Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Testicular needle aspiration: Is it a safe method for breeding soundness evaluation in bulls?

Abstract The aim of this study was to evaluate the impact of successive bovine testicular punctures using different needle sizes. Fifteen bulls were submitted to testicular needle aspiration (TNA) in the left and right testis using 18-gauge (40×12mm) or 22-gauge (25×7mm) needles, respectively, once every 30 days. Animals were randomly divided into three groups, which were submitted to bilateral orchiectomy two days after the last puncture. Group 1 (G1): only one puncture (n=5); Group 2 (G2): three consecutive punctures in a period of three months (n=5); Group 3 (G3): six consecutive punctures in a period of 6 months (n=5). Fragments from the medial portion of the testicular parenchyma were excised and fixed in Bouin’s fluid for histological analysis. No differences were observed in the percentage of seminiferous tubules degeneration between G1, G2 and G3 (P>0.05). Higher amounts of erythrocyte were found in G1 and G2 groups compared to G3, in the intra- and intertubular tissue (P<0.05). There was no interaction between the needle gauge and the occurrence of testicular damage in animals submitted to one (G1) or three (G2) punctures. However, a higher percentage of tubular degeneration was associated to 18-gauge compared to 22-gauge fine needles in G3. In conclusion, multiple testicular needle aspiration can be safely conducted using fine needles. Large needles are recommended only for a single TNA, since multiple punctures may result in increased tubular degeneration and compromise testicular architecture and functionality.
Optimising outcomes after liver transplantation: Pathophysiology of biliary injury and the application of machine perfusion

Liver transplantation is the preferred treatment option for end stage liver disease. The demand for donor livers greatly exceeds the supply and organs from more marginal donors are being considered for transplantation. An important group of such donor livers are those obtained by donation after circulatory death (DCD). These livers are more susceptible to cold preservation injury and their use has been associated with a slight increased incidence of primary non‐function in Australia. More importantly, biliary complications such as ischaemic type biliary strictures (ITBS) are more prevalent in recipients receiving a DCD liver resulting in a higher rate of re‐ intervention, re‐transplantation and inferior long‐term graft survival. This thesis describes a series of studies examining potential factors responsible for the development of biliary injury. Furthermore, a normothermic hepatic machine perfusion protocol was established at our centre and used as a platform to study the development of biliary injury in human livers. A review of all adult Australian organ donors between 2005 and 2014 revealed that there was a 17% increase in the number of livers deemed unsuitable for transplantation, mainly attributable to the rise in DCD donors. Over the study period, only 62 (13%) livers from DCD donors were used for transplantation. In addition, advanced donor age, obesity as well as diabetes were associated with liver non‐use. The pathophysiology of biliary stricture formation following transplantation remains largely unknown and better insights into the sequence of events leading to their development are urgently needed. The work in this thesis has shown that endotoxins, in the form of lipopolysaccharides (LPS), are potent inducers of small but not large bile duct injury. Following six hours of administration of 1mg/kg LPS, small bile ducts were severely affected with biliary epithelial cells showing significant degenerative changes, infiltration of inflammatory cells and ductular proliferation. This was further associated with an increased permeability of the blood‐biliary‐barrier and the development of clinical features of cholestasis. Macrophages are activated by LPS and to determine their role in LPS‐induced biliary injury, an additional group of animals was pre‐treated with clodronate liposomes prior to LPS exposure. These macrophage depleted animals showed a similar degree of biliary injury in response to LPS, which suggests that macrophages don’t play a crucial role in the pathophysiology of LPS‐induced injury.
Animal-assisted activities in a halfway facility: A case study

The female correctional population has increased dramatically over the last decade and continues to grow annually. Females on parole, including those in halfway facilities, face a variety of socio-economic, -environmental, and –political issues that have the potential to severely inhibit successful reintegration. High recidivism rates signal a lack of post-incarceration support and transitional services, which indicate that rehabilitative needs are not being met. Despite this, offender rehabilitation receives little public attention or interest in South Africa. This necessitates the development and implementation of low-cost, practical, and innovative approaches to offender rehabilitation, thus facilitating this critical period of re-adjustment. Human-animal interaction (HAI) may be a case in point. Over the past several decades, a widespread awareness of the beneficial effects of HAI, including that which takes place in the context of animal-assisted activity (AAA), has emerged. Based on this growing interest, there is an increasing collection of literature that suggests that animal contact and interaction can provide significant physical, psychological, and social benefits for human well-being and functioning. The present research set out to explore the experience of AAA within the context of a halfway facility, with an emphasis on the female parolee’s experience. It was designed to explore the female parolee’s experience of the activity from three participant perspectives: (a) the female parolee’s, (b) the house parent’s, and (c) the Pets as Therapy volunteer’s. A qualitative case-study design was implemented in order to achieve this aim. Semistructured interviews were conducted with four female parolees currently residing within a halfway facility located in a suburb of Cape Town. The two house parents employed by said halfway facility and a Pets as Therapy volunteer, who supervised AAA sessions held at the halfway facility, were also interviewed as supplementary sources of data. Upon completion of the interviews, the data was transcribed and analysed according to the principles of thematic analysis. Following thematic analysis, four themes emerged: the perceived benefits of AAA, participants’ personal experiences of AAA, participants’ reactions towards the visiting AAA dog, and the participant’s perceptions Stellenbosch University https://scholar.sun.ac.za
Sexual Behaviour, Sero-Status Disclosure and Willingness to DiscloseStatus among HIV Positive Male Patients Receiving Care in Hospitals inImo State, Nigeria

Background: The non-disclosure of HIV positive status has most often been accompanied by risky sexual behaviours which is a complex relationship that facilitates the transmission of sexually transmitted diseases such as HIV. Objective: To determine sexual behaviour, levels of sero-status disclose and willingness to disclose; and the socio-demographic determinants of disclosure and willingness to disclose among HIV positive male patients receiving care in hospitals in Imo State, Nigeria. Methods: A cross sectional analytical design using a simple random sampling technique to select 422 HIV male patients attending the adult HIV clinics of two major hospitals. Data was collected using a pretested, semi structured questionnaire. Descriptive statistics were presented using frequencies and summary indices. Chi square statistics were computed to determine significant relationships and binary logistic regression was used to determine predictors of disclosure and willingness to disclose. A p-value of ≤ 0.05 was considered significant. Results: A majority of the respondents were either traders or artisans (54.6%) with a mean age of 32.0 ± 2.0 years. The results revealed that more than one third of the respondents had two or more sexual partners (35.5%), less than one quarter correctly and consistently use condoms (23.3%) and close to one third had not disclosed their HIV positive status (31.7%); of which, less than two fifths are now willing to disclose (37.8%). It was further revealed that married HIV positive male patients who are traders or artisans above the age of 30 years with monthly income levels less than N40,000 ($110) and living in an urban or semi urban area with family members or other people, were significantly more likely to have disclosed their HIV positive status. Similarly, HIV positive male patients who had not disclosed their status, but are artisans aged above 30 years, were significantly more likely to be willing now to disclose their HIV positive status. Conclusion: To be successful in our efforts of HIV prevention with respect to facilitating disclosure, it is important to design and implement interventions that are tailored to the specific circumstances and characteristics of the individual.
Development and post-pilot modification of a questionnaire for assessing dietary AGE intake in Australian children with and without type 1 diabetes mellitus

Elevated tissue levels of advanced glycation end products (AGEs) have been associated with complication development in diabetes patients. Recent studies indicate that certain foods are rich sources of AGEs and that dietary AGE intake is associated with serum AGE levels and complication development in type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM). Since dietary patterns are established during childhood, AGE monitoring and interventions to reduce dietary AGE intakes may produce long-term health benefits in diabetic children. However, no instruments for the assessment of dietary AGE intake in children currently exist. The primary aim of this research was to develop and pilot a food frequency questionnaire (FFQ) for the assessment of dietary AGE intakes in Australian children (9-16 years of age) with and without T1DM. A 123-item semi-quantitative FFQ comprised of foods known to be high in AGEs was piloted in a group of 18 children with T1DM, and in 21 Non-T1DM children within the same age group. The dietary AGE intake questionnaire (AGE-Q) was developed using a U.S. database of food AGE levels. Dietary AGE intakes tended to be lower in the T1DM children (median 9466 x103 units/day) than the Non-T1DM children (median 16118 x103 units/day). In both groups, the major contributors to dietary AGE intake belonged to the ‘meats’ and ‘extras’ food categories, which combined accounted for 80% of dietary AGE intake. T1DM children had a lower AGE intake from fast foods than Non-T1DM children, despite their more frequent fast food consumption. The pilot AGE-Q provided an assessment of dietary AGEs suitable for ranking T1DM and Non-T1DM children according to dietary AGE intakes and identified major dietary sources of AGE. The results of this pilot study were used to refine the questionnaire. After further validation studies, the modified AGE-Q should be a valuable monitoring tool for intervention studies designed to reduce dietary AGE intakes in this age group. ; Submitted in fulfillment of the requirements of the degree of Masters of Sciences, University of the Sunshine Coast, 2008.
Comparison of Quality And Content of Violence Guidelines For The Health Care Sector

More than 50% of the employees in health sector are exposed to violence at any time. This study investigated international workplace violence guidelines for the health care sector to compare their quality and content and explore whether these guidelines could be used in different settings. We ran a broad review to identify international guidelines for violence in health care. After identification of the guidelines, the quality of the guidelines was assessed by personal experience and views of the authors, also taking AGREE domains into consideration as a guidance. The identified guidelines were later qualitatively analyzed for the content by two researchers and compared to each other. Canada, New Zealand, USA, UK and Turkey’s guidelines were involved in the study. Definitions of workplace violence, risk factors, objectives of the guideline, legal requirements, responsible stakeholders, target population, strategies recommended, physical environment, training and staffing were assessed in the content of the violence guidelines. It was found that current guidelines need improvement in both quality and content, but it is possible to have an international guidance that could be applicable in different settings. The development of violence guidelines should be the first and most strategic step for better protection of the health care workers. We expect our results to be useful in preparation of new guidelines for different settings.
NEURODEVELOPMENTAL CARE OF PRETERM BABIES AND ITS KEY ELEMENTS

Over the past few decades, the advancements in the perinatal and neonatal intensive care have led to a significant survival of premature infants. However neurodevelopmental outcome still remains the topical issues of concern. Developmental care is an approach that is aimed to reduce the mismatches between extra- and intra-uterine environments, decrease the stress of preterm newborns in neonative intensive care units, and thus promote optimal neurobehavioral development of the infant. The Newborn Individualized Developmental Care and Assessment Program (NIDCAP) model was developed as a clinical framework for the implementation of developmental care. The model focuses on detailed reading of each individual infant’s behavioral cues. By observing the child during the routine manipulation performance (before, during and after) and a detailed description of his/her behavioral responses, a professional can assess the ability of the infant’s immature nervous system to tolerate the environment and care manipulations. Such evaluation will enable to determine the adequacy of environmental conditions and care manipulations to baby’s opportunities and needs, with their subsequent correction and adaptation. NIDCAP’s aim is to support the child in its increasing tolerance to stimuli and to minimize stressful events and manipulation. With the help of NIDCAP approaches in neonatal care, medical staff study how to read infants’ behavior, hear their voice and understand them.
Organizational, Environmental and Technological Determinants of E-Commerce Adoption in Botswana

A number of studies have applied the technology innovation models to the adoption of ecommerce. However, it is observed that no singular model fits the contextual situations of developing countries due to country specific factors such as culture, technology competency, government policy, and educational level. This study proposes an interactionist model termed technology readiness model (TRM) in the study of factors negatively affecting the ability of businesses in Botswana to adopt e-commerce. The findings show that organizational, internet marketing and customer/logistic factors have significant influences on e-commerce adoption. Security factor was however not identified to impact significantly on the decision to adopt e-commerce. The second phase of the study determines the impact of each organizational variable on e-commerce adoption.
A Clinical Study of Warts

Clinical features of 126 patients suffering from skin and genital warts are reported. Males comprised of 73.8% patients and the maximum number (30.2%) were in the age group 16-20 years. The commonest type (58.9%) of. wart was verruca vulgaris; the incidence of the other types was condyloma acuminata (12.7%). filiform and digitate warts
BLACK WOMEN’S PERSPECTIVES ON BREAST CANCER DETECTION MESSAGING

OF DISSERTATION BLACK WOMEN’S PERSPECTIVES ON BREAST CANCER DETECTION MESSAGING A qualitative approach was used to explore the influence of mass media campaigns on Black women’s perceptions of breast cancer. The primary purpose of this study was to address the high breast cancer mortality rate among young Black women, thus informing strategies to increase awareness of risk and encourage prevention activities. Black women have higher incidence rates before age 45 and are more likely to die from breast cancer at every age. Although the breast cancer mortality variance has been linked to socioeconomic status, studies have shown that differences in cancer knowledge and beliefs persist even when educational and socioeconomic measures are statistically controlled. Because little is known about how various ethnic group members form ideas about breast cancer in the U.S., semi-structured interviews were conducted with 27 Black women between the ages of 30 and 40 to determine their knowledge and beliefs about breast cancer, as well as their personal perceptions of susceptibility to being diagnosed with breast cancer, in order to illuminate the interplay of culture and health belief systems on participants’ understanding of breast cancer messaging. To explore the potentially complex dynamics involved in how young Black women come to construct meanings about breast cancer, a theoretical framework that coupled Cultural Models Theory with the Risk Perception Attitude framework was used to address how health campaigns influence the behaviors and breast cancer detection experiences of Black women. Findings from the study revealed that young Black women’s perceptions of breast cancer are primarily driven by personal experiences, as opposed to mass media influences. The Black women in this study had a lack of knowledge of risk and prevention factors and did not perceive themselves to be affected by breast cancer due to their young age. In spite of cultural taboos against discussing health issues with family and friends, the women in this study tended to take responsibility for their health and were proactive in seeking and acting on health information.
A cross-country empirical assessment of Fairtrade: Determinants and growth effects∗

This paper presents the first cross-country empirical evidence on the determinants of participation in Fairtrade networks and the impact of the production of Fairtrade certified products on agricultural growth in lowand middle-income countries. Using the number of certified producer organizations per country in 2006-2010, estimation results indicate a significantly positive effect on the growth rate of per capita value added in agriculture in middle-income countries. In line with the development agenda laid down by the World Bank (2008), terming the inclusion of smallholders in new markets as a central tool for poverty reduction, the empirical analysis suggests that Fairtrade International indeed achieves some of its intended goals.
COMPARISON OF VASOPRESSOR EFFECTS OF BOLUS INFUSIONS OF PHENYLEPHRINE AND EPHEDRINE FOR MAINTENANCE OF MATERNAL ARTERIAL PRESSURE DURING SPINAL ANAESTHESIA IN CAESAREAN SECTION

and ABSTRACT: A comparative study was performed on 60 patients to observe the effect of bolus phenylephrine versus ephedrine during hypotension after subarachnoid block for maintenance of arterial pressure during spinal anaesthesia in caesarean section. The patients were divided into two groups of 30 each and were randomly allocated to receive an IV bolus of any of the two drugs. Phenylephrine was administered as 500 µg in 1ml bolus IV and Ephedrine was administered as 6mg Inj. Ephedrine Hydrochloride in 1ml bolus IV. It was observed that systolic arterial pressure was elevated significantly for first six minutes of bolus dose in Phenylephrine group as compared to Ephedrine group.
The impact of life skills education on adolescent sexual risk behaviors

In response to the escalating HIV/AIDS epidemic, in 1998 the South African Ministry of Education mandated implementation of a comprehensive life skills education program in all secondary schools by 2005. The Life Skills Program aims to increase knowledge and develop skills to help youth protect themselves from HIV infection and to safeguard their reproductive health. Although it is too early to assess the long-term impact of this initiative, the phased implementation of life skills education provides an opportunity to assess short-term impact. To measure the effects of exposure to topics within the life skills curriculum on sexual and reproductive health knowledge and behaviors among youth, the University of Natal-Durban School of Development Studies, Horizons, The Population Council’s Policy Research Division, and Tulane University undertook a prospective study in KwaZulu Natal Province, South Africa, from 1999 to 2001. This brief considers the impact of the life skills program on a population-based sample of youth in two districts in the province.
Wage determination in South Africa: The case of the union wage premium since the end of apartheid

South African inequality, both in overall income and in labour earnings, has increased on many measures, even accounting for changes in the characteristics of the population. This raises the question as to what has led to these changes. One of the explanations for the rise in inequality in developed economies is the collapse in union power. South African unions, by contrast, are still influential and have even been accused of increasing inequality by raising the wages of insiders at the expense of the non-unionised. We locate the analysis of the union wage premium in South Africa in the context of measurement and data quality issues, estimation methods, the evolution of unionism and the intersection between unionism and other institutions. We briefly review studies on union density and the union premium in the other BRICS economies (Brazil, Russia, India and China) also, and compare our results for South Africa to the results from these countries obtained in the literature. The Research Project on Employment, Income Distribution and Inclusive Growth is based at SALDRU at the University of Cape Town and supported by the National Treasury. Views expressed in REDI3x3 Working Papers are those of the authors and are not to be attributed to any of these institutions. Wage Determination in South Africa: The case of the union wage premium since the end of apartheid∗ Martin Wittenberg DataFirst and School of Economics University of Cape Town Andrew Kerr DataFirst University of Cape Town
Zonostrophic turbulence

Geostrophic turbulence is a flow regime attained by turbulent, rotating, stably stratified fluids in near-geostrophic balance. When a small-scale forcing is present, flows in this regime may develop an inverse energy cascade. Geostrophic turbulence has been used in geophysical fluid dynamics as a relatively simple model of the large-scale planetary and terrestrial circulations. When the meridional variation of the Coriolis parameter (or a β-effect) is taken into account, the horizontal flow symmetry breaks down giving rise to the emergence of jet flows. In a certain parameter range, a new flow regime comes to life. Its main characteristics include strongly anisotropic kinetic energy spectrum and slowly evolving systems of alternating zonal jets. This regime is a subset of geostrophic turbulence and has been coined zonostrophic turbulence; it can develop both on a β-plane and on the surface of a rotating sphere. This regime was first discovered in computer simulations but later revealed in the laboratory experiments, in the deep terrestrial oceans, and on solar giant planets where it is believed to be the primary physical mechanism responsible for the generation and maintenance of the stable systems of alternating zonal jets. The hallmarks of zonostrophic turbulence are the anisotropic inverse energy cascade and complicated interaction between turbulence and Rossby–Haurwitz waves. Addressing the goals of the conference ‘Turbulent Mixing and Beyond’ that took place in August 2007 in Trieste, Italy, this paper exposes the regime of zonostrophic turbulence to a wide scientific community, provides a survey of this regime, elaborates its main characteristics, offers novel approaches to describe and understand this phenomenon, and discusses its applicability as a model of the large-scale planetary and terrestrial circulations.