Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
LETTER TO EDITOR

TO THE EDITOR: I particularly enjoyed the article by Sewitch et al. titled, “Patient Nonadherence to Medication in Inflammatory Bowel Disease” (1). In general, few data exist from prospective or longitudinal studies on the determinants of nonadherence to medication in outpatients with IBD, as most other adherence studies have been of cross-sectional or population study design (2, 3). Besides its prospective nature, the main strength of this study rests in its effort to assess the impact of discordant patient–physician perceptions on nonadherence to medication. To explore fully the link between discordance and nonadherence, the Montreal-based investigators employed a sophisticated and somewhat complicated statistical model to analyze factors such as psychological distress, perceived stress, negative life events, and social support as potential confounders and effect modifiers on this relationship. Nonadherence within 2 wk of an office visit was high (41%) but was similar to rates typically found for long-term treatment associated with chronic disease (4). Of the patients, 33% were unintentionally nonadherent to medication, 15% were intentionally nonadherent, and 7% were both. The authors concluded that the therapeutic relationship, as well as individual clinical and psychosocial characteristics, influence adherence to medication. An interesting finding was that although discordance on well-being was associated with overall medication nonadherence, the association varied depending on the presence or absence of psychological distress. Specifically, they observed that higher discordance was associated with increased risk of nonadherence to medication in psychologically nondistressed patients but with decreased risk in distressed patients. Why is this important? The underlying assumption is that discordance, which is a product of the patient–physician encounter, may provide clinicians with a means to identify patients who are at higher risk for nonadherence and may require additional monitoring. The authors recommend that physicians need to determine levels of psychological distress and discordance in their patients who are prescribed medication and then schedule follow-up appointments for those who are not distressed and have more discordance on well-being.
Industrial facilities nonprocess energy

ABSTRACT In this study, published information on nonprocess energy use, which includes lighting, heating, cooling, ventilation, humidity control, and particulate control, for industrial buildings has been analyzed and compiled and then represented in power intensity (W/ft2). More than thirty different sources of data related to industrial building energy use (covering about 82 buildings) were identified and analyzed. Energy receives a lot of consideration in analyzing prospective savings in industrial facilities since the industrial sector consumes more than 30% of the total energy in the US. The main objective of this study is to establish representative ranges for nonprocess energy use that can then be used with full process the life cycle for industrial products. The industrial manufacturing buildings were classified into six categories according to nonprocess energy use. The power intensity for each building category was estimated from the available data. Previous analyses of industrial energy use often expressed nonprocess energy as a percentage of total energy but without clear values of actual nonprocess energy. This information is a low value since the actual nonprocess energy is then dominated by the dominator which is unspecified.
Review on Breeding Methods, Challenges and Opportunities of Rice Production in Ethiopia

Rice production in Ethiopia has started a few decades ago and now the country is proved to have reasonable potential to grow different rice types for rain fed lowland, upland and irrigated ecosystems. Rice is currently considered as a strategic food security crop and its use as a food crop, income source, employment opportunity and animal feed has been well recognized in Ethiopia. Emphasis on high grain quality tends to result in unstable yields. Various breeding strategies for increasing the yield potential such as Conventional hybridization, Ideotype breeding, Heterosis breeding, Male sterility, wide hybridization, Genetic engineering, Molecular marker assisted breeding. Hence, breeding efforts should concentrate on varieties with the potential to minimize yield losses under unfavorable conditions, and to maximize yields when conditions are favorable. The productivity of rice was affected by diseases, insects, weeds and abiotic factors. There were 35 rice (15 upland, 11 lowland and 9 irrigated), varieties released for different agro ecologies of Ethiopia.
The Relevance and Effectiveness of Learnership Programs in South Africa: A Survey of Trainees from within a SETA

Abstract The focus of this paper results from a survey undertaken to understand the challenges, which trainees in learnership programs face within a selected South African Sector Education and Training Authority (SETA). Inaddition, the research evaluates the impact that this has on the ultimate success of learnerships and the progresstowards skill development of the labor force in South Africa. The research covered an analysis of responses froma selected cohort in a learnership program, and how incumbents experienced various facets of the learnershiptraining and development activities and interventions. The broad areas that were analyzed were the level of‘organization-fit’ during the duration of the program, the content of learning programs, and the recognition ofthese programs in the appropriate industry.
Currency Choice in Domestic Transactions by Cambodian Households: The Importance of Transaction Size and Network Externalities

Beyond dollarization in financial systems and business transactions, foreign currency is widely used in domestic transactions by households in several dollarized economies. Based on data from a nationally representative household survey in Cambodia, we examined the key factors that affect household preferences in relation to currency choice in those transactions where they accept money when selling some assets. We found that size of transaction is negatively correlated to household choice of local currency. In addition, we found that having a bank account mitigates the negative effect of size of transaction on local currency choice, suggesting that availability of financial services could reduce the transaction costs for households when accepting local currency. We also found that our measures of the extent of the network externalities of foreign currency are significantly correlated to household choice of foreign currency. Our findings suggest that improvement in the usability of local currency gained by reducing the transaction costs of local currency relative to foreign currency, particularly for large transactions, can have a positive impact on household use of the local currency in domestic transactions.
Methods for handling missing data in a population based cohort study

Background: Missing data are an unavoidable feature in longitudinal studies and inadequate handling can result in bias. The South London Stroke Register (SLSR) follows up participants at three months and annually after stroke. The majority of data collected are categorical in nature. Typically a third of survivors miss each follow-up and the impact of, and ‘best’ methods for, dealing with these missing data are not clear. The aim of the thesis is to compare and determine the most appropriate methods for handling non-continuous missing data in the SLSR. Methods: Exploratory analyses identified predictors of incomplete follow-up and informed a simulation study in which the biases associated with prevalence rates of four indicators of poor outcome were estimated and analysis methods compared across four scenarios. Models making differing assumptions about the missing data assessed the impact of missing data on associations between baseline characteristics and outcomes. Results: Missing data were strongly associated with disability and activity level after stroke and likely missing not at random (MNAR). Estimates of prevalence of poor outcomes from available case analyses were relatively unbiased apart from when a strong MNAR assumption was made and outcomes were strongly associated with dropout, with prevalence underestimated by up to 7% points. Bias was reduced after using multiple imputation (MI) with maximum bias of 5% points. There was no evidence that missing data influenced associations between baseline characteristics and outcome. Conclusions: Some subgroups of the SLSR are at greater risk of non-participation than others but the resulting bias is likely to be minimal. When summarising population outcomes using rates MI should be used in addition to available case analysis. Future work will seek to further quantify potential biases using routinely collected data from GPs to compare responders and non-responders 2
Two new 19-hydroxy bufadienolides with cytotoxic activity from the skins of Bufo melanosticus

Abstract Two new 19-hydroxy bufadienolides, named bufohydrolide A (1) and bufohydrolide B (2), and four known analogs (3-6) were isolated from the aqueous extracts of the skins of Bufo melanosticus. Their structures were established by spectral data analyses, such as UV, IR, 1 D/2D NMR and mass spectra. Compounds 1-6 were evaluated for their cytotoxic activity against SMMC-7721, HT-29 and A549 cells. Noteworthily, all six isolates exhibited various levels of anti-proliferative activities with IC50 values ranging from 0.02 ± 0.0002 to 25 ± 0.5 μM. Graphical Abstract
School Professionals' Knowledge and Attitudes about Child Mental Health: Child Diagnosis, Gender, and Ethnicity.

Among the many children with mental health needs, few actually receive mental health services. The children who do receive services are often initially referred by teachers (Sciutto, Terjesen, & Frank, 2000). However, the potential influences of child characteristics, like symptoms, gender, ethnicity, and school professionals’ attitudes on such referral decisions are not well understood. While the existing literature suggests that the students who are most often referred for services present with externalizing problems and are male, there has been little investigation regarding student race or ethnicity and teacher or school personnel referrals for mental health services. The present study used an online survey and vignettes to assess whether student symptoms, gender, and ethnicity influenced school professionals’ recognition of child mental health issues and decision to refer the child for mental health services. Additionally, the school professionals’ years of experience and attitudes toward child mental illness were explored. Participants included 297 teachers and other school personnel. Results indicated that participants’ responses to externalizing symptoms, like ADHD, were influenced by the presence of clinically significant symptoms. With regard to internalizing symptoms, like GAD, participants’ recognition and referral intentions were influenced by clinical symptoms and general attitudes about child mental health. There were no significant indications that student gender or ethnicity influenced participants’ responses, which contradicts previous findings. This study highlights the need for continued research examining ways to support teachers and other school personnel with the common goal of supporting the mental health of students. Implications of the current findings and potential future directions in this area of research are further discussed.
Renal functional effects of the highly selective AT2R agonist, β-Pro7 Ang III, in normotensive rats

Abstract Recently, we designed a group of peptides by sequential substitution of the naturally occurring α-amino acid throughout the Ang III peptide sequence with the corresponding β-amino acid. β-Amino acid substitution at the proline residue of Ang III (β-Pro7-Ang III) resulted in a highly selective AT2R ligand, demonstrating remarkable selectivity for the AT2R in both binding and functional studies. To provide additional functional evidence for the suitability of β-Pro7 Ang III as a novel AT2R agonist, we tested effects of acute systemic administration of β-Pro7-Ang III on renal hemodynamic and excretory function in anesthetized normotensive male and female rats. We also compared the natriuretic effects of acute intrarenal administration of native Ang III and β-Pro7-Ang III in the presence of systemic AT1R blockade in anesthetized female rats to allow for the differentiation of systemic versus direct intrarenal natriuretic actions of β-Pro7-Ang III. In both male and female rats, acute systemic administration of β-Pro7-Ang III elicited renal vasodilatation and natriuresis. Notably, greater renal vasodilatory effects were observed in female versus male rats at the highest dose of β-Pro7-Ang III administered. Moreover, intra-renal administration of β-Pro7-Ang III produced significant natriuretic effects in female rats and, like Ang III, evoked AT2R translocation to the apical plasma membrane in renal proximal tubular cells. Taken together, our findings support the use of β-Pro7-Ang III as a novel AT2R agonist and experimental tool for exploring AT2R function and its potential as a therapeutic target. Furthermore, our findings provide further evidence of a sex-specific influence of AT2R stimulation on renal function.
A computer vision approach for classifying isometric grip force exertion levels

Abstract Exposure to high and/or repetitive force exertions can lead to musculoskeletal injuries. However, measuring worker force exertion levels is challenging, and existing techniques can be intrusive, interfere with human–machine interface, and/or limited by subjectivity. In this work, computer vision techniques are developed to detect isometric grip exertions using facial videos and wearable photoplethysmogram. Eighteen participants (19–24 years) performed isometric grip exertions at varying levels of maximum voluntary contraction. Novel features that predict forces were identified and extracted from video and photoplethysmogram data. Two experiments with two (High/Low) and three (0%MVC/50%MVC/100%MVC) labels were performed to classify exertions. The Deep Neural Network classifier performed the best with 96% and 87% accuracy for two- and three-level classifications, respectively. This approach was robust to leave subjects out during cross-validation (86% accuracy when 3-subjects were left out) and robust to noise (i.e. 89% accuracy for correctly classifying talking activities as low force exertions). Practitioner summary: Forceful exertions are contributing factors to musculoskeletal injuries, yet it remains difficult to measure in work environments. This paper presents an approach to estimate force exertion levels, which is less distracting to workers, easier to implement by practitioners, and could potentially be used in a wide variety of workplaces. Abbreviations: MSD: musculoskeletal disorders; ACGIH: American Conference of Governmental Industrial Hygienists; HAL: hand activity level; MVC: maximum voluntary contraction; PPG: photoplethysmogram; DNN: deep neural networks; LOSO: leave-one-subject-out; ROC: receiver operating characteristic; AUC: area under curve
Glucose Transporter-1 (GLUT-1) Expression is Associated with Tumor Size and Poor Prognosis in Locally Advanced Gastric Cancer

Background The clinicopathological parameters associated with glucose transporter-1 (GLUT-1) expression in advanced gastric cancer are still controversial. This study aimed to determine the clinicopathological parameters and prognosis associated with GLUT-1 expression in advanced gastric cancer. Material/Methods The GLUT-1 expression level of 234 consecutive gastric cancer samples was detected by immunohistochemical staining and evaluated by semiquantitative analysis. The clinicopathological data and expression level of GLUT-1 of enrolled patients were retrospectively analyzed with univariate and multivariate analyses. Results Tumor size, depth of invasion, and Lauren classification were independent factors related to GLUT-1 expression (P<0.05). Within advanced gastric cancer, tumor size and Lauren type were independent factors associated with GLUT-1 (P=0.011, P<0.001, respectively). The mean survival time of GLUT-1-positive patients with stage M0 advanced gastric cancer who had undergone radical gastrectomy was shorter than that of GLUT-1-negative patients (61.26±6.12 versus 80.88±7.38, P=0.044). GLUT-1 was an independent prognosis factor in locally advanced gastric cancer patients who had undergone radical gastrectomy (hazard ratio [HR] 1.769, P=0.046). The mean survival time of adjuvant chemotherapy was significantly better than no adjuvant chemotherapy in the GLUT-1-positive group (71.10±6.88 versus 24.65±8.69, P<0.001) and in the GLUT-1 negative group (87.48±7.99 versus 49.39±11.71, P<0.001). Conclusions Tumor size and Lauren type independently affected GLUT-1 expression in advanced gastric cancer. GLUT-1 was not only related to poor prognosis but also predicted to be a metabolic biomarker for intestinal type in locally advanced gastric cancer. The relationship among GLUT-1, hepatic metastasis and chemotherapy regimens, and mechanism of chemotherapy responses related to GLUT-1 should be further investigated.
Autoimmune responses and inflammation in type 2 diabetes

Obesity‐induced insulin resistance is one of the largest noncommunicable disease epidemics that we are facing at the moment. Changes in lifestyle and greater availability of low nutritional value, high caloric food has led to the highest rates of obesity in history. Obesity impacts the immune system and obesity‐associated inflammation contributes to metabolic diseases, such as type 2 diabetes. Both the adaptive and the innate immune system play a role in the regulation of glycemic control, and there is a need to understand how metabolic imbalances drive disease pathogenesis. This review discusses the cell types, mediators, and pathways that contribute to immunologic–metabolic crosstalk and explores how the immune system might be targeted as a strategy to treat metabolic disease.
The constitutive androstane receptor and pregnane X receptor in the brain

Since their discovery, the orphan nuclear receptors constitutive androstane receptor (CAR;NR1I3) and pregnane X receptor (PXR;NR1I2) have been regarded as master regulators of drug disposition and detoxification mechanisms. They regulate the metabolism and transport of endogenous mediators and xenobiotics in organs including the liver, intestine and brain. However, with proposals of new physiological functions for NR1I3 and NR1I2, there is increasing interest in the role of these receptors in influencing brain function. This review will summarise key findings regarding the expression and function of NR1I3 and NR1I2 in the brain, hereby highlighting the need for further research in this field.
Equine Intestinal Lymphoma: Clinical-Pathological Features, Immunophenotype, and Survival

Lymphoma is the most common intestinal neoplasm in horses, but its clinical-pathological features are poorly characterized. Primary intestinal lymphoma was diagnosed in 20 horses on biopsy samples and further confirmed by postmortem examination in 16 cases. Lymphoma was found in the small intestine in 12 of 20 (60%), in the colon in 5 of 20 (25%), and in both small and large intestines in 3 of 20 (15%) cases. Gross findings included thickening of the intestinal wall (45%), mural nodules or masses (30%), and both thickening and nodules (10%). Cases were classified according to the human World Health Organization classification as enteropathy-associated T-cell lymphoma (EATL) type 1 (40%), EATL type 2 (45%), and T-cell-rich large B-cell lymphoma (TCRLBCL) (15%). With respect to histologic grade, 70% of cases were grade 1 and 30% were grade 2. Of EATLs, the infiltrate was mucosal only (12%), mucosal and submucosal (53%), or transmural (35%). EATL1 was submucosal to transmural (2/8 and 6/8), EATL2 was mucosal to submucosal (3/9 and 6/9), and TCRLBCL was always transmural. Epitheliotropism was present in most EATLs and characterized by single-cell infiltrates within the epithelium in EATL1 and intraepithelial clusters or plaques in EATL2. Median survival was 25 days for EATL1, 90 days for EATL2, and 187.5 days for TCRLBCL; differences were not statistically significant. Of the EATLs, grade 1 had a median survival of 60 days and grade 2 had a median survival of 25 days; differences were not statistically significant.
Comparative efficacy and safety of oral antihypertensive agents in pregnant women with chronic hypertension: a network meta-analysis v1

Chronic hypertension complicates 3-5% of pregnancies, although the most appropriate antihypertensive treatment remains under investigation. The present network meta-analysis aims to accumulate current evidence in the field in order to compare the efficacy and safety of all oral antihypertensive agents in pregnant women with pre-existing hypertension. To achieve this, Medline, Scopus, CENTRAL, Web of Science, Clinicaltrials.gov and Google Scholar will be systematically searched. All randomized controlled trials and cohort studies will be included. Case-control, cross-sectional, as well as studies examining women with pregnancy-induced hypertension will be excluded. A frequentist random-effects network meta-analytic model will be implemented. Treatments will be ranked according to their estimated P-scores. Credibility of evidence will be evaluated under the GRADE framework with the Confidence in Network Meta-Analysis (CiNeMA) approach.
Genotypes and Susceptibility of Candida Species Causing Acute and Recurrent Vulvovaginitis

Background: Candida albicans genotypes derived from PCR-based techniques targeting 25S rDNA have been shown to correlate with antifungal susceptibility and virulence factors. However, this method has not been used in isolates recovered from recurrent vulvovaginal candidiasis. Comparing intron-based genotypes with the drug susceptibility of isolates recovered from recurrent vulvovaginitis may aid in epidemiological studies and better patient management. Objectives: The purpose of this study was to investigate the genetic diversity of isolates involved in vulvovaginal candidiasis and their susceptibility to seven antifungal agents. Methods: Candida genotyping based on the presence or absence of a group I intron by PCR targeting 25S rDNA and drug susceptibility assays using a modified Alamar Blue broth microdilution method were carried out. Fisher’s exact test and the Mann-Whitney U test were performed, and P < 0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results: Candida albicans was the predominant species among 384 Candida isolates followed by C. glabrata in acute and C. tropicalis in recurrent vulvovaginitis. Candida albicans from acute infections were more susceptible to fluconazole than isolates from recurrent cases but more resistant to miconazole and amphotericin B. The dominant genotype A was resistant to itraconazole and demonstrated higher minimal inhibitory concentrations (MICs) to 5-fluorocytosine and itraconazole. All C. albicans and non-albicans species. with the group I intron were susceptible to 5-fluorocytosine. Conclusions: Candida albicans is the predominant cause of acute and recurrent vulvovaginal candidiasis, and drug susceptibility differed significantly among type of infection. Strain differences based on the group I intron may not be clinically significant in disease recurrence. However, the presence or absence of the group I intron has significant impact on antifungal MICs and resistance. Moreover, the group I intron in C. albicans and non-albicans may be the most important factor related to 5-fluorocytosine susceptibility.