Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Trend and Reasons of Women Towards the Choice for Place of Delivery: Evidence from Mics 2017-18 Punjab, Pakistan

Objective: To assess the attitudes and reasons of women towards the choice for place of delivery as per the data from the Multiple Indicators Cluster Survey (MICS) 2017-18, Punjab, Pakistan. Material and methods: Observational Study conducted at 36 districts of the Punjab, 2017-18A total of 53,840 households were drawn as the sample size from 2,692 sample clusters, out of which 1,893 were rural clusters and 799 were urban clusters. From 53,840 households, 52,765 households occupied and 51,660 were successfully interviewed. Therefore, the response rate was 97.9%. According to survey results, 79,510 women had been eligible for interview of age group 15-49 years. Out of which 74,010 women were interview successfully with the response rate 93.1%. Further, out of these 74,010 women, there were 26,980 women who had ever or currently married, and out of these women 15,656 women gave birth in the last two years. In our study, we considered the place of delivery as an outcome variable and wanted to identify the associated socio-demographic and socioeconomic characteristics that were expected to be responsible for shifting the trend from the public to the private sector for delivery. To check the association and for statistical testing of hypothesis, Chi-square test for association was applied. We also applied multinomial logistic regression to identify the predictors for the place of delivery by using SPSS. P-value ? 0.05 was considered as significant. Results: Majority of the women (43.5%) delivered their babies in the private sector while (29.7%) of women delivered their babies in public sector hospitals, and (26.4%) women prefered home delivery. In the comparison of area of residence, urban women compared to rural women were more likely to choose public sector hospitals for their deliveries OR=1.02 (0.94-1.09) 95% CI, p=0.000, for home deliveries OR=1.293 (1.154-1.45) 95% CI, p=0.000 and for other OR=2.341 (1.196-4.582)95% CI, p=0.013. In the comparison of regions of Punjab, the women of South and Central Punjab were more likely to choose private sector hospitals for delivery, OR=1/0.535=1.87 (0.478-0.600)95% CI, p=0.000 and OR=1/0.624=1.61 (0.564-0.690)95% CI, p=0.000, respectively. The women who get antenatal care had 2.84 times more chances, as compared to the women who did not get antenatal care visits, to deliver in the private sector OR=0.353 (0.213-0.538)95% CI, p=0.000. About the model fitting, chi-square value=3527.06, Cox & Snell=0.202 and p=0.000 suggested that the predictors in the model had a significant effect. Conclusion: Overall women prefer to undergo childbirth process in private sector hospital while women of urban area prefer public sector hospital. It may be related to facilities present in private sector hospitals or it may due to the fact that public healthcare facilities are not accessible to everybody especially in rural areas. In modern era, still many women prefer home delivery.
The Rules of drought and the development of water-saving agriculture in southwest China

The southwest region excluding Tibet,with 19.2% of national population,19.1% of national farmland and 14.9% of the gross national products in agriculture,forestry,animal husbandry and fishery,is very important and highly potential in agricultural production in China.Drought,however,is considered as the main factor that confines further development of agriculture in the area.This article analyzed the features and determined the patterns of drought occurred in the region including seasonal drought severity,drought regionalization,drought diversity,and continuity and high-frequency drought.It concluded that spring drought,summer drought and the hot season drought are the biggest threat to agriculture.Meanwhile,from the viewpoint of nature and economic de-velopment,it indicated that the pocket rainfalls,low use efficiency of water resources,serious soil erosion and the lagging irrigation engineering projects are the major causes for drought in this area.On the basis of this study,a number of measures to reduce drought are suggested including improving use efficiency of rainfalls,speeding up exploitation of water resources and developing bio-technology for high water use efficiency.
Students’ Self-directed Learning in English in Foreign Language Classes After the Coronavirus Disease 2019 Pandemic in Saudi Arabia

 This study examined the self-directed learning readiness of 211 Saudi Arabian high school students after the COVID-19. The results showed high readiness for self-directed learning (SDL) in the EFL context, with a score of 235 out of 300. Factors influencing SDL readiness included the learning environment and student’s intrinsic motivation. Further research is recommended to evaluate learning outcomes and explore SDL-applicable models for teachers and students.
Low Hepatitis C Virus Prevalence among Men Who Have Sex with Men Attending Public Health Services in The Netherlands

The hepatitis C virus (HCV) prevalence is high among men who have sex with men (MSM) with HIV in the Netherlands. Large reductions in HCV incidence among MSM with HIV, however, have occurred since treatment with direct-acting antivirals. Over the years, a broader understanding of the HCV epidemic has shown that HCV infections are not solely restricted to MSM with HIV, but they also occur among HIV-negative MSM. Currently, HCV testing among HIV-negative MSM is only provided for PrEP users and is not part of routine sexually transmitted infection (STI) screening among HIV-negative MSM who are not using PrEP. In this study, we screened 1885 HIV-negative MSM who did not participate in a PrEP program, with over 1966 STI screening visits at four different public health clinic sites. Among the 1885 MSM, only one person had a new HCV infection, resulting in a 0.05% (95% confidence interval 0.0–0.3) incidence. Based on our findings, we can conclude that systematic HCV testing at STI clinics may not yield significant benefits for this particular population.
Pharmacokinetic Study of Islatravir and Etonogestrel Implants in Macaques

The prevention of HIV and unintended pregnancies is a public health priority. Multi-purpose prevention technologies capable of long-acting HIV and pregnancy prevention are desirable for women. Here, we utilized a preclinical macaque model to evaluate the pharmacokinetics of biodegradable ε-polycaprolactone implants delivering the antiretroviral islatravir (ISL) and the contraceptive etonogestrel (ENG). Three implants were tested: ISL-62 mg, ISL-98 mg, and ENG-33 mg. Animals received one or two ISL-eluting implants, with doses of 42, 66, or 108 µg of ISL/day with or without an additional ENG-33 mg implant (31 µg/day). Drug release increased linearly with dose with median [range] plasma ISL levels of 1.3 [1.0–2.5], 1.9 [1.2–6.3] and 2.8 [2.3–11.6], respectively. The ISL-62 and 98 mg implants demonstrated stable drug release over three months with ISL-triphosphate (ISL-TP) concentr54ations in PBMCs above levels predicted to be efficacious for PrEP. Similarly, ENG implants demonstrated sustained drug release with median [range] plasma ENG levels of 495 [229–1110] pg/mL, which suppressed progesterone within two weeks and showed no evidence of altering ISL pharmacokinetics. Two of the six ISL-98 mg implants broke during the study and induced implant-site reactions, whereas no reactions were observed with intact implants. We show that ISL and ENG biodegradable implants are safe and yield sufficient drug levels to achieve prevention targets. The evaluation of optimized implants with increased mechanical robustness is underway for improved durability and vaginal efficacy in a SHIV challenge model.
Development of Various Types of Independent Phase Based Pulsewidth Modulation Techniques for Three-Phase Voltage Source Inverters

Discontinuous pulse-width-modulation (DPWM) methods have been extensively used in the industrial area to reduce overall losses, which decreases the corresponding thermal stress on the power switches of converters. However, local thermal overload can arise due to different aging conditions of semiconductor devices or failure in the cooling system. This leads to reduced reliability of the converter system due to the low expected lifespan of the most aged switches or phase legs. In this paper, the modified DPWM strategies for independent control of per-phase switching loss are introduced to deal with this matter. The proposed per-phase DPWM techniques are generated by modifying the conventional three-phase DPWM methods for reducing the switching loss in a specific leg, whereas the output performance is not degraded. This paper reports on output performance, including output current total harmonic distortion (THD) and power loss of switching devices, analysis for the various modified DPWM strategies for independent control of per-phase switching loss, which is applicable in 2-level 3-phase voltage source inverters (2L3P VSIs). The results are compared to the corresponding continuous PWM technique to verify and analyze the effectiveness and accuracy of the modified DPWM strategies for independent control of per-phase switching loss.
The Promise of Tutoring for PreK–12 Learning: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of the Experimental Evidence

Tutoring ranks among the most versatile and potentially transformative educational tools available. Dozens of randomized experiments have evaluated preK–12 tutoring programs, varying widely in approaches, contexts, and costs. This article presents results from a systematic review and meta-analysis of tutoring field experiments. We develop a framework for understanding variation in tutoring program impact and examine effect sizes (ESs) across a range of characteristics. We find that tutoring programs yield consistently substantial positive impacts on learning, with an overall pooled ES of 0.288 SD (SE = 0.029, p < .001). ESs tend to be largest for programs that use teachers or paraprofessionals as tutors, are held in earlier grades, occur at least 3 days per week, and are held during school.
RESPONSE OF KUFRI GIRDHARI AND KUFRI HIMALINI CULTIVARS TO DIFFERENT LEVELS OF NPK IN HIGH HILLS OF NORTH-WESTERN HIMALAYAS

The potato cultivars Kufri Himalini and Kufri Girdhari are resistant to the major disease of potato in hills viz. late blight coupled with high yield potential over the existing cultivars of potato in the region (Joseph et al., 2007 and 2011). The number of growers adopting these cultivars is increasing and hence the demand for seed of these cultivars is also increasing. This has created the necessity of standardizing the package of practices of these cultivars which till now is not available.
An In Silico Analysis of PCR-Based Monkeypox Virus Detection Assays: A Case Study for Ongoing Clinical Surveillance

The 2022 global Mpox outbreak swiftly introduced unforeseen diversity in the monkeypox virus (MPXV) population, resulting in numerous Clade IIb sublineages. This propagation of new MPXV mutations warrants the thorough re-investigation of previously recommended or validated primers designed to target MPXV genomes. In this study, we explored 18 PCR primer sets and examined their binding specificity against 5210 MPXV genomes, representing all the established MPXV lineages. Our results indicated that only five primer sets resulted in almost all perfect matches against the targeted MPXV lineages, and the remaining primer sets all contained 1–2 mismatches against almost all the MPXV lineages. We further investigated the mismatched primer-genome pairs and discovered that some of the primers overlapped with poorly sequenced and assembled regions of the MPXV genomes, which are consistent across multiple lineages. However, we identified 173 99% genome-wide conserved regions across all 5210 MPXV genomes, representing 30 lineages/clades with at least 80% lineage-specific consensus for future primer development and primer binding evaluation. This exercise is crucial to ensure that the current detection schemes are robust and serve as a framework for primer evaluation in clinical testing development for other infectious diseases.
3D-Printed Antibacterial Scaffolds for the Regeneration of Alveolar Bone in Severe Periodontitis

Current clinical treatment of periodontitis alleviates periodontal symptoms and helps to keep the disease under control for extended periods. Despite this, a significant destruction of the tooth’s underlying bone tissue often takes place progressively. Herein, we present a two-way therapeutic approach for local delivery of antibacterial agents and bone tissue regeneration, incorporating ~1% w/w tetracycline hydrochloride (TCH) into a 3D-printed scaffold composed of poly(ε-caprolactone) (PCL). Samples were assessed for their morphological, physicochemical, pharmacokinetic, and antibacterial properties. Furthermore, osteoprecursor cells (MC3T3-E1) were employed to evaluate the osteoinductive potential of the drug-loaded scaffolds. Cell proliferation, viability, and differentiation were determined on all cell-seeded scaffolds. At the end of the culture, PCL-TCH scaffolds promoted abundant collagen organic matrix, demonstrating augmented alkaline phosphatase (ALP) activity and areas of accumulated mineralised bone tissue, despite their belayed cell proliferation. Based on the observed effectiveness of the PCL-TCH scaffolds to inhibit Staphylococcus aureus, these constructs could serve as an alternative bioactive implant that supports bacterial inhibition and favours a 3D microenvironment for bone tissue regeneration in severe periodontitis.
Intraseasonal Eastern Pacific Precipitation and SST Variations in a GCM Coupled to a Slab Ocean Model

Abstract Coupling the NCAR Community Climate Model version 3.6 (CCM3.6) with relaxed Arakawa–Schubert convection to a slab ocean model (SOM) improves the simulation of eastern Pacific convection during a composite June–November intraseasonal oscillation (ISO) life cycle. Intraseasonal oscillations in the SOM simulation produce convective variability over the tropical northeastern Pacific that is similar to that produced by the observed Madden–Julian oscillation (MJO). A composite ISO life cycle in the SOM simulation exhibits stronger, more coherent, and more widespread eastern Pacific warm pool convective anomalies than in a control simulation using climatological SSTs. Competing convective forcings over land and ocean make eastern Pacific low-level circulation anomalies more complex in the SOM simulation than in the observed MJO. Off-equatorial eastern Pacific SST variations of more than 0.6°C are associated with the June–November SOM simulation ISO. These variations are similar to those observed with th.
The risk of cancer in Brazil: tendencies and recent epidemiologic studies

The number of cancer cases has been increasing all over the world, mainly since the last century, to the point where nowadays it is one of the most serious public health problems worldwide. The frequency of distribution of the various types of cancer varies according to the specific characteristics of each region, which implies a need to study how geographic variations impact on this disease aiming an adequate monitoring and control. This work is a review of the most recent specialized literature, describingsome of the main types of cancer in Brazil have been described, focusing on epidemiologic research which has studied the risk factors associated with these cancers in our country. In this way, the authors aimed to contribute to an evaluation of the present risk of cancer in Brazil, analyzing the tendencies of its incidence, that could help to develop adequate public health policies to control this disease in our country.
The foraminiferal genera Pararotalia, Neorotalia, and Calcarina: taxonomic revision

Scanning electron microscopy of the architecture of Rotalina inermis Terquem, 1882, the type-species of the genus Pararotalia Le Calvez, 1949, and of Rotalia mexicana Nuttall, 1928, the type-species of the genus Neorotalia Bermudez, 1952, reveals that both taxa have in common: 1) an umbilical bowl closed by either a single or a compound umbilical plug; 2) an interiomarginal extraumbilical aperture, restricted by a toothplate that protrudes with a free edge into the aperture and forms an umbilical spiral canal; and 3) a septal flap and intraseptal interlocular spaces. Rotalia mexicana, however, also possesses an enveloping canal-system, similar to that found in the Calcarinidae. For this reason Neorotalia must be regarded as a valid distinct genus, not synonymous with Pararotalia, as proposed by some authors. Calcarina calcar d'Orbigny, 1839, variously placed by authors in Rotalia Lamarck, 1804, in Pararotalia Le Calvez, 1949, and lately again in Calcarina d'Orbigny, 1826, is shown to possess the same basic architecture as Neorotalia and is placed, consequently, into this latter genus. Irregular supplementary apertures occurring in N. calcar are not considered of generic value and neither are they regarded as indicating a relationship with Nautilus spengleri Gmelin, 1788, the type-species of Calcarina. The latter, although characterized by a complex enveloping canal-system, possesses primary multiple interioareal main apertures, surrounded by thick rims, as well as a small umbilical plate, but lacks a toothplate with a free edge. For comparison, Pararotalia spinigera (Le Calvez, 1949) and Neorotalia viennoti (Greig, 1935) were also studied. The subfamily Pararotaliinae Reiss, 1963, is emended to include the canal-system as a characteristic feature. A glossary of selected terms is appended.
Comparison between Organic and Inorganic Zinc Forms and Their Combinations with Various Dietary Fibers in Respect of the Effects on Electrolyte Concentrations and Mucosa in the Large Intestine of Pigs

This study aimed to determine the effects of Zn sources, used with potato fiber (PF) or lignocellulose (LC), on electrolyte concentration and the mucus layer in the large intestine of pigs. The experiment involved 24 barrows with an initial body weight of 10.8 ± 0.82 kg, divided into four groups fed the following diets: LC and ZnSO4, LC and Zn glycinate (ZnGly), PF and ZnSO4, or PF and ZnGly. Fiber supplements provided 10 g crude fiber/kg diet, while Zn additives introduced 120 mg Zn/kg diet. After four weeks of feeding, the pigs were sacrificed and digesta and tissue samples were taken from the cecum and colon. PF increased the water content and decreased the phosphorus concentration in the large intestine in comparison with LC. PF also increased calcium, iron, and chloride concentrations in the descending colon. Mucus layer thickness and histological parameters of the large intestine were not affected. ZnGly diets increased MUC12 expression in the cecum as compared to the LC-ZnSO4 group. In the ascending colon, the PF-ZnGly diet increased MUC5AC expression, while both PF groups had greater MUC20 expression in comparison with the LC-ZnSO4 group. In the transverse colon, the LC-ZnGly group and both PF groups had higher MUC5AC expression in comparison with the LC-ZnSO4 group, and both ZnGly groups had higher MUC20 expression than ZnSO4 groups. PF and ZnGly increased MUC4 and MUC5AC expression in the descending colon. PF and ZnGly may exert a beneficial effect on colon health in pigs by upregulating the expression of the MUC5AC and MUC20 genes and are more effective than LC and ZnSO4.
Excessive weight gain onset-age and risk of developing diabetes mellitus: a large, prospective Chinese cohort study

Background Excessive weight gain and obesity are widely accepted as risk factors for diabetes mellitus, and the age at which obesity onsets may be related to the development of cardiovascular diseases and certain cancers. Here, we aimed to investigate associations between the onset-age of overweight/obesity and risk of developing diabetes mellitus in China. Methods 42,144 people with the normal weight range and without diabetes at baseline, were enrolled from the Kailuan cohort which began on the 1st June 2006. All participants were followed-up, biennially, until 31st December 2017. During follow-up, 11,220 participants had become overweight/obese. For each case, one normal-weight control was matched according to age ( ± 1 year) and sex. Our final analysis included 10,858 case-control pairs. An age-scaled Cox model was implemented to estimate hazard ratios (HR) with corresponding 95% confidence intervals (CI) for diabetes mellitus incidence across age-groups. Results At a median follow-up of 5.46 years, 1,403 cases of diabetes mellitus were identified. After multivariate adjustments, age-scaled Cox modelling suggested that risk gradually attenuated with every 10 year increase in age of onset of overweight/obesity. Diabetes mellitus adjusted HRs (aHRs) for new-onset overweight/obesity at <45years, 45-54 years, and 55-64 years were 1.47 (95%CI, 1.12-1.93), 1.38 (95%CI, 1.13-1.68), 1.32 (95%CI, 1.09-1.59), respectively. However, new-onset of overweight/obesity at ≥65 years did not relate to diabetes mellitus (aHR, 1.20; 95%CI, 0.92-1.57). This trend was not observed in women or the new-onset obesity subgroup but was evident in men and the new overweight onset subgroup. Conclusion Participants with early onset of excessive weight gain issues are at considerably higher risk of developing diabetes mellitus compared to those who maintain a normal weight.
Microencapsulated Bilberry and Chokeberry Leaf Extracts with Potential Health Benefits

The aim of the research was to develop microencapsulated powders of bilberry and chokeberry extracts via the spray drying technique. Two biopolymers, pectin alone and in combination with HP-β-CD, were used to preserve the antioxidant, hypoglycemic, photoprotective, and antimicrobial bioactivity of the berry leaf extracts. Moreover, the formed powders were characterized in terms of technological, chemical, and several biological properties. The obtained micro-sized powders (mean average particle diameter from 3.83 to 5.94 µm) demonstrated a process yield of up to 73%. The added biopolymers improved the flowability and cohesive properties of the powders and increased their thermal stability to 170 °C. The total content of polyphenolics in the powders ranged from 323.35 to 367.76 mg GAE/g DW for bilberry and from 186.85 to 227.59 mg GAE/g DW for chokeberry powders; meanwhile, chlorogenic acid was the predominant compound in powders. All samples showed stronger α-glucosidase inhibitory activity (IC50 values ranged from 5.00 to 19.59 µg/mL) compared with the reference standard. The study confirmed that spray drying is a suitable method for the preservation of the polyphenolic-rich extracts, while the addition of carriers has a positive effect on the improvement of microencapsulated powders’ properties.
Mechanical, chemical and biological properties of PLA 3D printer: A systematic review

The aim of this systematic review is to evaluate, through the in vitro studies included, whether PLA has mechanical, chemical and biological properties that enable its clinical use in dentistry. An electronic search was carried out in the Pubmed, Science Direct, Embase and Scopus databases containing the terms ''polylactic acid'', ''3D printing'',''biomaterials'',''dental materials'', dental prosthesis and dentistry. The objective of the inclusion criteria was to cover articles written and published in English that focused on the use of PLA in the field of dental materials and biomaterials printed using the 3D method. Any articles that did not focus on the study of PLA polymer, as well as systematic reviews, book chapters, abstracts, letters and conference articles were excluded. 1814 references were found, which after applying the exclusion criteria resulted in the final inclusion of 13 articles for the review. Based on the studies included in this systematic review, it is possible to conclude that 3D printed PLA used as a dental material and biomaterial presents favorable mechanical, chemical and biological properties that indicate its potential clinical use.