Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Rising trend of caesarean section in a tertiary hospital over half decade: a retrospective study

Background: Cesarean section (CS) rates are increasing worldwide; however, it can lead to significant increase in maternal and infant morbidity and mortality. This study aimed to determine the rates and trend of cesarean sections in Jammu (Jammu and Kashmir), India.Methods: This was a retrospective hospital record-based study done in patients who were admitted in Government Medical College Jammu (Jammu and Kashmir) India in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology during the study period from Jan 2012 to Dec 2017 and data of CS was collected. The trends and indications for CS over the 5-year period were analyzed with SPSS 12.0 software.Results: During the study period, annual number of deliveries in GMC Jammu increased from 14592 (2012) to 20417 (2017). CS rates increased from 4817 (33.01%) to 8378 (41.03%) with a hike of 8.02%. Commonest indication for CS was post CS pregnancies (25.43%-34.24%) followed by non-progress of labor (NPOL), fetal distress, breech presentation, antepartum hemorrhage, cephalo-pelvic disproportion (CPD) and severe pregnancy induced hypertension (PIH). Conclusions: This study indicates that rapid socio-economic changes and the outlook towards medical intervention by the women, families and society are largely responsible for rising trend of CS. Other factors that have been reported for this are fear of pain; concerns about genital modifications after vaginal delivery; misconception that CS is safer for the baby; fear of medical litigation and lower tolerance to any complications or outcomes other than the perfect baby are responsible for the current high incidence of caesarean section in many states and urban centres with post cesarean pregnancy being the largest contributor. From doctors point of view, it is a defensive medicine to have better outcome.
Slovenian Families With Children With Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder: Interpersonal Relations, Parents’ Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder Symptoms and Implications for Family Therapy

ABSTRACT We aimed to assess interpersonal relationships within Slovenian families with a child diagnosed with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (proband) as compared to control families. The current study evaluated parents’ retrospective assessment of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder symptoms in childhood in both groups and possible predictive factors for the occurrence of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder in children. The proband parents experienced more difficulties in interpersonal relations, more often related to attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder symptoms during their childhood and the proband children blamed themselves for marital conflict to a greater extent. The general functioning of families and parents’ attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder symptoms in their childhood are the most significant predictive factors for the occurrence of the disorder in children. These findings stressed the appropriateness of family therapy focused on interpersonal relationships in families with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder children.
Investigation of approaches to reduce truncation of attenuation maps with simultaneous transmission and emission SPECT imaging

The limited field of view (FOV) associated with fan beam collimators can lead to truncation of reconstructed attenuation maps in transmission imaging. The authors investigated through simulations, a few simple approaches for reducing the truncation of attenuation maps with simultaneous transmission-emission SPECT imaging. These include: (1) the use of longer focal length collimators (65 vs. 104 cm); (2) using a 4 cm lateral table offset to bring the heart closer to the center of the fully sampled region (FSR); (3) using body contouring orbits instead of circular orbits to bring the camera closer to the body; (4) using a larger camera to increase the FSR; and (5) use of asymmetric fan beam collimators to enlarge the FSR. The three dimensional mathematical cardiac torso phantom was used to simulate the activity and attenuation maps. Simulations were carried out for two configurations with the heart located within as well as extending beyond the edge of the FSR. As expected, results indicate that employing a larger camera effectively removes the truncation seen in normal sized patients. With a standard camera size of 40 cm, the asymmetric fan beam collimator gives results comparable to that obtained using a 104 cm symmetric fan beam collimator. Body contour orbits generally provided better cardiac uniformity at the shorter focal lengths than a circular orbit. If any portion of the heart walls lie beyond the FSR for a 65 cm focal length collimator, a judicious combination of using longer focal length collimators along with table offset greatly reduces the amount of truncation in the attenuation maps, improving cardiac uniformity.
Commentary

Two important questions are addressed in this issue. What is the potential of the Direct Instruction (DI) model to improve reading comprehension of children in high poverty schools, and under what conditions will the DI model produce maximum gains in reading comprehension? Before beginning a discussion on the potential of the DI model to improve students’ reading comprehension, it is important to first define what constitutes the DI model. Unlike some instructional models that are only implemented under the auspices of specific organizations, a number of schools and different organizations identify themselves as implementing DI. What these schools and organizations have in common is the use of DI curriculum materials authored by Siegfried Engelmann of the University of Oregon. Over the past 30 years, Engelmann has been the senior author of almost 50 instructional programs referred to as DI programs, including DISTAR Reading, Language and Math, Reading Mastery, Horizons, Corrective Reading, Spelling Mastery, Expressive Writing, Reasoning and Writing, and Connecting Math Concepts. The Berkeley article in this special issue explains the uniqueness of these DI curriculum materials in serving as an effective tool for those working with at-risk children. The use of the DI curriculum materials constitutes only a part of what Engelmann had in mind when he developed the DI model, however. The DI model Engelmann (1988) created is a comprehensive implementation model that includes the following: JOURNAL OF EDUCATION FOR STUDENTS PLACED AT RISK, 7(2), 265–271 Copyright © 2002, Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, Inc.
The Relationship between Maternal Haemoglobin and Haematocrit with Low Birth Weight and Preterm Labour

Background & aim: Low levels of maternal haemoglobin and haematocrit in the first, second, and third trimesters are considered as possible risk factors regarding low birth weight (LBW) and preterm labour (PTL). The present study aimed to evaluate the relationship between maternal haemoglobin (Hb) and haematocrit (HCT) levels with LBW and PTL. Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted on 383 pregnant women who were admitted in postnatal ward and gave birth to live neonates. Maternal Hb and HCT levels in the first, second, and third trimesters were obtained from medical records. The data were analysed using chi-square test by SPSS software (version 19). Results: A total of 383 pregnant women with the mean age of 25.5 years were participated in this study. There was a significant relationship between maternal HCT in the first, second, and third trimesters with LBW (P<0.01). Also a significant relationship was observed between maternal Hb in the first, second, and third trimesters with the LBW (P<0.01). In addition, a significant relationship was reported between maternal HCT with the PTL (P<0.01). There was a significant correlation between maternal Hb in the first, second, and third trimesters with the PTL (P=0.01). Conclusion: Based on the findings of this study, it was suggested that maternal anaemia should be diagnosed and treated at any stage of pregnancy in order to reduce the risk of the LBW and PTL.
KNOWLEDGE AND MALPRACTICES IN PEDIATRICS DIARRHEA MANAGEMENT BY IRAQI MOTHERS

Objectives: In developing countries like Iraq, diarrhea was responsible for 70% of deaths among pediatrics. This study was designed to determine Iraqi mothers’ knowledge and malpractices associated with diarrhea management in pediatrics.Methods: A cross-sectional pilot study was done on a convenient sample of mothers in Baghdad – Iraq. Data collection was done using a validated questionnaire specifically designed for this study.Result: Most participants preferred to consult physicians or pharmacists about pediatrics diarrhea management. Breastfeeding was stopped by 19% of participants, whereas 35% of mothers who depend on formulated milk discontinued it. Only 30% of participants use oral rehydration solution therapy always as a part of treatment. Although 54% of participated mothers certainly not used antibiotics for the diarrhea management before doctor consultation, however 52.5% of these mothers used antimotility suspensions without any consultation. 17% of participants used some herbal preparations in addition to 11% used some forms of traditional harmful preparations (Al-Sagwa) to manage diarrhea.Conclusions: This study indicates a good level of knowledge about diarrhea management for most participants, although there are some wrong concepts which followed by a small percentage of mothers, especially the most dangerous malpractices of using Al-Sagwa.
Celebrating the “Other” Parent: Mental Health and Wellness of Expecting Lesbian, Bisexual, and Queer Non-Birth Parents

Lesbian, bisexual, and queer (LBQ) nonbirth parents have a unique role in the parenting spectrum. The term nonbirth parent refers to the expecting, nonpregnant partner. Previous work suggests that there are unique mental health stressors for LBQ nonbirth parents; however, research addressing this topic is scant. This qualitative study explored the factors that affect mental health and wellness in LBQ nonbirth parents during pregnancy. Results are organized into four themes: biology, connectedness, and relatedness; social recognition; social support; and changes during pregnancy. This study has important implications for clinical practice, policy development, and health promotion activities.
Turfgrass Evapotranspiration

Summary This paper reviews factors influencing water use and methods to reduce it. Water use in turfgrass typically is quantified by evapotranspiration rate (ET), which refers to the loss of water from the soil through evaporation and from the plant through transpiration. Turfgrass ET rates vary among species and cultivars within a species. Inter-and intraspecific variations in ET rates could be explained by differences in stomatal characteristics, growth rate and habit, canopy configuration, and rooting characteristics. The ET rates also are influenced by environmental conditions and cultural practices. Environmental conditions include climatic factors such as temperature, relative humidity, solar radiation, and wind and edaphic factors such as soil temperature, water availability, and soil texture. Cultural practices include mowing, irrigation, fertility, use of antitranspirants, and plant growth regulators.
Competence

Linguistic Competence defines the system of rules that governs an individual’s tacit understanding of what is acceptable and what is not in the language they speak. The concept, introduced by the linguist Noam Chomsky in 1965, was intended to address certain assumptions about language, especially in structuralist linguistics, where the idea of an unconscious system had been extensively elaborated and schematized. Competence can be regarded as a revision of the idea of the language system. The empirical and formal realization of competence would be performance, which thus corresponds to diverse structuralist notions of parole, utterance, event, process, etc. Chomsky argues that the unconscious system of linguistic relations, which Ferdinand de Saussure named langue, is often mistakenly associated with knowledge or ability (or know-how). Chomsky is concerned to establish a science that would study what he calls “the language faculty”, in analogy with other mental faculties like logic, which as a kind of intuitive reasoning power requires no accumulation of facts or skills in order to develop. Grammatical knowledge too seems to be present and fully functional in speakers fluent in any language. So competence in Chomsky’s sense implies neither an accumulated store of knowledge nor an ability or skill. He rejects Saussure’s langue as “merely a systematic inventory of items”, and instead returns to a rationalist model of underlying competence regarded as “a system of generative processes” (4). This has the advantage of explaining plausibly events of linguistic innovation in unpredictable situations, as well as pertinence of expression and understanding in particular contexts. This faculty seems to be absent in animals and (so far) in machines that can nonetheless be taught or programmed to use signs in imitative or predetermined ways.
Un mécanisme de régulation génétique permettant la synthèse de deux isoformes de la ferrédoxine : NADP oxydoréductase, à partir d'un seul gène, chez la cyanobactérie Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803

Ferredoxin:NADP oxidoreductase (FNR), encoded by the petH gene, provides NADPH for CO2 fixation in photoautotrophic cells and oxidizes NADPH in heterotrophic cells. Whereas there is only one petH gene copy in the cyanobacterium Synechocystis sp. PCC6803, two FNR isoforms accumulate (FNRL and FNRS). It was proposed that FNRL fulfills functions in linear electron transport while FNRS is involved in cyclic electron transport and respiration. In addition, FNRS was shown to be the product of an internal translation initiation within the FNRL open-reading frame. During my PhD, I revealed the mechanism by which petH translation leads to the accumulation of either one of the FNR isoforms. I showed that each isoform is produced from a specific mRNA; under standard conditions -when FNRL accumulates- two mRNAs carrying similar leaders (32 and 53 bases) are transcribed; while under nitrogen starvation -when FNRS accumulates- an mRNA, carrying a longer leader (126 bases), is transcribed. Transcriptional fusions of the Escherichia coli lac promoter to petH, with different leader sequences, suggest that the translation regulation does not require a specific factor; but rather to a spontaneously occurring secondary structure, adopted by the longer leader. Such a structure could activate FNRS translation initiation and prevent that of FNRL. Toeprinting assays confirmed this hypothesis in vitro; translation initiation complexes locations were mapped to the FNRL initiator codon in the short mRNA and to the FNRS initiator codon in the longer mRNA. Thus we have uncovered a novel gene-regulation mechanism by which two isoforms are produced from a single gene in Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803
Recent advances in anesthetic management in repair of tracheoesophageal fistula repair

Thoracosopic repair of tracheoesophageal fistula and esophageal atresia (TREAT) is an advanced endoscopic procedure which requires a skilled approach in minimally invasive surgeries. TREAT is considered as a superior technique in achieving cosmesis and avoiding complications when compared to open thoracotomy. It requires a team of surgeons, anesthesiologists, and assistants and neonatal intensivists to look after the neonate in the perioperative period. Recent meta-analysis has shown no significant difference in outcome and functional evaluation in open thoracotomy and thoracoscopic approach to TEF repair. Anesthesiologists should be well versed with knowledge and ability to anticipate challenges in managing neonates under thoracoscopic TEF repair which plays an important role in the management and survival of these kids. We searched PubMed and Google Scholar databases with the following keywords anesthetic management, tracheoesophageal repair, surgical repair, non-intubated video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery, video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery, video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery, pediatric one-lung ventilation, and pediatric regional anesthesia. The last search was made on July 31, 2018.
The Stock Market Bubble, Shareholders' Attribution Bias and Excessive Top CEO Pay

I use aggregate time series data on profits in the corporate sector, Standard and Poor's Composite Stock Price Index, and the average total pay of the top 100 CEOs to look for evidence in favor or against a fundamental attribution bias-based explanation of the recent explosive growth in CEO pay. I hypothesize that shareholders overattribute prominent increases and decreases in the prices of corporate stocks to the leadership and skill of the CEOs and underplay the role of stock market fluctuations, which are beyond CEO control. I recast this hypothesis as a simple endogeneity test, and I cannot reject the view that market fluctuations mechanically cause changes in CEO compensation with no detectable reverse causality. Further I find that, in the aggregate data increases in CEO pay decrease corporate profits. To complement the time series evidence, I use 4-factor model risk-adjusted returns as a direct measure of CEO skill. I show that in the cross section the relationship between individual CEO pay and skill is very weak (economically small and statistically insignificant). I conclude that in the late1990s stock market bubble period shareholders were taken for a ride and ended up paying huge amounts of money to their CEOs for no rational reasons.
Finance Graduates’ Knowledge and Skills Development: Graduate and Employer Perceptions in United Arab Emirates

There has been considerable debate over the past decades concerning the extent to which finance education has fulfilled employers’ and graduates’ expectations related to knowledge and skills needed in a changing and challenging business environment. This study seeks to examine whether there are significant differences in expectations between finance graduates and their employers through examining the 3 dimensions of skills and knowledge: routine–technical skills, interdisciplinary skills, and interpersonal and development skills. The results show that graduates put more emphasis on routine–technical skills compared to employers, who emphasize the importance of interdisciplinary knowledge and skills from other areas of business education. Both graduates and employers, however, shared a belief in the importance of interpersonal and developmental skills.
Spectral theory of difference operators with almost constant coefficients II

We show that the operators whose coefficients are approximately constant in a general sense have an absolutely continuous spectrum which is equal to that of the corresponding constant coefficient operator. For such operators, the absolutely continuous spectrum can be read off from the associated characteristic polynomial. This generalizes the classical results on second-order operators and extends those of higher order differential operators to the difference setting. Our approach relies on an analysis of the associated difference equation with the help of uniform asymptotic summation techniques.
Global Corruption and Religion: An Empirical Examination

The expansion of international trade and global business competition in recent years has been accompanied by growth in corruption. While many factors may contribute to a person's willingness to participate in a corrupt transaction, the influence of religion may be significant, and leaders of religious organizations have become increasingly vocal in their condemnation of corruption. As honesty and fairness to third parties is universal to many religions, leaders of many faiths are united in their opposition to corruption. To better comprehend the relationship between religion and corruption, a study was conducted employing information related to religion and Transparency International's Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI), which ranks nations according to the perceived degree of corruption among public officials and politicians. The 133 countries that were included in the 2003 CPI were compared across a range of factors related to 1) the dominant religion practiced in each country, 2) perceived corruption, 3) the importance of religion to the citizens of each country, 4) religious freedom, and 5) the gross domestic product (GDP) per capita. Study results indicate that, when countries are grouped by dominant religion, the groups differ significantly with regard to perceived corruption, value of religion, religious freedom, and GDP per capita. Significant differences in the same factors also occurred when countries were grouped by corruption levels.
The use of metaphors in understanding atypical gender identity development and its psychosocial impact

Abstract Over the years I have found a number of metaphors which have helped me to deal with particular dynamics in therapeutic work or with group and institutional conflicts involving the Gender Identity Development Service at the Tavistock Centre. This nationwide service, which is for young people with atypical gender identity development and their families, was established in 1989. In this paper I describe some of these metaphors in relation to the particular problems or conflicts which had stimulated their appearance in my mind. The emergence of these metaphors links the vicissitudes of atypical gender identity development to issues regarding symbolisation or symbolic thinking. Metaphors such as ‘working at the edge’ or ‘navigating between Scylla and Charybdis’ allow the professional to hold on to multiple perspectives and to maintain a certain degree of ambiguity in situations in which the interpersonal dynamics can be experienced as rigid and deterministic. The emergence of metaphors can then be perceived by the professional with a sense of relief and freedom of thinking. In this paper, metaphors are linked to: the model of care developed; the therapeutic stance; and the aims, risks and pressures experienced by the professional in this area of work. The association between gender dysphoria in some young people and autistic spectrum features is explored. The paper emphasises the importance of responding flexibly to individual differences and of recognising complexity.
Therapeutic effect of acupuncture combined with antidepressants on changes in the HAMD-17 score in major depressive disorder

The effectiveness of antidepressant medications ranges from 60%–70%, and serious side effects can occur; therefore, various therapeutic modalities have been developed, including acupuncture. This study aimed to compare the effectiveness of acupuncture and antidepressant with that of sham acupuncture and antidepressant in patients with major depressive disorder assessed using the Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression (HAMD-17). A single-blind randomized clinical trial was conducted in 48 patients with major depressive disorder allocated to the intervention (acupuncture and antidepressant) and control (sham acupuncture and antidepressant) groups. The mean HAMD-17 scores in the intervention group before and after treatment were 22.2 ± 3.38 and 7.3 ± 2.64, respectively, whereas those in the control group before and after treatment were 21.4 ± 3.10 and 9.3 ± 3.33, respectively. A significant decrease in the mean HAMD-17 scores was observed between the intervention and control groups before and after 12 therapy sessions (14.9 ± 2.45 to 12.2 ± 4.30; p < 0.005). Thus, acupuncture and antidepressant was more effective in reducing the symptoms of major depressive disorder than was sham acupuncture and antidepressant.