Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
High Capacity Prismatic Type Layered Electrode with Anionic Redox Activity as an Efficient Cathode Material and PVdF/SiO2 Composite Membrane for a Sodium Ion Battery

A prismatic type layered Na2/3Ni1/3Mn2/3O2 cathode material for a sodium ion battery is prepared via two different methods viz., the solid state and sol–gel method with dissimilar surface morphology and a single phase crystal structure. It shows tremendous electrochemical chattels when studied as a cathode for a sodium-ion battery of an initial specific discharge capacity of 244 mAh g−1 with decent columbic efficiency of 98% up to 250 cycles, between the voltage range from 1.8 to 4.5 V (Na+/Na) at 0.1 C under room temperature. It is much higher than its theoretical value of 173 mAh g−1 and also than in the earlier reports (228 m Ah g−1). The full cell containing this material exhibits 800 mAh g−1 at 0.1 C and withstands until 1000 cycles with the discharge capacity of 164 mAh g−1. The surpassing capacity was expected by the anionic (oxygen) redox process, which elucidates the higher capacity based on the charge compensation phenomenon.
Could Accidental Ischemic Attacks Protect Against Subsequent Ischemic Reperfusion Injury

C l i n M e d International Library Citation: Mohamed MSA (2015) Could Accidental Ischemic Attacks Protect Against Subsequent Ischemic Reperfusion Injury? Int J Transplant Res Med 1:009 Received: July 27, 2015: Accepted: August 17, 2015: Published: August 20, 2015 Copyright: © 2015 Mohamed MSA. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited. Mohamed. Int J Transplant Res Med 2015, 1:2
STUDY THE EFFICIENCY OF ALUM COAGULANT IN FLUORIDE REMOVAL FROM DRINKING WATER

Fluoride and its compound widely utilize in industries which disseminate in the environment through wastewater. Present study was conducted with the aim of studying the yield of alum coagulant in fluoride removal from drinking water. Present study was conducted as experimental in laboratory scale. Experiments were conducted based on variables such as fluoride concentration (3, 5, 7 and 10 mg/l), alum concentration (50, 100, 150, 200, 250, 300 and 900 mg/l), contact time (15, 30 and 45 min) and pH (6, 7, 8 and 9). Fluoride concentration measured by spectrophotometer and data analyzed using Excel software. Increasing alum coagulant concentration and contact time, fluoride removal efficiency increased, so that maximum removal rate achieved in 300 mg/l alum concentration, 45 min contact time and pH value of 6. Also, removal efficiency decreased by increasing fluoride content, since maximum removal efficiency obtained at 3 mg/l fluoride concentration at 900 mg/l alum concentration. Fluorine removal efficiency increased by increasing contact time and alum concentration and decreased by increasing fluoride initial concentration and pH value. Results showed that aluminum sulfate coagulant having acceptable efficiency, easy operation and access could be efficient way for fluoride removal from aqueous environments.
Exploring Validity and Reliability of U.S. Adult Food Security Module (AFSSM) among Malay Young Adult

Food insecurity problem is growing public health concern worldwide. Thus, the estimation of the prevalence of food insecurity especially among the younger generation is important. Hence, reliable and valid instrument to access it prevalence is needed especially in Malaysia. A cross-sectional study consisted of n=149 participants were selected. The Cronbach’s alpha and exploratory factor analysis were done to evaluate reliability and validity of the questionnaire. Cronbach’s alpha coefficient indicated acceptable internal consistency for all scores. Exploratory factor analysis showed low-to-high loading. The U.S. food security module is reliable and valid to assess the prevalence of food insecurity among young Malay population. © 2016. The Authors. Published for AMER ABRA by e-International Publishing House, Ltd., UK. Peer–review under responsibility of AMER (Association of Malaysian Environment-Behaviour Researchers), ABRA (Association of Behavioural Researchers on Asians) and cE-Bs (Centre for Environment-Behaviour Studies, Faculty of Architecture, Planning & Surveying, Universiti Teknologi MARA, Malaysia. Keywords: Validity; reliability; food security; young adult
Functional analysis of the mouse CBP gene in the adult central nervous system

CBP (CREB-binding protein) was originally characterized as a transcriptional coactivator of CREB (cAMP response element-binding protein) which is implicated in many processes including the formation of long-term memory. CBP itself is regulated by nuclear Ca2+ and Ca2+/Calmodulin kinase IV, suggesting a crucial role in synaptic plasticity. Mutations in human CBP gene are associated with the Rubinstein-Taybi syndrome (RTS) characterized by mental retardation and patterning abnormalities. These features suggest that CBP plays a central role in cAMP-mediated gene expression, which in turn is implicated in the formation of long-term memory. The expression patterns of CBP and its homologue p300 were analyzed. Both are expressed in most of forebrain areas, with particularly high expression in the hippocampus. Parts of the mouse CBP gene were characterized. Six exons encode the CREB-binding domain (CBD). Two gene targeting experiments were performed to generate mouse lines with mutations in the CBP gene. The first was a deletion of the CBD exon 2, resulting in a frameshift and, thus, a truncated CBP protein (CBPstop523). In the second experiment, a point mutation was aimed to be introduced in the CBD exon 5 (CBPTyr658Ala). After germline transmission, three mouse lines were obtained from CBPstop523 allele: CBD2+/-, a general deletion of the CBD exon 2; CBD2.floxed, which will be crossed with different Cre mouse lines for tissue-specific mutants; and CBD2.floxed. neo, which might be a hypomorphic allele due to the Neo cassette. For the construct CBPTyr658Ala none of the chimeras gave germline transmission, as apparently the splicing of the inverted allele was incorrect, possibly leading to strong reduction of vitality. Meantime, six CBP mutants were generated to elucidate functional domains of CBP in vitro: a deletion mutation CBPACBD2-5; CBPllOOaa, which was reported in mutant mice displaying RTS-like phenotypes; and a point mutation CBP658Ala, which was shown to be critical for interaction with phospho-CREB. The other three mutants retain different sizes of truncated N-terminal CBP and similar proteins were observed in RTS. Both CBP658Ala and CBPACBD2-5 interferred with the cAMP pathway, but not with nuclear receptor-mediated functions. RTS mutants showed strong inhibitory effects on the cAMP pathway.
Platelets from HIV-infected individuals on antiretroviral drug therapy with poor CD4+ T cell recovery can harbor replication-competent HIV despite viral suppression

In virally suppressed HIV-infected individuals on antiretroviral drug therapy, platelets harboring HIV correlate with poor immunological recovery. Hidden in plain sight Human platelets carry out several immune functions as well as hemostasis and interact with infectious pathogens including HIV in vitro. Real et al. now report that platelets from HIV-infected individuals can harbor replication-competent HIV, despite successful viral suppression by antiretroviral drug therapy (ART). Moreover, in their study, >80% of virally suppressed HIV-infected individuals with platelets containing HIV showed poor restoration of immune status even 1 year after ART treatment initiation. Platelets carrying HIV may provide an alternative pathway for HIV dissemination in HIV-infected individuals on ART with viral suppression and poor CD4+ T cell recovery. In addition to hemostasis, human platelets have several immune functions and interact with infectious pathogens including HIV in vitro. Here, we report that platelets from HIV-infected individuals on combined antiretroviral drug therapy (ART) with low blood CD4+ T cell counts (<350 cells/μl) contained replication-competent HIV despite viral suppression. In vitro, human platelets harboring HIV propagated the virus to macrophages, a process that could be prevented with the biologic abciximab, an anti–integrin αIIb/β3 Fab. Furthermore, in our cohort, 88% of HIV-infected individuals on ART with viral suppression and with platelets containing HIV were poor immunological responders with CD4+ T cell counts remaining below <350 cells/μl for more than one year. Our study suggests that platelets may be transient carriers of HIV and may provide an alternative pathway for HIV dissemination in HIV-infected individuals on ART with viral suppression and poor CD4+ T cell recovery.
Medical Waste-Sorting and Management Practices in Five Hospitals in Ghana

Hospital waste management in Ghana faces the risk of cross-contamination from the lack of thorough sorting of the waste at the points of generation, codisposal of hazardous and nonhazardous waste types, and use of open-fire pits and substandard incinerators for burning infectious waste. This has increased the potential for the spread of infections and chemical pollutants. A cross-sectional study was conducted in five hospitals in Ghana to assess behavioral patterns on waste sorting and the effectiveness of hospital waste management in Ghana. A total of 250 questionnaires were distributed purposively to some staff of the five hospitals to assess workers' perceptions on medical waste sorting and handling. Additionally, focused group discussions and transect walks were adopted to examine the current collection, storage, treatment, and disposal methods used in the health facilities. Chi-square analyses showed significant differences in waste-sorting behavior based only on occupation (p < 0.0001, n=180) and not on gender, education, or experience in the health sector. Even though contaminated sharps were separated into brown safety boxes, color coding for other infectious waste containers was inconsistent across the health facilities. The study revealed that incineration is still the modal method of treatment in Ghanaian hospitals and therefore new approaches such as an engineering approach were required to minimize its environmental effects. It is recommended that periodic in-service training workshops be held for healthcare staff on the right source-segregation of medical waste, in order to facilitate the effective and safe handling, transport, treatment, and disposal of waste from health facilities.
Moral distress and professors of nursing: A cluster analysis

Background Professors of nursing sometimes experience specific situations in their daily practice that conflict with their values and ethical principles and may culminate in moral distress. Moral distress occurs when one is prevented from acting according to his or her knowledge or values, or what one considers to be ethically sound. Objectives To identify the profile of professors of nursing through grouping sociodemographic characteristics and intensity of moral distress. Method Cross-sectional and exploratory study addressing 373 nurses teaching in Brazilian federal public higher education institutions. Data were collected from June to December 2018 through email, using the Google Docs tool. A moral distress scale directed to nurse educators was used. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, variance analysis, and cluster analysis. Ethical considerations The Institutional Review Board at the Federal University of Rio Grande approved this study. Findings Initially, four clusters emerged for each variable predicting the profile of Brazilian professors of nursing: sex; whether the individual worked in a graduate program; age; experience in years in their respective higher education institution; and intensity of moral distress. The profile of Brazilian professors of nursing was represented by the largest cluster, 36.5% (n = 136), composed of women working in graduate programs, aged 37 years old on average, having worked in their respective institutions for approximately 5 years, and presenting a moderate intensity of moral distress. Conclusion Assigning individuals into groups facilitates seeing similarities among the predictors that compose the profile of Brazilian professors of nursing, thus recognizing those workers experiencing moral distress in their daily work routine. In addition, this study’s results are expected to encourage reflection on the planning of efficacious interventions directed to the context of education and health.
Knowledge and Attitude of Self-Monitoring of Blood Pressure Among Adult Hypertensive Patients on Follow-Up at Selected Public Hospitals in Arsi Zone, Oromia Regional State, Ethiopia: A Cross-Sectional Study

Background Self-monitoring of blood pressure (BP) among hypertensive patients is an important aspect of the management and prevention of complication related to hypertension. However, self-monitoring of BP among hypertensive patients on scheduled follow-up in hospitals in Ethiopia is unknown. The aim of the study was to assess knowledge and attitude of self-monitoring of BP among adult hypertensive patients. Methods A cross-sectional survey was conducted on 400 adult hypertensive patients attending follow-up clinics at four public hospitals of Arsi Zone, Oromia Regional State, Ethiopia. The data were collected from patients from March 10, 2019 to April 8, 2019 by face-to-face interview using a pretested questionnaire and augmented by a retrospective patients’ medical records review. The data were analyzed using the SPSS version 21.0 software. Results A total of 400 patients were enrolled into the study with the response rate of 97.6%. The median age of the participants was 49 years (range 23–90 years). More than half (225 [56.3%]) were male. The majority (160 [40%]) were married and more than two-thirds (282 [70.5%]) were Oromo by ethnic background. About 206 (51.5%) had attended primary education. The proportion of patient's knowledge toward self-monitoring of BP and the practice of self-monitoring of BP among hypertensive patients was 31.5% (n=126 [95% CI; 26.5, 36.5]) and 7.75% (n=31 [95% CI; 5.3, 10.5]) respectively. The multivariable logistic regression analysis revealed; higher education (AOR=2.73, 95% CI [1.33, 13.88)], governmental employed (AOR=1.52, 95% CI [1.06, 6.48]), having an income of >3500 Ethiopian Birr (AOR=2.16, 95% CI [1.56, 7.39]), duration of hypertension >6 years (AOR=1.87, 95% CI [1.21, 6.37]), having health insurance (AOR=3.56, 95% CI [1.39, 10.53]), having co-morbidities (AOR=3.93, 95% CI [1.35, 10.32]), receiving a health professional recommendation toward self-monitoring of BP (AOR=6.08, 95% CI [2.45, 15.06]), and having an awareness of hypertension-related complication (AOR=3.94, 95% CI [1.34, 11.44]) were factors significantly associated with self-monitoring of BP. Conclusion In this study﻿, the proportion of knowledge of self-monitoring of BP and the practice of self-monitoring of BP among hypertensive patients on follow-up were low. Educational programs on self-monitoring of BP including teaching through demonstration may be needed to be in place.
Crimean-Congo Hemorrhagic Fever Virus in Humans and Livestock, Pakistan, 2015–2017

We detected Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever virus infections in 4 provinces of Pakistan during 2017–2018. Overall, seroprevalence was 2.7% in humans and 36.2% in domestic livestock. Antibody prevalence in humans was highest in rural areas, where increased contact with animals is likely.
Regulatory circuits controlling Spx levels in Streptococcus mutans

Spx is a major regulator of stress responses in Firmicutes. In Streptococcus mutans, two Spx homologues, SpxA1 and SpxA2, were identified as mediators of oxidative stress responses but the regulatory circuits controlling their levels and activity are presently unknown. Comparison of SpxA1 and SpxA2 protein sequences revealed differences at the C‐terminal end, with SpxA1 containing an unusual number of acidic residues. Here, we showed that a green fluorescence protein (GFP) reporter becomes unstable when fused to the last 10 amino acids of SpxA2 but remained stable when fused to the C‐terminal acidic tail of SpxA1. Inactivation of clpP or simultaneous inactivation of clpC and clpE stabilized the GFP::SpxA2tail fusion protein. Addition of acidic amino acids to the GFP::SpxA2tail chimera stabilized GFP, while deletion of the acidic residues destabilized GFP::SpxA1tail. Promoter reporter fusions revealed that spxA1 transcription is co‐repressed by the metalloregulators PerR and SloR while spxA2 transcription is largely dependent on the envelope stress regulator LiaFSR. In agreement with spxA2 being part of the LiaR regulon, SpxA2 was found to be critical for the growth of S. mutans under envelope stress conditions. Finally, we showed that redox sensing is essential for SpxA1‐dependent activation of oxidative stress responses but dispensable for SpxA2‐mediated envelope stress responses.
Metatranscriptomic and Metagenomic Analysis of Biological Diversity in Subglacial Lake Vostok (Antarctica)

A combined metatranscriptomic and metagenomic study of Vostok (Antarctica) ice core sections from glacial, basal, and lake water accretion ice yielded sequences that indicated a wide variety of species and possible conditions at the base of the glacier and in subglacial Lake Vostok. Few organisms were in common among the basal ice and accretion ice samples, suggesting little transmission of viable organisms from the basal ice meltwater into the lake water. Additionally, samples of accretion ice, each of which originated from water in several locations of the shallow embayment, exhibit only small amounts of mixing of species. The western-most portion of the embayment had very low numbers of organisms, likely due to biologically challenging conditions. Increasing numbers of organisms were found progressing from west to east, up to approximately 7 km into the embayment. At that point, the numbers of unique sequences and sequence reads from thermophilic, thermotolerant, psychrophilic, and psychrotolerant organisms increased dramatically, as did sequences from alkaliphilic, alkalitolerant, acidophilic, and acidotolerant sequences. The number of unique and total sequences were positively associated with increases in concentrations of Na+, Ca2+, Mg2+, SO42−, Cl−, total amino acids, and non-purgeable organic carbon. The numbers of unique sequences from organisms reported from soil, sediment, ice, aquatic, marine, animal, and plant (probably pollen) sources also peaked in this region, suggesting that this was the most biologically active region. The confluence of the high numbers of organisms, physiologies, and metabolic capabilities suggests the presence of energy and nutrient sources in the eastern half of the embayment. Data from the main basin suggested a cold oligotrophic environment containing fewer organisms. In addition to bacteria, both the basal ice and accretion ice contained sequences from a diverse assemblage of eukaryotes, as well as from bacteria that are known to be associated with multicellular eukaryotes.
European adult smokers’ perceptions of the harmfulness of e-cigarettes relative to combustible cigarettes: cohort findings from the 2016 and 2018 EUREST-PLUS ITC Europe Surveys

Abstract Background This study presents perceptions of the harmfulness of electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes) relative to combustible cigarettes among smokers from six European Union (EU) countries, prior to the implementation of the EU Tobacco Products Directive (TPD), and 2 years post-TPD. Methods Data were drawn from the EUREST-PLUS ITC Europe Surveys, a cohort study of adult smokers (≥18 years) from Germany, Greece, Hungary, Poland, Romania and Spain. Data were collected in 2016 (pre-TPD: N = 6011) and 2018 (post-TPD: N = 6027). Weighted generalized estimating equations were used to estimate perceptions of the harmfulness of e-cigarettes compared to combustible cigarettes (less harmful, equally harmful, more harmful or ‘don’t know’). Results In 2016, among respondents who were aware of e-cigarettes (72.2%), 28.6% reported that they perceived e-cigarettes to be less harmful than cigarettes (range 22.0% in Spain to 34.1% in Hungary). In 2018, 72.2% of respondents were aware of e-cigarettes, of whom 28.4% reported perceiving that e-cigarettes are less harmful. The majority of respondents perceived e-cigarettes to be equally or more harmful than cigarettes in both 2016 (58.5%) and 2018 (61.8%, P > 0.05). Overall, there were no significant changes in the perceptions that e-cigarettes are less, equally or more harmful than cigarettes, but ‘don’t know’ responses significantly decreased from 12.9% to 9.8% (P = 0.036). The only significant change within countries was a decrease in ‘don’t know’ responses in Spain (19.3–9.4%, P = .001). Conclusions The majority of respondents in these six EU countries perceived e-cigarettes to be equally or more harmful than combustible cigarettes.
Improved inference in mediation analysis: Introducing the model-based constrained optimization procedure.

Mediation analysis is an important approach for investigating causal pathways. One approach used in mediation analysis is the test of an indirect effect, which seeks to measure how the effect of an independent variable impacts an outcome variable through 1 or more mediators. However, in many situations the proposed tests of indirect effects, including popular confidence interval-based methods, tend to produce poor Type I error rates when mediation does not occur and, more generally, only allow dichotomous decisions of "not significant" or "significant" with regards to the statistical conclusion. To remedy these issues, we propose a new method, a likelihood ratio test (LRT), that uses nonlinear constraints in what we term the model-based constrained optimization (MBCO) procedure. The MBCO procedure (a) offers a more robust Type I error rate than existing methods; (b) provides a p value, which serves as a continuous measure of compatibility of data with the hypothesized null model (not just a dichotomous reject or fail-to-reject decision rule); (c) allows simple and complex hypotheses about mediation (i.e., 1 or more mediators; different mediational pathways); and (d) allows the mediation model to use observed or latent variables. The MBCO procedure is based on a structural equation modeling framework (even if latent variables are not specified) with specialized fitting routines, namely with the use of nonlinear constraints. We advocate using the MBCO procedure to test hypotheses about an indirect effect in addition to reporting a confidence interval to capture uncertainty about the indirect effect because this combination transcends existing methods. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2020 APA, all rights reserved).