Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The Experience of Mexican-Americans Transitioning to Insulin Pump

Occupational therapists help people of all ages do the things they need or want to do through therapeutic activities that constitute everyday occupations. They are interested in how people adapt to disease or illness in performance of all activities of daily living in self-care, work, education, leisure, play, and social participation. This study was undertaken as there was a paucity of literature about how people make adjustments to living with, a biomedical device. The aim of this pilot study was to explore the life experience of Mexican-Americans with type 1 diabetes mellitus, who transitioned from multiple daily insulin injections to using continuous subcutaneous insulin-infusion therapy (also called the insulin pump) to manage their conditions. This exploratory, qualitative research study had a convenience sample of three females and three males from 28 to 55 years old. Themes were: 1) Easy for one yet hard for another; 2) Feels like starting over; 3) High expectations: The magical pump; and 4) Self-perception redefined. Conclusion: Insights about the cultural attitudes, beliefs and experience of Mexican-Americans transitioning to the insulin pump may assist health professionals to prioritize their initial concerns when helping patients deal with this technology. Referrals to occupational therapists should be considered to help Mexican-Americans deal with psychosocial issues that arise, for facilitation of problem-solving and coping skills, in order to manage self-care issues is recommended.
AUDIT OF A GENERAL SURGICAL UNIT: NEED FOR SELF EVALUATION

Objective: To find out the pattern of admissions and the outcome of patients in a general surgical unit of a major teaching hospital. Design & Duration: Observational, descriptive study covering the year 2006 with retrospective data collection. Setting: Surgical Unit III, Dow Medical College & Civil Hospital Karachi. Patients: All patients admitted to the unit during 2006 either through Out-patient Department or Emergency Department or transferred/referred from other units/departments. Methodology: Detailed data regarding the patients was collected and analyzed. Results: A total of 779 patients, 492 males and 287 females, were admitted during the study period; 489 from the Out-patients Department (OPD) and 276 from the Emergency (Casualty) Dept., while 14 were transferred from other departments as they had general surgical problems. Inguinal hernias accounted for the highest number of admissions i.e. 15.5% followed by Acute Appendicitis (11.9%) and Chronic Cholecystitis (10.7%). Trauma constituted 11.2% of the total admissions, including 46 (5.5%) cases of gunshot injuries. Conclusion: There is a dire need of local studies on the topic of Surgical Audit because for proper and better health care planning of the country, a knowledge of the current pattern of admissions and diseases spectrum are essential.
Organisational safety climate and occupational accidents and injuries: an epidemiology-based systematic review

ABSTRACT It is widely accepted among practitioners and researchers that a good safety climate results in improved safety. However, there is a lack of systematic and detailed reviews summarising and evaluating the scientific evidence underpinning the relationship between safety climate and injuries and accidents in a company. The current research addresses this gap and studies the association of safety climate with accidents and injuries at work. Nine databases were searched for quantitative studies. After eligibility and quality selection, 17 peer-reviewed papers were analysed. Quality assessment was developed applying the Strengthening the Reporting of Observational Studies (STROBE) guidelines, together with 9 appraisal criteria from Berra and colleagues (2008), Downs and Black (1998) and the appraisal tool from the University of Cardiff Weightman, Mann, Sander, & Turley, (2004). An evaluation summary statement was then constructed analysing the strength of the evidence provided by each study. Although 15 of the 17 studies included in this review provided full or partial support for the association of safety culture with accidents/injuries at work, scientific evidence is still unclear on the causal relationship between these two variables. Research is needed, especially longitudinal and intervention studies, to demonstrate in detail this association, which has been widely accepted in the area of occupational health and safety.
EPIDEMIOLOGICAL CORRELATES OF CONTRACEPTIVE PREVALENCE IN MARRIED WOMEN OF REPRODUCTIVE AGE GROUP IN RURAL AREA

In spite of availability of a wide range of contraceptives and mass media campaigns population control is a distant dream to achieve. It is pertinent to identify the factors responsible for poor contraceptive acceptance. The study was conducted to find out contraceptive prevalence in married women of reproductive age group and to study epidemiological correlates affecting contraceptive practices. A cross-sectional population based study covered 512 married women in reproductive age group in the village Chanai, Taluka- Ambajogai, Dist. -Breed. They were interviewed by predesigned and pretested questionnaire. Out of 512 married women 48.63% were contraceptive acceptors. Contraceptive acceptance was more in women who are graduate and above(82.76%), women from nuclear family (58.79%), Upper middle socioeconomic class (79.62%). Contraceptive acceptance was lowest in agricultural laborer(38.87%) . A significant association was found between contraceptive acceptance and literacy status, occupation, type of family, socioeconomic status and age at marriage.
Aerobic Training Is Better Than Resistance Training on Cardiac Function and Autonomic Modulation in Female ob/ob Mice

Objective: This study evaluated the effects of aerobic, resistance, and combined exercise training on cardiac function and autonomic modulation in female ob/ob mice. Methods: Four-week-old female wild type and obese (ob/ob) mice were divided into five groups (n = 8): control (WT), obese (OB) obese + aerobic training (OBA), obese + resistance training (OBR), and obese + combined training (OBC). The exercise training was performed on treadmill and/or ladder at 40–60% maximum test during 8 weeks. Cardiac function was measured using echo machine. Heart rate variability (HRV) was evaluated in the time and frequency domain. Results: OB group presented higher body weight gain (~600%), glycemia (~44%) and glucose intolerance (~150%), reduction of cardiac vagal modulation, evidenced by a lower RMMSD (~56%), total power and high frequency band, and a higher isovolumic relaxation time (IVRT) (~24%) in relation to the WT group. Aerobic and combined training led to a lower IVRT (OBA: ~14%; OBC: ~14%) and myocardial global index (OBA: ~37%; OBC: ~44%). The OBA group presented an increased in vagal indexes of HRV than the other ob/ob groups. A negative correlation was observed between the delta of aerobic exercise capacity and MPI (r = 0.45; p = 0.002) and exercise capacity and body weight gain (r = 0.39; p = 0.002). Conclusion: Only the obese females underwent to aerobic exercise training showed improvement in cardiac function and HRV. Moreover, the aerobic exercise capacity as well as a greater responsivity to aerobic exercise training is intimately associated with these improvements, reinforcing the importance of aerobic exercise training to this population.
Evaluation of glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase enzyme deficiency and methemoglobin concentration in blood donors in a Nigerian Tertiary hospital-based blood bank

Background: Glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PD) enzyme deficiency and methemoglobinemia adversely impact on blood transfusion safety by significantly increasing blood storage lesion. Objective: To determine G6PD enzyme deficiency and methemoglobin levels among blood donors in a tertiary hospital-based blood bank in Nigeria. Subjects and Methods: One hundred blood donors who met the criteria for blood donation were prospectively studied. Two milliliters of venous blood was collected from each participant into potassium-ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid specimen containers and analyzed for G6PD status and methemoglobin levels by spectrophotometry, on the same day of sample collection. Results: Among the donors, 43% had normal G6PD activity (9.32 ± 2.26 U/gHb), 44% had partially enzyme deficiency (4.92 ± 1.33 U/gHb), while 13% had total deficiency (0.47 ± 3.49 U/gHb); these were statistically different (P < 0.001). Methemoglobin concentration was elevated in 25% of study participants (3.05 ± 2.30%), while it was normal in 75% (0.99% ± 0.60%); these differences were statistically different (P < 0.001). Conclusion: A significant proportion of our blood donor set has G6PD enzyme deficiency (partial or total) as well as evidence of oxidation of hemoglobin; these findings have adverse implications on transfusion safety.
Event Stratigraphy in a Hadal Oceanic Trench: The Japan Trench as Sedimentary Archive Recording Recurrent Giant Subduction Zone Earthquakes and Their Role in Organic Carbon Export to the Deep Sea

Hadal trenches are the deepest places on Earth and are important foci for natural carbon sequestration. Much of the sedimentary sequences that accumulate within hadal trenches have been linked to widespread slope sediment remobilisation events, triggered by subduction zone earthquakes. Therefore, hadal trench deposits may provide valuable insights into the hazards posed by large earthquakes and their implications for the carbon cycle. Despite this strong societal relevance, no studies to date have provided the necessary coverage to understand the spatial and temporal variations of earthquake-triggered deposition along a hadal trench axis. We address these issues by integrating high-resolution bathymetry and subbottom profiler data, and sediment cores acquired over the entire hadal trench axis of the Japan Trench. We identify around 40 isolated trench-fill basins along the trench axis of the Japan Trench that document 115 sediment remobilization event deposits. We map the spatio-temporal distribution of the acoustically-transparent event deposit bodies imaged in subbottom profiler data from the trench-fill basins. Using radiocarbon dating, slope failure deposits identified from subbotom profiles and sediment coring were shown to be co-eval with major historic earthquake (e.g., AD2011 Mw9.0–9.1 Tohoku-oki, AD1454 Mw≥8.4 Kyotoku, and AD869 Mw≥8.6 Jogan events). Furthermore, the lower part of the acoustically-imaged stratigraphic succession in isolated basins along the Japan Trench also documents several thick acoustically-transparent bodies that relate to older events. These identifications of event deposits allow quantitative constraints of along-strike variation of sediment volumes redistributed by episodic events along the entire trench axis, revealing that the total volumes of event deposits triggered by different historic large earthquakes are highly variable. We conclude that at least 7 Tg (1012 g) of organic carbon remobilized from surficial slope sediments is exported to the hadal axis of Japan Trench in the last 2,000 years by giant earthquakes. These findings highlight the significance of seismo-tectonic events for the long-term carbon cycle in hadal trenches and societal implications.
Biology and Impacts of Pacific Island Invasive Species. 15. Psittacula krameri, the Rose-Ringed Parakeet (Psittaciformes: Psittacidae)

Abstract: The rose-ringed parakeet (RRP), Psittacula krameri, has become established in at least four Pacific Island countries (Hong Kong China, Japan, New Zealand, U.S.A.), including the Hawaiian islands of Kaua‘i, O‘ahu, and Hawai‘i. Most Pacific islands are at risk of RRP colonization. This species was first introduced to Hong Kong in 1903 and Hawai‘i in the 1930s–1960s, established since 1969 in Japan, and in New Zealand since 2005 where it has repeatedly established after organized removals. The founding birds were imported cage-birds from the pet trade. In native India, RRP are generally found associated with human habitation and are considered a severe agricultural pest. In the Hawaiian Islands, RRP are increasing and expanding their geographic ranges below 500 m elevation. Population estimates in 2018 on Kaua‘i were ∼6,800 birds, which was a three-fold increase and a 22.5% annual growth rate in the prior 6 years, whereas O‘ahu had ∼4,560 birds with a 21% annual growth rate the prior 9 years; these rates suggest a population doubling time of ∼3.5 years. Wild RRP can live 14+ years, can reproduce after 1.5 years, and have few effective predators. Breeding pairs produce 1–3 fledglings annually. RRP are seed predators and rarely seed dispersers; their flock-foraging behavior can result in severe damage to orchard and field agricultural crops including tropical fruit and corn (Zea mays), and such economic damages are especially pronounced on Kaua‘i. Island societies should prevent new introductions and consider RRP deterrents and population control methods to protect resources.
Fragmented QRS complex in acute coronary syndrome, does it have significance in the emergency room? A study from Egypt

Background: Fragmented QRS (fQRS) is derived from regional myocardial fibrosis/scar and ischemia, which cause heterogeneous myocardial electrical activation. We aimed to detect if the presence of fQRS can predict the presence of coronary artery disease (CAD) and to which extent in Egyptian patients with acute coronary syndrome (ACS). Materials and Methods: Seventy-four patients with ACS were divided into two groups according to the presence of fQRS in the initial and follow-up electrocardiography (ECG), they underwent clinical examination, full history for CAD risks, echocardiographic study, cardiac enzymes, lipid profile estimation, and coronary angiographic study. Results: FQRS, when compared with pathological Q wave and ST-segment depression for diagnosis CAD; it has higher sensitivity (49.0% vs. 36.7% and 17.3%) for left anterior descending artery (LAD), (66.7% vs. 14.3% and 9.5%) for left circumflex (LCX), (67.5% vs. 27.5% and 12.5%) for right coronary artery (RCA), more specific (92.00% vs. 78.2% and 80%) for LAD, higher positive predictive value (45% vs. 39.2% and 35.9%) for LAD, (77% vs. 50% and 22%) for LCX, (90% vs. 73.3% and 38.5%) for RCA, more accuracy (63.5% vs. 51.4% and 41.9%) for LAD, (85.1% vs. 71.6% and 64.8%) for LCX, and (78.4% vs. 55.4% and 41.9%) for RCA with a statistically significant differences (P < 0.05). Conclusions: Presence of fQRS in ECG is a good, simple, applicable positive test to predict the presence of significant CAD in the Egyptian patients with ACS in the emergency room, even in those without enzyme elevation but have “fQRS. ”
The Role of Macrophages in HIV-1 Persistence and Pathogenesis

Current antiretroviral therapy (ART) effectively suppresses Human Immunodeficiency Virus type 1 (HIV-1) in infected individuals. However, even long term ART does not eradicate HIV-1 infected cells and the virus persists in cellular reservoirs. Beside memory CD4+ T cells, cells of the myeloid lineage, especially macrophages, are believed to be an important sanctuary for HIV-1. Monocytes and macrophages are key players in the innate immune response to pathogens and are recruited to sites of infection and inflammation. Due to their long life span and ability to reside in virtually every tissue, macrophages have been proposed to play a critical role in the establishment and persistence of the HIV-1 reservoir. Current HIV-1 cure strategies mainly focus on the concept of “shock and kill” to purge the viral reservoir. This approach aims to reactivate viral protein production in latently infected cells, which subsequently are eliminated as a consequence of viral replication, or recognized and killed by the immune system. Macrophage susceptibility to HIV-1 infection is dependent on the local microenvironment, suggesting that molecular pathways directing differentiation and polarization are involved. Current latency reversing agents (LRA) are mainly designed to reactivate the HIV-1 provirus in CD4+ T cells, while their ability to abolish viral latency in macrophages is largely unknown. Moreover, the resistance of macrophages to HIV-1 mediated kill and the presence of infected macrophages in immune privileged regions including the central nervous system (CNS), may pose a barrier to elimination of infected cells by current “shock and kill” strategies. This review focusses on the role of monocytes/macrophages in HIV-1 persistence. We will discuss mechanisms of viral latency and persistence in monocytes/macrophages. Furthermore, the role of these cells in HIV-1 tissue distribution and pathogenesis will be discussed.
Hypoxia Inducible Factor 1α Inhibits the Expression of Immunosuppressive Tryptophan-2,3-Dioxygenase in Glioblastoma

Abnormal circulation in solid tumors results in hypoxia, which modulates both tumor intrinsic malignant properties as well as anti-tumor immune responses. Given the importance of hypoxia in glioblastoma (GBM) biology and particularly in shaping anti-tumor immunity, we analyzed which immunomodulatory genes are differentially regulated in response to hypoxia in GBM cells. Gene expression analyses identified the immunosuppressive enzyme tryptophan-2,3-dioxygenase (TDO2) as the second most downregulated gene in GBM cells cultured under hypoxic conditions. TDO2 catalyses the oxidation of tryptophan to N-formyl kynurenine, which is the first and rate-limiting step of Trp degradation along the kynurenine pathway (KP). In multiple GBM cell lines hypoxia reduced TDO2 expression both at mRNA and protein levels. The downregulation of TDO2 through hypoxia was reversible as re-oxygenation rescued TDO2 expression. Computational modeling of tryptophan metabolism predicted reduced flux through the KP and lower intracellular concentrations of kynurenine and its downstream metabolite 3-hydroxyanthranilic acid under hypoxia. Metabolic measurements confirmed the predicted changes, thus demonstrating the ability of the mathematical model to infer intracellular tryptophan metabolite concentrations. Moreover, we identified hypoxia inducible factor 1α (HIF1α) to regulate TDO2 expression under hypoxic conditions, as the HIF1α-stabilizing agents dimethyloxalylglycine (DMOG) and cobalt chloride reduced TDO2 expression. Knockdown of HIF1α restored the expression of TDO2 upon cobalt chloride treatment, confirming that HIF1α controls TDO2 expression. To investigate the immunoregulatory effects of this novel mechanism of TDO2 regulation, we co-cultured isolated T cells with TDO2-expressing GBM cells under normoxic and hypoxic conditions. Under normoxia TDO2-expressing GBM cells suppressed T cell proliferation, while hypoxia restored the proliferation of the T cells, likely due to the reduction in kynurenine levels produced by the GBM cells. Taken together, our data suggest that the regulation of TDO2 expression by HIF1α may be involved in modulating anti-tumor immunity in GBM.
Understanding social media users' unfollow intentions: take WeChat subscriptions as an example

Purpose An increasing number of users join and become immersed in WeChat official accounts, but many users quit using these services as well. Nevertheless, most of the previous studies mainly focussed on the usage behavior. The purpose of this paper is to fill the gap by examining factors affecting users’ unfollow intentions for WeChat subscriptions in a Chinese context. Design/methodology/approach Structural equation modeling is used in our study. A field survey with 260 WeChat users is conducted to test the research model and hypotheses. Findings The results show the following interesting key findings: first, the effect of actual cost on users’ unfollow intentions is larger than the effect of opportunity cost; second, users’ unfollow intentions will decrease with the increase of users’ perceptions of information usefulness; third, the results of the control variables showed that only landing frequency has a negative effect on users’ unfollow intentions; and fourth, users’ demographic differences are also examined in regard to how they may affect users’ unfollow intentions. Originality/value First, this paper studies factors influencing users’ unfollow intentions for WeChat subscriptions from a social exchange theory perspective; the authors considered both extraneous factors and users’ internal perception factors potentially affecting users’ unfollow intentions, which has rarely been researched. Furthermore, the authors examined significant differences among users’ demographic characteristics in affecting users’ unfollow intentions. The results of the study provide a more comprehensive understanding of the influencing factors of users’ unfollow intentions.
Comparative Performance of Microbial Desalination Cells Using Air Diffusion and Liquid Cathode Reactions: Study of the Salt Removal and Desalination Efficiency

Microbial Desalination Cell (MDC) represents an innovative technology which accomplishes simultaneous desalination and wastewater treatment without external energy input. MDC technology could be employed to provide freshwater with low-energy input, for example, in remote areas where organic wastes (i.e. urban or industrial) are available. In addition, MDC technology has been proposed as pre-treatment in conventional reverse osmosis plants, with the aim of saving energy and avoiding greenhouse gases related to conventional desalination processes. The use of oxygen reduction (i.e. O2 + 2H2O +4e-  4 OH-, E0’ = 0.815 V, pH=7) was usually implemented as cathodic reaction in most of the MDCs reported in literature, whereas other strategies based on liquid catholytes have been also proposed, for example, ferro-ferricyanide redox couple (i.e. Fe(CN)63- + 1e-  Fe(CN)64-, E0 = 0.37 V). As the MDC designs in the literature and operation modes (i.e. batch, continuous, semi-continuous, etc.) are quite different, the available MDC studies are not directly comparable. For this reason, the main objective of this work was to have a proper comparison of two similar MDCs operating with two different catholyte strategies, and compare performance and desalination efficiencies. In this sense, this study compares the desalination performance of two laboratory-scale MDCs located in two different locations for brackish water and sea water using two different strategies. The first strategy consisted of an air cathode for efficient oxygen reduction, while the second strategy was based on a liquid catholyte with Fe3+/Fe2+ solution (i.e. ferro-ferricyanide complex). Both strategies achieved desalination efficiency above 90% for brackish water. Nominal desalination rates (NDR) were in the range of 0.17-0.14 L·m-2·h-1 for brackish and seawater with air diffusion cathode MDC, respectively, and 1.5-0.7 L·m-2·h-1 when using ferro-ferricyanide redox MDC. Organic matter present in wastewater was effectively removed at 0.9 and 1.1 kg COD·m-3·day-1 using the air diffusion cathode MDC for brackish and sea water, respectively, and 7.1 and 19.7 kg COD·m-3·day-1 with a ferro-ferricyanide redox MDC. Both approaches used a laboratory MDC prototype without any energy supply (excluding pumping energy). Pros and cons of both strategies are discussed for subsequent upscaling of MDC technology.