Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
High Levels of Monocyte Chemoattractant Protein-1 Plasma Are A Risk Factor for Neurocognitive Disorders in Human Immunodeficiency Virus Infection with Antiretroviral Therapy

Background: HIV-associated neurocognitive disorder (HAND) is a neurocognitive dysfunction caused by HIV infection. The prevalence of neurocognitive disorders of HIV in Indonesia is about 51%. Despite receiving antiretroviral therapy, HAND is still a common complication that causes morbidity in people with HIV. One of the foundations of HAND pathogenesis is inflammation. Infection of macrophages/microglia and astrocytes leads to excessive production of viral gene products and chemokines, one of them is Monocyte chemoattractant protein 1 (MCP-1). The purpose of this study was to determine plasma MCP-1 levels that increase the risk of neurocognitive disorders in HIV infection with antiretroviral therapy. Methods: This matched case-control study involved 76 subjects with HIV, 38 subjects with neurocognitive disorders, and 38 subjects without neurocognitive disorders. Cognitive status was reviewed based on MoCA-Ina examination criteria. Plasma MCP-1 levels were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Results: Of the 76 subjects, the mean age of the case group was 42.08 ± 9.44 years and the control group was 42.16± 8.90 years. The cut point value based on the ROC curve of the plasma MCP-1 level was 82.14 pg/mL. It had an 86.8% sensitivity and 52.6% specificity for the occurrence of neurocognitive disorders in HIV. The risk of neurocognitive disorders in HIV was found in MCP-1 plasma ≥ 82.14 pg/mL (OR 7.33, p < 0.001, CI 95% = 2.35-22.83). Based on multivariate analysis, MCP-1 levels were independently associated with the incidence of neurocognitive disorders in HIV (AOR 11.01, CI 95% = 2.75-44.01, p=0.001). Conclusion: This study showed that high plasma MCP-1 levels were an event risk factor for neurocognitive disorders in HIV with antiretroviral therapy.
Mitigating the Mental Accounting Cognitive Bias through Instruction

ARTICLE INFO This study explores the influence of instructional interventions in mitigating mental accounting bias during capital investment decisions. Initially, we investigate the potential costly errors resulting from mental accounting. Subsequently, we employ instructional strategies to reduce this cognitive bias. Employing an experimental methodology, we employ an 8x2 mixed factorial design to examine the impact of financing sources on mental accounting and the effectiveness of instructional interventions. The findings reveal that managers prone to mental accounting tend to retain debt-financed assets over equity-financed assets. Importantly, instruction proves effective in alleviating this cognitive bias. This research holds significance for both academic scholars and practitioners. It sheds light on the deficiency of instructional resources in accounting education for fostering essential professional judgment skills among students. It is recommended that Finance, Business, and Accounting faculties incorporate modules on mental accounting and related cognitive biases in postgraduate programs. Furthermore, manufacturing industries can benefit from employee training programs to reduce cognitive biases associated with mental accounting in capital budgeting
Relationships Between Children’s Literacy Comprehension and Their Achievement in Numeracy and Ethno-Math at Lower Primary Schools in Uganda

The article examined the relationships between children’s literacy comprehension and their competence/achievement in numeracy and Ethno-math at lower primary schools in Uganda using the UWEZO UGANDA (2021) secondary dataset collected by a cross-sectional survey design from a sample of 14,553 pupils. The quantitative data were analyzed using Pearson Product Moment of correlation coefficient and regression analyses to establish the relationship between children’s literacy comprehension and their competencies in numeracy/ethno-math. Findings showed that there was a statistically significant relationship (r = 0.539, p < 0.001) between letter recitation and number recognition, literacy level in English and numeracy level (r = 0.768, p < 0.001), numeracy level and ethno-math (r = −0.612). Although findings show a positive relationship between letter recitation and number recognition, literacy level in English, and numeracy level, there is a negative relationship between numeracy level and ethno-math. The study concluded that children’s ability to recite letters positively influences their ability to recognize numbers. Furthermore, children’s ability in literacy comprehension positively influences their abilities in carrying out numeracy. It was also concluded that children’s ability to work out ethno-math does not necessarily mean their ability to carry out numeracy.
Computational Intelligence Techniques and Phylogenetic Trees for Identification of Sedimentary Petrofacies

The heterogeneities are characterized by several sedimentary petro- facies. Petrofacies identification involves manual processes and time-consuming analyses. The study of the diagenesis has been encouraged by petroleum companies, in order to understand the distribution of porosity in sandstones. This work aims to analyze the use of clustering approaches to identify petrofacies and assist the analysis of petrographic data. In addition, this study introduced the use the phylogenetic analysis tools to understand the diagenetic process that occurred during sedimentary rock formation. The proposed methodology reaches similar results to those obtained by the conventional method of individualization while allows for reducing time and cost in the individualization task.
Annual nitrate drawdown observed by SOCCOM profiling floats and the relationship to annual net community production: NITRATE OBSERVED BY SOCCOM FLOATS

Annual nitrate cycles have been measured throughout the pelagic waters of the Southern Ocean, including regions with seasonal ice cover and southern hemisphere subtropical zones. Vertically resolved nitrate measurements were made using in situ ultraviolet spectrophotometer (ISUS) and submersible ultraviolet nitrate analyzer (SUNA) optical nitrate sensors deployed on proﬁling ﬂoats. Thirty-one ﬂoats returned 40 complete annual cycles. The mean nitrate proﬁle from the month with the highest winter nitrate minus the mean proﬁle from the month with the lowest nitrate yields the annual nitrate drawdown. This quantity was integrated to 200 m depth and converted to carbon using the Redﬁeld ratio to estimate annual net community production (ANCP) throughout the Southern Ocean south of 30 8 S. A well-deﬁned, zonal mean distribution is found with highest values (3–4 mol C m 2 2 yr 2 1 ) from 40 to 50 8 S. Lowest values are found in the subtropics and in the seasonal ice zone. The area weighted mean was 2.9 mol C m 2 2 yr 2 1 for all regions south of 40 8 S. Cumulative ANCP south of 50 8 S is 1.3 Pg C yr 2 1 . This represents about 13% of global ANCP in about 14% of the global ocean area. key component of the global carbon cycle and it exerts an important control on atmospheric carbon dioxide. We show that the results are consistent with our prior understanding of Southern Ocean ANCP, which has required decades of observations to accumulate. The proﬁling ﬂoats now enable annual resolution of this key process. The results also highlight spatial variability in ANCP in the Southern Ocean.
Smith ScholarWorks Smith ScholarWorks

Over the past decade extensive research has examined the segregation of the human brain into large-scale functional networks. The resulting network maps, i.e. parcellations, are now commonly used for the a priori identification of functional networks. However, the use of these parcellations, particularly in developmental and clinical samples, hinges on four fundamental assumptions: (1) the various parcellations are equally able to recover the networks of interest; (2) adult-derived parcellations well represent the networks in children’s brains; (3) network properties, such as within-network connectivity, are reliably measured across parcellations; and (4) parcellation selection does not impact the results with regard to individual differences in given network properties. In the present study we examined these assumptions using eight common parcellation schemes in two independent developmental samples. We found that the parcellations are equally able to capture networks of interest in both children and adults. However, networks bearing the same name across parcellations (e.g., default network) do not produce reliable within-network measures of functional connectivity. Critically, parcellation selection significantly impacted the magnitude of associations of functional connectivity with age, poverty, and cognitive ability, producing meaningful differences in interpretation of individual differences in functional connectivity based on parcellation choice. Our findings suggest that work employing parcellations may benefit from the use of multiple schemes to confirm the robustness and generalizability of results. Furthermore, researchers looking to gain insight into functional networks may benefit from employing more nuanced network identification approaches such as using densely-sampled data to produce individual-derived network parcellations. A transition towards precision neuroscience will provide new avenues in the characterization of functional brain organization across development and within clinical populations.
International Journal of

In the eyes of experts, Florida mobile home residents near the Central Gulf coast experience high levels of disaster risk and physical vulnerability, mandating special warnings and protections during hazards. However, this view is not typically shared by mobile home residents themselves who generally consider the risk of hurricanes to be low or acceptable, and who often believe their homes are safe enough, at least up to a certain point. These mundane perceptions, in combination with other factors, rather than “objective” risk and vulnerability, significantly influence how mobile home residents make evacuation decisions. Contributing to the issues of social vulnerability and marginality in disaster research, this paper offers a qualitative analysis of 103 interviews with Florida mobile home households conducted between 2008 and 2010. Besides demonstrating patterns of risk and (physical) vulnerability perception among study participants, and evaluating their impact on evacuation decisions, the analysis highlights the need to account for human agency and interpretation in scholarly disaster discourse, proposing symbolic interactionism as a relevant theoretical framework.
Human Papillomavirus-Associated Oral Epithelial Dysplasia: A Practical Approach to Make the Diagnosis

Background: High-risk Human Papillomavirus (HPV) genotypes are found in malignant oral epithelial lesions, and HPV infection is proposed as a risk factor for initiating Squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) in the head and neck region. This study suggests a practical approach to detect HPV in HPV-associated oral epithelial dysplasia (HAOED). Methods: Fifty-four oral epithelial dysplasia specimens were examined, comprising twenty-seven cases diagnosed with high-grade dysplasia and twenty-seven cases diagnosed with low-grade dysplasia using a binary grading system. To assess the cases for HPV, the specimens were examined for p16 protein using an immunohistochemical (IHC) study, and then, the Chromatin In Situ Hybridization (CISH) test was performed for all positive cases. Chromatin Immunoprecipitation-Polymerase Chain Reaction (ChIP-PCR) was performed on CISH-positive specimens to assess the outcome. This cross-sectional study was conducted in 2020 at Tehran University of Medical Science. SPSS software version 22.0 was used to perform the Chi square or Fisher’s exact test to examine the relationship between variables (statistically significant level P<0.05). Results: The expression of p16 protein was not associated with the severity of epithelial dysplasia (81.5% in low-grade and 59.2% in high-grade cases) (P=0.16). Moreover, according to the CISH test result, 9.25% of all specimens were positive (P>0.99), and in the nine cases, undergone the ChIP-PCR study, two cases (22.2%) showed positivity for HPV-16, while one case (11.1%) demonstrated positivity for HPV-51. Conclusion: Regarding HAOED, here, we proposed a step-by-step combination approach using different diagnostic methods, including IHC for p16 protein, CISH, and ChIP-PCR based on a
ECONOMIC ANALYSIS AND IMPACT ASSESSMENT OF PRODUCTION TECHNOLOGY OF PADDY IN MAHARASHTRA

The primary data were collected 288 paddy cultivators for the period of 2013-14. Based on the data of costs and returns, benefit-cost ratio (BCR), yield gap analysis, resource use efficiencies, decomposition analysis, adoption index and impact, and constraints of improved paddy technology have been estimated in the study. For Maharashtra State as a whole, per hectare Cost ‘C’ was worked out to Rs.47,652.48 and its B:C ratio was 1.27. Per hectare cost of production has increased with the increase in technology adoption however, per unit cost has decreased with increase in technology adoption. Further; there was a 19.07 per cent yield gap between actual yield and yield of demonstration plot. The composite index of technology adoption was 49.89 per cent, which indicated that the sample farmers adopted less than 50 per cent recommended paddy production technology and obtained 36.01 q ha-1 yield. The contribution of different components on impact of paddy production technology was maximum in net returns (55.61 %). The constraint about adoption and impact of paddy cultivation were in high cost of inputs, adopted traditional methods, high wage rates, lack of technical knowledge and low price to produce. The improved paddy production technology method being more skill oriented, the study has observed that yields can be increased on adoption and the constraints are addressed on war-footing basis.
Profitability of Pair Trading: A Case of Islamic Indices in Pakistan

The pair trading strategy under portfolio construction is one of the profitable strategies. This is first ever study to observe the pair trading strategy using Islamic Index KSE firms. Distance approach is applied in this study by taking firms under KMI-30 Islamic index by using daily data from year January 1, 2012 to year December 31, 2019. These firms are divided into three subcategories, high-cap, mid-cap and low-cap. After formation of pairs, trading algorithm under various parameterizations is used to observe the profitability. The study concluded with positive and significant returns of top 3, 5, 7 and 10 pairs for each category. In addition, this study also witnessed with positive returns after risk adjustment of market factor for the top 3, 5, 7, and 10 pairs of Islamic index’s firms. These results are accordance with theories of mean revision and market neutrality. The study is contributing to the literature regarding the profitability of pair trading in Islamic Indices firms in Pakistan. Policy Implication for Islamic fund managers and investors is recommended.
Environmental protection experience of secretaries and COD regulation: Firm-level evidence from China

Using the rm-level data of the Chinese industrial sector from 1998 to 2010, this study investigates the impact of the previous environmental protection experience of prefecture-level Communist Party secretaries on the COD regulation within the secretaries’ respective jurisdictions. The study �nds that the secretaries’ previous environmental protection experience has reduced the COD discharge intensity. The duration of the previous environmental protection experience is selected as an instrumental variable and the endogeneity is further addressed; the research conclusion remains unchanged. However, this negative impact only lasts for two years and presents an unclear long-term impact. The negative effect on COD discharge intensity caused by the previous environmental protection experience is affected by the mandatory regulation pressure from the central government and the overall polluting density of the sub-sectors. Secretaries with previous environmental protection experience do not reduce the COD discharge intensity by using the punishment mechanism of increasing sewage charges. The secretaries, instead, encourage enterprises to use clean production technology, save water resources, and reduce the produced COD level. Also, the secretaries place an emphasis on the treatment of wastewater pollutants, thus reducing the COD discharge intensity. The conclusions of this study can provide decision-making reference for the selection and training of local o�cials, with the goal of environmental regulation.
Complex Management of Basal Cell Carcinoma in a Frail Patient

Basal cell carcinoma (BCC) is one of the most common cancers diagnosed in older patients and has low mortality. Surgical versus medical management is considered in patients with multiple comorbidities and limited life expectancy (LLE), where the risk-to-benefit ratio must be carefully assessed. Watchful waiting (WW) is a viable option for some patients with severe LLE when follow-up care can be provided vigilantly and frequently. Special consideration should be given to morbidity factors such as tumor growth, bleeding, pain, and social withdrawal that negatively affect the quality of life. We present the case of a 75-year-old male with a past medical history of multiple system atrophy, who presented with a BCC on the ear and face. We discuss the management of this patient and factors that may have led to the inappropriate use of WW.
Self-reported uptake of STI testing services among adolescents and young people aged 15–24 years: Findings from the Yathu Yathu cluster randomized trial in Lusaka, Zambia

There is little evidence regarding community-based delivery of STI testing and treatment for youth aged 15–24 (AYP) in Zambia. In a cluster-randomised trial, we evaluated whether offering syndromic STI screening through community-based, peer-led sexual and reproductive health services (Yathu Yathu) with referral to a local health facility for testing, increased self-reported testing for STIs (other than HIV) among AYP. Two communities in Lusaka were divided into 10 zones each (20 zones in total); by community, zones were randomly allocated (1:1) to Yathu Yathu or control. Monitoring data were used to describe syndromic STI screening through Yathu Yathu and an endline cross-sectional survey used to evaluate the impact of Yathu Yathu on self-reported ever and recent (last 12 months) STI testing. 10,974 AYP accessed Yathu Yathu; 66.6% (females—67.7%; males—64.7%) were screened for STIs, 6.2% reported any STI symptoms. In the endline survey, 23.3% (n = 350/1501) of AYP who ever had sex ever STI tested; 13.5% (n = 174/1498) who had sex in the last 12 months recently STI tested. By trial arm, there was no difference in self-reported ever or recent STI testing among all AYP. Among men aged 20–24, there was evidence that ever STI testing was higher in the Yathu Yathu compared to control arm (24.1% vs 16.1%; adjPR = 1.67 95%CI = 1.02, 2.74; p = 0.04). Among AYP who ever STI tested, 6.6% (n = 23) reported ever being diagnosed with an STI. Syndromic STI management through community-based, peer-led services showed no impact on self-reported STI testing among AYP. Research on community-based delivery of (near) point-of-care diagnostics is needed. Trial registration number(s): NCT04060420 https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT04060420; and ISRCTN75609016; https://doi.org/10.1186/ISRCTN75609016.
Identifying Individuals at High Risk for HIV and Sexually Transmitted Infections With an Artificial Intelligence–Based Risk Assessment Tool

Abstract Background We have previously developed an artificial intelligence–based risk assessment tool to identify the individual risk of HIV and sexually transmitted infections (STIs) in a sexual health clinical setting. Based on this tool, this study aims to determine the optimal risk score thresholds to identify individuals at high risk for HIV/STIs. Methods Using 2008–2022 data from 216 252 HIV, 227 995 syphilis, 262 599 gonorrhea, and 320 355 chlamydia consultations at a sexual health center, we applied MySTIRisk machine learning models to estimate infection risk scores. Optimal cutoffs for determining high-risk individuals were determined using Youden's index. Results The HIV risk score cutoff for high risk was 0.56, with 86.0% sensitivity (95% CI, 82.9%–88.7%) and 65.6% specificity (95% CI, 65.4%–65.8%). Thirty-five percent of participants were classified as high risk, which accounted for 86% of HIV cases. The corresponding cutoffs were 0.49 for syphilis (sensitivity, 77.6%; 95% CI, 76.2%–78.9%; specificity, 78.1%; 95% CI, 77.9%–78.3%), 0.52 for gonorrhea (sensitivity, 78.3%; 95% CI, 77.6%–78.9%; specificity, 71.9%; 95% CI, 71.7%–72.0%), and 0.47 for chlamydia (sensitivity, 68.8%; 95% CI, 68.3%–69.4%; specificity, 63.7%; 95% CI, 63.5%–63.8%). High-risk groups identified using these thresholds accounted for 78% of syphilis, 78% of gonorrhea, and 69% of chlamydia cases. The odds of positivity were significantly higher in the high-risk group than otherwise across all infections: 11.4 (95% CI, 9.3–14.8) times for HIV, 12.3 (95% CI, 11.4–13.3) for syphilis, 9.2 (95% CI, 8.8–9.6) for gonorrhea, and 3.9 (95% CI, 3.8–4.0) for chlamydia. Conclusions Risk scores generated by the AI-based risk assessment tool MySTIRisk, together with Youden's index, are effective in determining high-risk subgroups for HIV/STIs. The thresholds can aid targeted HIV/STI screening and prevention.
Validating hidden Markov models for seabird behavioural inference

Abstract Understanding animal movement and behaviour can aid spatial planning and inform conservation management. However, it is difficult to directly observe behaviours in remote and hostile terrain such as the marine environment. Different underlying states can be identified from telemetry data using hidden Markov models (HMMs). The inferred states are subsequently associated with different behaviours, using ecological knowledge of the species. However, the inferred behaviours are not typically validated due to difficulty obtaining ‘ground truth’ behavioural information. We investigate the accuracy of inferred behaviours by considering a unique data set provided by Joint Nature Conservation Committee. The data consist of simultaneous proxy movement tracks of the boat (defined as visual tracks as birds are followed by eye) and seabird behaviour obtained by observers on the boat. We demonstrate that visual tracking data is suitable for our study. Accuracy of HMMs ranging from 71% to 87% during chick‐rearing and 54% to 70% during incubation was generally insensitive to model choice, even when AIC values varied substantially across different models. Finally, we show that for foraging, a state of primary interest for conservation purposes, identified missed foraging bouts lasted for only a few seconds. We conclude that HMMs fitted to tracking data have the potential to accurately identify important conservation‐relevant behaviours, demonstrated by a comparison in which visual tracking data provide a ‘gold standard’ of manually classified behaviours to validate against. Confidence in using HMMs for behavioural inference should increase as a result of these findings, but future work is needed to assess the generalisability of the results, and we recommend that, wherever feasible, validation data be collected alongside GPS tracking data to validate model performance. This work has important implications for animal conservation, where the size and location of protected areas are often informed by behaviours identified using HMMs fitted to movement data.