Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Information Technology in Small Businesses: An Overlooked Opportunity?

This paper examines the use of Information Technology (IT) by small businesses. We draw upon extant literature to propose and then test a model that examines the key motivational factors in the IT adoption decision. Survey data from a sample of small businesses in the Maritime Provinces of Canada are used in testing the model. The findings show that recognition of strategic opportunities for using IT builds incrementally as usage increases. The implications of the results and an agenda for further research are discussed.
Productivity and Nutrients Uptake of Lettuce and Sorghum Grown on Sandy Soil as Affected by Some Organic Wastes with Mineral Fertilizers

Pot experiments were conducted at National Research Centre, Cairo, Egypt, to study the response of lettuce followed by sorghum plant to various types of organic compost enrich with mineral fertilizer as the available forms of nitrogenous and potassium fertilizers on productivity and nutrients uptake. Data revealed that ammonium sulphate as a available form of nitrogen and potassium sulphate as a available form of potassium fertilizers positively affected on the fresh and dry weight of lettuce and sorghum plants grown in sandy soil. The response was depending on the type of organic compost and addition of sources of N and K fertilizers. The results indicated that the highest mean values for fresh and dry weight of roots and leaves, and NPK uptake by lettuce were plants obtained when chicken manure was added with, 50% of the recommended dose of ammonium sulphate and potassium sulphate followed by mixture compost and water hyacinth if mixed with mineral fertilizers as ammonium sulphate and potanium sulphate, while the lowest values were obtained when organic composts were added with calcium nitrate and potassium chloride. Furthermore, data revealed that the growth and uptake of NPK by the three cuts of sorghum plants as affected by different application types of organic residues and mineral fertilizers indicate that the highest mean values for fresh and dry weight and NPK uptake of all cuts of sorghum plant were obtained when water hyacinth compost was applied with 50% the recommended dose of ammonium sulphate and potassium sulphate fertilizers. The lowest mean values, were found when addition of chicken compost with calcium nitrate and potassium chloride. Data representing that the fresh and dry weight, and NPK uptake of sorghum plants increased gradually at the first cut and second cut, but decreased in the third cut.
Food Assistance, Take-up, and Infant Health: Evidence from the Adoption of EBT

More than 7 million individuals who were eligible for Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits in 2017 did not participate in the program. Incomplete takeup is common in many transfer programs, and may limit their effectiveness in reducing economic disparities. In this paper, I use a unique setting to shed light on the role that participation costs play in determining food assistance take-up, and to quantify the effects of increasing take-up on infant health at birth. I do this by studying a reform that made it easier to receive and use food assistance benefits in the US: the adoption of the Electronic Benefit Transfer (EBT) debit card for food stamp benefit disbursement. I estimate event study regressions using the county level rollout of EBT in California between 2002 and 2004 and find that EBT adoption led to a large and persistent increase in caseloads and applications for the program, as well as higher retailer participation in high poverty neighborhoods. I document that this rise in food stamp benefit take-up led to a meaningful increase in average birth weight for births most likely impacted by the policy, with effects concentrated in the bottom half of the birth weight distribution. These estimates provide new evidence that reducing the barriers to participation in food assistance programs can lead to potentially large gains in health for disadvantaged children. ∗UC Berkeley Department of Economics. Email: lshiferaw@berkeley.edu. I am very grateful for the guidance and support of my advisor Hilary Hoynes. I would also like to thank Alan Auerbach, David Card, Jacob Goldin, Naihobe Gonzalez, Grant Graziani, Jonathan Holmes, Nan Maxwell, Katherine Meckel, James Mabli, Enrico Moretti, Maya Rossin-Slater, Jesse Rothstein, Emmanuel Saez, Matt Unrath, Reed Walker, Ebonya Washington and Danny Yagan for helpful comments and discussions, and Emily Kasa and Dana Moffat for assistance with data entry and cleaning. I am grateful to conference and seminar participants at the AEA Summer Mentoring Pipeline Conference, the All-California Labor Economics conference, Mathematica, the National Tax Association Annual Conference, UC Berkeley, the UC Network on Child Health, Poverty and Public Policy Summer School and the UC Davis Center for Poverty Research for useful feedback.
Typhoid perforation in children: an unrelenting plague in developing countries.

INTRODUCTION Despite global scientific development, typhoid fever and subsequent typhoid perforation have continued to be common in developing countries. The aim of this study was to re-evaluate the pattern of presentation and management outcomes as well as morbidity and mortality of typhoid perforation among children. METHODOLOGY Children aged 15 years and under with clinical diagnosis of typhoid perforation were retrospectively studied by reviewing their hospital records between January 2006 and December 2015. Demographic and clinical data were analyzed with SPSS using descriptive statistics and the chi-squared test or Cramer's V for continuous and categorical variables respectively. RESULTS 105 children had typhoid fever, 56 (53.3%) of them were diagnosed with typhoid perforation and 49 were confirmed intra-operatively. Of the children, 55.1% (n = 27) were school-aged while the remaining were adolescents; a majority had the classical triad of persistent fever (100%), abdominal pain (100%) and abdominal swelling (93.9%). Anaemia and hypokalaemia were common. The mean time duration for resuscitation was 16 hours (range 6-36 hours). Most perforations were single (n=36, 73.5%). There were more perforations in the school-aged than adolescent children (p = 0.845; V = 0.298). Wound infection (34.7%) was the most frequent morbidity but faecal fistula (10.2%) was most troublesome to manage. Death followed severe sepsis and chest infections in four children (8.2%). CONCLUSION Typhoid perforation continues to cause morbidity and mortality in children in developing countries. To stem this endemic disease, community health education and improved living conditions are required.
Determination of Geriatric Depression Levels Undergoing Homecare Patients: An Investigation in Turkey

Aim: The aim of this study was to investigate the home care patients undergoing geriatric depression levels, depending on the demographic characteristics. Methods: Research was conducted by convenience sample method from patients receiving home care services on selected 496 people aged 60 and over. Data were collected by interviewing home care experts from home care patients. Results: The average age of patients in the study was 77.34 (SD = 6.25). 57.3% of the participants were female, 66.9% live with their children in to discuss with other people, 68.5%, 55.6% also feels pain. Research participants’ depression levels of individuals within the group; 188 people (37.9%), minor depression, 176 persons (35.5%), moderate depression and 132 people (26.6%) were the major depression. Conclusion: According to the depression levels of the people who participated in the study; sex, converse with other people, the number of pills used, difficulty sleeping status, experience pain, number of pills used was significantly differences in average
Descriptive Analysis of Pharmacy Students’ Impressions on Virtual Interactive Case Software

Objective. To assess students’ impressions on whether Virtual Interactive Cases (VICs) contribute to their learning experience. Methods. Ten fourth- year pharmacy students each independently completed the same four VICs followed by a semi-structured interview conducted by VIC project team members. The interviews were audio-recorded, transcribed, and coded for themes using qualitative research methods. Results. All participating students completed all the cases. Overall, students’ feedback on VIC was positive. Five main themes emerged from the transcripts: VIC facilitated their skills in information gathering; they learned from the built-in, real-time, formative feedback; they had a fun and positive learning experience; VICs were realistic; and VIC system was user-friendly. Students also recommended that VIC be incorporated into classroom learning. Some students required additional explanation on the concept of time and costs associated with each action they selected, and the associated performance score. Conclusion. Pharmacy students’ positive experiences with VICs support its use to bridge classroom learning with clinical practice.
Evaluating the impact of peer support and connection on the quality of life of patients with familial chylomicronemia syndrome

ABSTRACT Background: Familial chylomicronemia syndrome (FCS) is a disease caused by impaired lipoprotein lipase function and characterized by chylomicronemia, reduced quality of life (QoL) and risk of pancreatitis. The aim of the current study is to assess if QoL can be improved by patients being connected to other patients. Methods: Respondents (N = 50) categorized into 3 groups (actively connected, passively connected and non-connected) self-reported their current or comparative assessments of QoL before and after connection with FCS-focused support organizations using a customized retrospective web-based survey. Results: Connected respondents showed significantly improved perceptions of overall health, disease severity, motivation to take care of health and emotional well-being (p ≤ 0.05). Any level of connection produced noticeable benefits, but active connection in the form of regular interaction with other patients reported the greatest improvements. Additionally, respondents reported higher levels of satisfaction with their primary treating physician after being connected. The majority of patients (62%) reported joining support groups following referrals from their physicians. Conclusions: Similar to other disease states, connecting with other patients with FCS had a positive impact on aspects of quality of life. Physicians may play a central role in referring their patients with FCS to support groups.
Scope of free legal aid clinics at psychiatric hospitals in India

1Additional Professor, Department of Psychiatric Social Work, National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences (NIMHANS), Bengaluru, Karnataka, India, 2Psychiatric Social Worker, Department of Psychiatric Social Work, National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences (NIMHANS), Bengaluru, Karnataka, India, 3PhD Scholar, Department of Psychiatric Social Work, National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences (NIMHANS), Bengaluru, Karnataka, India, 4Assistant Professor, Department of Psychiatric Social Work, National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences (NIMHANS), Bengaluru, Karnataka, India
Transepidermal water loss as the earliest independent marker of the epidermal barrier dysfunction in children with food hypersensitivity

Aim of the research was to study level of the transepidermal water loss (TEWL) in children with food hypersensitivity depending on the result of skin-prick test, oral challenge test with food allergens, IL-2, IL-4, TLR-2 levels and features of the course of the symptoms. Methods. 424 eligible children 1 18 years old were recruited in the study. TEWL was assessed by measuring of the humidity of the skin (Queentone, France). Skin-prick tests (SPT) and oral challenge test (OCT) with common food allergens were used for diagnostics of the type of the hypersensitivity, venous blood samples were taken for analysis. ELISA method was used for detection of the IL-2, IL-4, TLR-2 in serum. Results. Mean humidity of the skin in the locuses of the inflammation in children with FH was 26,5%[20,8;39,4]. Humidity level on the affected areas strongly correlated with TEWL on the unaffected parts (r=0.73, p<0.05). TEWL in children with clinical symptoms of the FH had no correlation with standard tests (skin prickand oral challenge test), which are usually used for immune FH diagnostics. Humidity in the affected areas was linked with debut of the first FH symptoms before 1 month of age (r=0.33, p<0.05). 26 Olga P. Pakholchuk Conclusion. Transepidermal water loss which can be measured with relative humidity level is the earliest independent marker of the epidermal barrier dysfunction in children with clinical symptoms of the food hypersensitivity. Correction of the TEWL should be provided as in the affected as in the unaffected areas.
Demographic history shaped geographical patterns of deleterious mutation load in a broadly distributed Pacific Salmon

A thorough reconstruction of historical processes is essential for a comprehensive understanding of the mechanisms shaping patterns of genetic diversity. Indeed, past and current conditions influencing effective population size have important evolutionary implications for the efficacy of selection, increased accumulation of deleterious mutations, and loss of adaptive potential. Here, we gather extensive genome-wide data that represent the extant diversity of the Coho salmon (Oncorhynchus kisutch) to address two objectives. We demonstrate that a single glacial refugium is the source of most of the present-day genetic diversity, with detectable inputs from a putative secondary micro-refugium. We found statistical support for a scenario whereby ancestral populations located south of the ice sheets expanded recently, swamping out most of the diversity from other putative micro-refugia. Demographic inferences revealed that genetic diversity was also affected by linked selection in large parts of the genome. Moreover, we demonstrate that the recent demographic history of this species generated regional differences in the load of deleterious mutations among populations, a finding that mirrors recent results from human populations and provides increased support for models of expansion load. We propose that insights from these historical inferences should be better integrated in conservation planning of wild organisms, which currently focuses largely on neutral genetic diversity and local adaptation, with the role of potentially maladaptive variation being generally ignored.
RNF213 variation, a broader role in neurovascular disease in Caucasian and Japanese populations

Moyamoya disease (MMD) is a chronic, occlusive cerebrovascular disease that predominantly affects East Asian populations. The major genetic mutation associated with MMD in Asian populations is the p.R4810K substitution in Ring Finger Protein 213 (RNF213). Interestingly, variants in the RNF213 gene have also been implicated in intracranial aneurysms (IA) in French-Canadian population, suggesting that variation in this gene may play a broader role in cerebrovascular phenotypes. In a recent genome-wide association study (GWAS) in a Caucasian population, variants rs6565653 and rs12601526 in the Solute Carrier Family 26 Member 11 (SLC26A11) gene, which is less than 10kb away from RNF213, showed a suggestive association with young onset ischemic stroke. We propose that the signal could be tagging an association with common variation in the RNF213 gene. We analyzed the linkage disequilibrium (LD) pattern in the SLC26A11-RNF213 gene region and we observed a high LD between variants in this region based on D’ values. We show that SLC26A11 rs6565653 variant tags RNF213 rs12944088, a missense variant that is more common among subjects with IA than in healthy individuals. Given the fact that rs6565653 tags several RNF213 variants, it is highly likely that some of these tagged variants modify the risk of suffering stroke. The LD analyses suggest that the SLC26A11 signal from the young onset ischemic stroke GWAS performed in a Caucasian population is also tagging variation at the RNF213 loci, supporting the hypothesis that RNF213 variation may result in a variety of neurovascular disorders including an increased risk and/or worse prognosis following ischemic stroke in Caucasian population.
A one-enzyme RT-qPCR assay for SARS-CoV-2, and procedures for reagent production

Given the scale of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the need for reliable, scalable testing, and the likelihood of reagent shortages, especially in resource-poor settings, we have developed a RT-qPCR assay that relies on an alternative to conventional viral reverse transcriptases, a thermostable reverse transcriptase / DNA polymerase (RTX)1. Here we show that RTX performs comparably to the other assays sanctioned by the CDC and validated in kit format. We demonstrate two modes of RTX use – (i) dye-based RT-qPCR assays that require only RTX polymerase, and (ii) TaqMan RT-qPCR assays that use a combination of RTX and Taq DNA polymerases (as the RTX exonuclease does not degrade a TaqMan probe). We also provide straightforward recipes for the purification of this alternative reagent. We anticipate that in low resource or point-of-need settings researchers could obtain the available constructs from Addgene or our lab and begin to develop their own assays, within whatever regulatory framework exists for them. We lay out protocols for dye-based and TaqMan probe-based assays, in order to best compare with ‘gold standard’ reagents. These protocols should form the basis of further modifications that can simplify the assay to the use of overexpressing cells themselves as reagents. Developing dye-based and TaqMan probe-based RT-qPCR assays with RTX
HIFα regulates developmental myelination independent of autocrine Wnt signaling

The developing CNS is exposed to physiological hypoxia, under which hypoxia inducible factor alpha (HIFα) is stabilized and plays a crucial role in regulating neural development. The cellular and molecular mechanisms of HIFα in developmental myelination remain incompletely understood. Previous concept proposes that HIFα regulates CNS developmental myelination by activating the autocrine Wnt/β-catenin signaling in oligodendrocyte progenitor cells (OPCs). Here, by analyzing a battery of genetic mice of both sexes, we presented in vivo evidences supporting an alternative understanding of oligodendroglial HIFα-regulated developmental myelination. At the cellular level, we found that HIFα was required for developmental myelination by transiently controlling upstream OPC differentiation but not downstream oligodendrocyte maturation and that HIFα dysregulation in OPCs but not oligodendrocytes disturbed normal developmental myelination. We demonstrated that HIFα played a minor, if any, role in regulating canonical Wnt signaling in the oligodendroglial lineage or in the CNS. At the molecular level, blocking autocrine Wnt signaling did not affect HIFα-regulated OPC differentiation and myelination. We further identified HIFα-Sox9 regulatory axis as an underlying molecular mechanism in HIFα-regulated OPC differentiation. Our findings support a concept shift in our mechanistic understanding of HIFα-regulated CNS myelination from the previous Wnt-dependent view to a Wnt-independent one and unveil a previously unappreciated HIFα-Sox9 pathway in regulating OPC differentiation.
Cross-talk between individual phenol soluble modulins in S. aureus biofilm formation

The infective ability of the opportunistic pathogen Staphylococcus aureus is associated with biofilm mediated resistance to host immune response and even disinfectants and indeed S. aureus is recognized as the most frequent cause of biofilm associated infections. Phenol-soluble modulin (PSM) peptides serve various roles in pathogenicity while also comprising the structural scaffold of S. aureus biofilms through self-assembly into functional amyloids, but the role of the individual PSMs during biofilm formation remains poorly understood and the molecular pathways of PSM self-assembly have proved challenging to identify. Here, we show a high degree of cooperation between individual PSMs during the formation of functional amyloids in biofilm formation. The fast aggregating PSMα3 initiates the aggregation by forming unstable aggregates capable of seeding the formation of aggregates by other PSM peptides into the formation of stable amyloid structures. Using chemical kinetics along with spectroscopic techniques we dissect the molecular mechanism of aggregation of the individual peptides to show that PSMα1, PSMα3 and PSMβ1 display secondary nucleation whereas βPSM2 aggregates through primary nucleation and elongation. Our findings suggest that the various PSMs have evolved to ensure fast and efficient biofilm formation through cooperation between individual peptides.
Old Drugs with New Tricks: Efficacy of Fluoroquinolones to Suppress Replication of Flaviviruses

Antiviral therapies are urgently needed to treat infections with flaviviruses such as Zika (ZIKV) and dengue (DENV) virus. Repurposing FDA-approved compounds could provide the fastest route to alleviate the burden of flaviviral diseases. In this study, three fluoroquinolones, enoxacin, difloxacin and ciprofloxacin, curtailed replication of flaviviruses ZIKV, DENV, Langat (LGTV) and Modoc (MODV) in HEK-293 cells at low micromolar concentrations. Time-of-addition assays revealed that enoxacin suppressed ZIKV replication when added at 6 hours post-infection, suggesting inhibition of an intermediate step in the virus life cycle, whereas ciprofloxacin and difloxacin had a wider window of efficacy of 2, 6, and 8 hours post-infection for difloxacin and 2 to 8 hours post-infection for ciprofloxacin. The efficacy of enoxacin to suppress ZIKV replication in 5-week-old A129 mice was evaluated in two experiments. First, mice were infected with 1×105 plaque-forming units (pfu) ZIKV FSS13025 (n=20) or PBS (n=11) on day 0 and subsets were treated with enoxacin at 10mg/kg or 15mg/kg or diluent orally twice daily on days 1-5. Treated and control mice did not differ in weight change or virus titer in serum or brain. Mice treated with enoxacin showed a significant, 5-fold decrease in ZIKV titer in testes relative to controls. Second, mice were infected with 1×102 pfu ZIKV (n=13) or PBS (n=13) on day 0 and subsets were treated with 15mg/kg oral enoxacin or diluent twice daily on days 0 (pre-treatment) and 1-5. Mice treated with enoxacin showed a significant, 2.5-fold decrease in ZIKV titer in testes relative to controls, while weight and viral load in the serum, brain, and liver did not differ between treated and control mice. Enoxacin efficacy in cultured murine Sertoli cells was not enhanced compared to efficacy in HEK-293 cells. ZIKV can be sexually transmitted, so reduction of titer in the testes by enoxacin should be further investigated. Author Summary Flaviviruses such as Zika and dengue virus pose a significant threat to public health worldwide, and there are currently no antiviral therapies to treat any flaviviral infection. Repurposing FDA-approved drugs as anti-flaviviral therapies can accelerate clinical use. We demonstrated that fluoroquinolone antibiotics exhibit anti-flaviviral efficacy, suppressing flavivirus replication in cultured human cells. Additionally, we found that the fluoroquinolone enoxacin suppressed Zika virus replication in mouse testes. While Zika virus is primarily transmitted via mosquitoes, the virus also undergoes sexual transmission. The importance of sexual transmission for the overall epidemiology of the virus remains unclear; nonetheless all routes of potential transmission to pregnant women are of concern as fetal infection in utero can have devastating effects. Thus, our data indicate that fluoroquinolones hold promise for treatment of flaviviral infections, particularly infection of the testes by Zika virus, and that this class of drugs warrants further study.