistically significant. This raises the question of what part of market dynamics this model is able to account for exactly. We document the accuracy of such processes as one varies the time interval of calibration and compare the performance of various types of kernels made up of sums of exponentials. Because of their around-the-clock opening times, FX markets are ideally suited to our aim as they allow us to avoid the complications of the long daily overnight closures of equity markets. One can achieve statistical significance according to three simultaneous tests provided that one uses kernels with two exponentials for fitting an hour at a time, and two or three exponentials for full days, while longer periods could not be fitted within statistical satisfaction because of the non-stationarity of the endogenous process. Fitted timescales are relatively short and endogeneity factor is high but sub-critical at about 0.8.
General practice-based intervention for suspecting and detecting dementia in France

The study evaluated the impact of a general practice-based intervention on 3021 patients in France aged 75 years and above with spontaneous memory complaints. The objective was to identify evocative signs of Alzheimer's disease through a cluster randomized controlled trial. The study involved 681 general practitioners (GPs), randomly selected and assigned to an intervention (n = 352) or a control group (n = 329), and 214 specialists. The intervention group participated in training sessions relating to dementia diagnosis and the use of brief neuropsychological tests suited to general practice. The control group dispensed usual general practitioner care. The primary outcome was suspicion of dementia by GPs. The secondary outcome was accurate detection of dementia by the GPs. Most patients (96%) were already followed by the GPs (mean follow-up duration 10.8 years, similar in both groups). Suspicion of dementia was two-fold higher for GPs in the intervention group (adjusted OR = 1.99, p < 0.0001). Probability of suspected dementia increased with patient age and decreased with educational level. However the positive predictive value was not significantly different between the two groups (60.9% vs. 64.4%, p = 0.41). GPs from the intervention group also had a higher probability (adjusted OR = 2.24, p = 0.01) of correctly detecting demented patients (intervention did not increase the number of diagnosed cases of dementia, but increased the number of suspected cases that were later confirmed by specialists). The study showed that information on dementia and application of simple psychometric tests could improve the precision of a GP's diagnosis without changing the efficacy of detection of dementia.
A comparative study of the diagnosis of pulmonary tuberculosis using conventional tools and polymerase chain reaction

The sensitivity of Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) makes it a potential diagnostic test for detection of M. tuberculosis in samples with low bacillary load. The aim was to assess the efficiency of PCR as compared to routine diagnostics in detection of M. tuberculosis from sputum samples of suspects referred to a tuberculosis clinic and those identified during a morbidity survey. Respiratory samples (sputum with or without saliva) from 144 individuals were examined by PCR using MPB64 primers culture and microscopy. 97 samples were from suspects referred to a tuberculosis clinic 26 were from suspects identified during a morbidity survey and 21 were from patients with diseases other than tuberculosis. Study was conducted blind. Total cases considered to be positive for tuberculosis by all criteria was 71. PCR detected 98% of culture positive 97% of smear positive culture positive and 100% of smear negative culture positive samples. PCR was also positive for 86% of smear negative samples from tuberculosis suspects diagnosed on the basis of other routine diagnostics and supporting clinical evidence. Seventeen samples were positive only by PCR but based on clinical parameters only 7 were considered as true positives. The sensitivity of PCR was 91.5% compared to 51% for smear microscopy and 68% for sputum culture. This was due to the fact that PCR could pick up bacterial DNA even from saliva mixed sputum specimens which are generally not considered appropriate for microbiology. The specificity of PCR (86%) was found to be lower than other diagnostic tests mainly due to lack of a suitable gold standard to assess its efficiency. This is an important limitation in evaluation of the test. PCR using MPB64 primers has potential and can be a useful adjunct to diagnose clinical tuberculosis particularly in smear negative paucibacillary cases. However the major limitation of PCR results from the absence of a suitable gold standard by which to evaluate the results. (authors)
A comparative study of cardiovascular autonomic functions in healthy urban postmenopausal women

Background and Objectives: Menopause marks the period of many changes in women. The risk of cardiovascular disease increases after menopause. The autonomic nervous system responsible for control of many visceral functions is under the influence of female reproductive hormones. Hormonal changes after menopause bring alteration in these functions. This study was aimed to assess the physiological changes in the cardiovascular autonomic functions in healthy urban postmenopausal women. Material and Methods: 72 healthy women were chosen for the study. They were divided into 2 groups of 36each, control group (premenopausal) and Study group (postmenopausal). The parasympathetic function tests included the Heart rate response to postural change (30:15 ratio) heart rate variation during deep breathing(I-E difference), Heart rate response to valsalva maneuver (VR) and the sympathetic function tests like the blood pressure response to the Isometric handgrip (IHG) and the Blood pressure response to standing (BPS) were done in the control and study subjects. Results: By the student ‘t’ test, we found the significant difference in mean of the heart rate response to deep breathing, the 30:15 ratio, the valsalva ratio and the IHG test, between premenopausal and postmenopausal women, with a ‘p’ value
JAK 2V617F Mutation: Frequency and Relation to Clinical and Laboratory Features of BCR-ABL Negative Myeloproliferative Diseases

In this study, we planned to investigate frequency of the JAK2 V617F mutation and it’s relation with clinical and laboratory findings of BCR-ABL negative myeloproliferative diseases (MPD) which consist of polycythemia vera (PV), essential thrombocythemia (ET) and idiopathic myelofibrosis (IMF). Totally 65 patients were included in the study which composed of 28 (43.1 %) PV, 29 (44 %) ET and 8 (12.3 %) IMF patients. Forty one (63%) patients were female and 24 (37%) were male. Mean age of patients was 64.02±12.42. Frequency of the JAK2V617F mutation was found in 25 (89.3%) of PV, 18 (62.1%) of ET and 2 (25%) of IMF patients. We found no difference in gender and frequency of thrombosis, constitutional symptoms, pruritus, hemorrhage, splenomegaly, bone marrow fibrosis, cytoreductive treatment requirement, arterial/venous thrombosis between JAK2 V617F mutated and unmutated PV and ET and IMF patients. When compared homozygous and heterozygous JAK2 V617F mutated PV and ET patients according to these variables, there was no significant difference. There were no statistically significant difference in Hemoglobin (Hb), hematocrit (HCT), leukocyte, lactate dehidrogenase (LDH), EPO and ferritin levels between JAK2 V617F mutated and unmutated PV and ET patients. HCT levels and leukocyte counts were significantly higher in JAK2 V617F mutated than unmutated IMF patients (p=0.046, p=0.046). Other variables were not found different. Comprehensive prospective studies are necessary for determining the relationship of the JAK2 V617F mutation with clinical and laboratory findings .
The role of TNF-α and TNF-β gene polymorphism in the pathogenesis of Rheumatoid Arthritis

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a chronic systemic inflammatory disorder of unknown etiology that affects the synovial membrane of multiple joints. The clinical presentation of RA may vary from mild to severe with excessive erosions of periarticular bone leading to the loss of functional capacity. Both genetic and environmental factors are important in the development of this disorder. The genetic contribution to susceptibility for RA is underlined by a three -to four-fold higher concordance percentage for clinically expressed disease in monozygotic twins compared to dizygotic twins. The severity and long term outcome of RA have also been related to various genetic factors. Tumor necrosis factor (TNF), a pro-inflammatory cytokine, is involved in the pathogenesis of a variety of autoimmune disorders, including RA. A large number of studies have been undertaken to determine the role of TNF-α promoter polymorphisms in the pathogenesis of RA. On the other hand few attempts have been made to identify the association between TNF-α (lymphotoxin-alfa) polymorphism and RA. In this narrative review of published literature, an attempt has been made to determine the association between TNF-α promoter polymorphisms at positions –308, –238, –489, –857, –863 and TNF-β at +252 with respect to susceptibility to and severity of RA, as well as response to drug therapy. In spite of intra-and inter-ethnic variations, analysis of data suggests a significant role of TNF-α/TNF-β polymorphisms in determining the susceptibility/severity of RA and responsiveness to anti - TNF drug therapy. The TNF gene polymorphisms may be an interesting target for novel strategies to prevent RA and/or in its early treatment. Further studies using larger samples are needed to pinpoint the regulatory polymorphisms or haplotypes and their effects on the development of certain manifestations in RA.
Prevalence and attitudes of smoking among secondary school teachers in Hadramout coastal districts, Yemen

A descriptive KAP study about smoking was conducted in all the ten secondary schools in Hadramout coastal districts during October 2004 – April 2005 and a total of 317 teachers were enrolled in the study (182 male, 135 female teachers). The findings revealed that about 8% of the teachers were smokers; all smokers were males (prevalence 14%). Only 10% of teachers had received training to limit smoking among students, and 27% had educational materials about harmful effects of smoking. The study concluded that low smoking prevalence, good knowledge and attitudes of teachers, especially female teachers, toward smoking may offer a chance for smoking prevention strategies in secondary schools.
Contraceptive risk-taking among substance-using women

Substance-using women use contraception less frequently than do women in the general population, and as a result have higher numbers of unplanned pregnancies. In addition, substance-using women regularly utilize abortion as a means for controlling their number of births. A number of factors complicate this phenomenon, including sex-for-drugs exchanges. This study analyzed data from interviews with women receiving substance abuse treatment in San Francisco, CA. Interviews explored behaviors associated with contraception and abortion as well as complicating factors surrounding prostitution. The existing literature in this area lacks theoretical insight into these behaviors. In this article, the Theory of Contraceptive Risk Taking (TCRT) is used to explore the behaviors of this sample. The TCRT predicts that contraceptive risk-taking (i.e. not using contraception) will occur after a woman navigates a series of steps in a decision-making process, including weighing costs and benefits of contraception and pregnancy, estimating her probability of becoming pregnant, and measuring her ability to obtain an abortion should her risk be unsuccessful. The participants identified many costs of contraception. The theory largely explained the behavior of this sample, except that pregnancy costs and benefits were overlooked. Implications for social work include eliminating logistical barriers to contraception and increasing benefits to contraception by offering financial incentives to use.
Brexpiprazole in the Treatment of Major Depressive Disorder

Brexpiprazole, a novel atypical antipsychotic agent, has recently been approved as an adjunctive treatment for major depressive disorder (MDD) when monotherapy only provides a partial response. The mechanism of action is likely related to its partial agonist activity at D2 and 5-HT1A receptors, as well as potent 5-HT2A antagonist effects. The purpose of this systematic review is to provide a detailed overview available evidence on its role in treating MDD, based on all clinical publications in the English language between January 1, 2014 and April 30, 2017 identified from PubMed, Google Scholar, Scopus, Web of Science, PsycINFO, and ClinicalTrials.gov. Two primary pivotal trials are reviewed in detail and a further 10 supporting reviews and open-label studies are discussed. Brexpiprazole is compared with aripiprazole according to pharmacologic and clinical activities. Overall, this appears to be a useful antidepressant adjunctive therapy with a favorable side effect profile and comparable efficacy with ex.