Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Electroconvulsive Therapy (ECT): Important parameters which influence its effectiveness

Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) is usually given to people with severe depression which has not responded to other forms of treatment such as antidepressants. However, it is sometimes used for people with a diagnosis of bi-polar disorder or schizophrenia. It was originally developed in the 1930s and was used widely during the 1950s and 1960s for a variety of conditions. ECT consists of passing an electrical current through the brain to produce an epileptic fit – hence the name, electro-convulsive. The idea developed from the observation that, in the days before there was any kind of effective medication, some people with depression or schizophrenia, and who also had epilepsy, seemed to feel better after having a fit. The mechanism of action of ECT is not fully known. ECT affects multiple central nervous system components, including hormones, neuropeptides, neurotropic factors, and neurotransmitters. The induction of a bilateral generalized seizure is required for both the beneficial and adverse effects of ECT. Certain parameters like seizure duration, electric stimuli, seizure threshold, ECT practice factors and medication can influence its efficacy or effectiveness. This study aims to review the evidence base of these parameters in detail.
Managing Human Resources in Africa

1. Preface 2. Human Resource Management in South Africa 3. Human Resource Management in Botswana 4. Human Resource Management in Zambia 5. Human Resource Management in Mauritius 6. Human Resource Management in Tanzania 7. Human Resource Management in Kenya 8. Human Resource Management in Ethiopia 9. Human Resource Management in Ghana 10. Human Resource Management in Ivory Coast 11. Human Resource Management in Tunisia 12. Human Resource Management in Libya 13. Conclusions: Toward a Research Agenda
Effect of height-based spinal anesthetic dose versus conventional dose on hemodynamics in lower limb surgeries in geriatric patients: a randomized controlled trial

Background: An adequate dose of spinal anesthetic is very crucial in elderly surgical patients. The routine method to calculate the dose in a particular patient is usually based upon the weight of the patient, but the effect cannot always be predictable. We evaluated the efficacy and safety of the height-based dose of spinal anesthetic versus the conventional dose on intraoperative hemodynamics and spinal block characteristics in geriatric patients scheduled for lower limb surgeries. Methodology: This single-blinded, parallel-group, randomized, clinical trial enrolled 56 patients, aged 60 y or above who were scheduled for lower limb orthopedic surgeries under spinal anesthesia. The patients were randomly divided into two groups. In the height-based group, 0.06 mg of 0.5% hyperbaric bupivacaine/cm height of the patient was administered intrathecally. The control group received a fixed dose of 12.5 mg of 0.5% hyperbaric bupivacaine intrathecally. All patients received 25 µg of fentanyl (0.1 mg / 2 ml) intrathecally. The incidence of hypotension was the primary outcome. The incidence of bradycardia, highest sensory level, onset and duration of sensory and motor block, incidence of shivering, the total dose of bupivacaine, total amount of fluid infused, vasopressors needed, and blood loss were the secondary outcomes. Results: The incidence of hypotension was significantly reduced in patients receiving height-based spinal dose compared to those in which standard dose was administered (57.1% vs. 82.1%, P = 0.042). The duration of sensory blocks was significantly shorter in height-based group compared to the control group (116 ± 32.77 vs. 90.59 ± 19.66 min; P = 0.001) as was the duration of the motor block (153.18 ± 42 and 117 ± 25.37 min; P < 0.001). Conclusion: In geriatric patients undergoing orthopedic lower limb surgery, the height-based dose of spinal anesthesia was effective and safe in reducing the incidence of hypotension with fast recovery from sensory and motor block. Abbreviations: ASA- American Society of Anesthesiologists; COPD- Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease; CSF- Cerebrospinal Fluid; DVT- Deep Venous Thrombosis; IQR- Interquartile range- n: Numbers; SD- Standard Deviation; SA- Spinal Anesthesia Key words: Bromage scale; Elderly; Height; Hypotension; Orthopedics; Anesthesia, Spinal Citation: Alkonaiesy TM, Amin SM, Abdallah NM, Sherif Ismail Muhammad SI, Hassan H. Effect of height-based spinal anesthetic dose versus conventional dose on hemodynamics in lower limb surgeries in geriatric patients: a randomized controlled trial. Anaesth. pain intensive care 2023;27(4):565−572; DOI: 10.35975/apic.v27i4. 2160 Received: February 20, 2023; Reviewed: May 16, 2023; Accepted: June 16, 2023
Age as a risk factor for acute mountain sickness upon rapid ascent to 3,700 m among young adult Chinese men

Background: The aim of this study was to explore the relationship between age and acute mountain sickness (AMS) when subjects are exposed suddenly to high altitude. Methods: A total of 856 young adult men were recruited. Before and after acute altitude exposure, the Athens Insomnia Scale score (AISS) was used to evaluate the subjective sleep quality of subjects. AMS was assessed using the Lake Louise scoring system. Heart rate (HR) and arterial oxygen saturation (SaO 2 ) were measured. Results: Results showed that, at 500 m, AISS and insomnia prevalence were higher in older individuals. After acute exposure to altitude, the HR, AISS, and insomnia prevalence increased sharply, and the increase in older individuals was more marked. The opposite trend was observed for SaO 2 . At 3,700 m, the prevalence of AMS increased with age, as did severe AMS, and AMS symptoms (except gastrointestinal symptoms). Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that age was a risk factor for AMS (adjusted odds ratio [OR] 1.07, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.01–1.13, P  0.05), as well as AISS (adjusted OR 1.39, 95% CI 1.28–1.51, P  0.001). Conclusion: The present study is the first to demonstrate that older age is an independent risk factor for AMS upon rapid ascent to high altitude among young adult Chinese men, and pre-existing poor subjective sleep quality may be a contributor to increased AMS prevalence in
Facial Expression Recognition Via Enhanced Stress Convolution Neural Network for Stress Detection

—The analysis of facial expressions for human stress detection has recently received wide attention. A facial expression is commonly used to explain a person’s emotional state to an observer. Based on a deep learning approach, we propose a lightweight and reliable method to detect stress by using facial expression recognition. This method is called Enhanced Stress Convolutional Neural Network (ESCNN). The ESCNN identifies a person’s facial expression and categorizes them into stress or non-stress categories based on their emotional state. Anger, sadness, disgust, and fear are categorized as stress outputs, whereas facial expressions of happiness, neural activity, and surprise are categorized as non-stress outputs. With this approach, Transfer Learning with MobileNet V2 and Tensor Flow is used to run the pre-trained FER2013 dataset and determine stress or no-stress. The MobileNet V2 model will make the proposed method lighter and faster than other algorithms. To get the highest accuracy, different epochs and parameters were tested. After several experiments, ESCNN, the combination of Transfer Learning and Haar Cascade face detection, produced the most effective performance for stress recognition. The experimental analysis vindicated the superiority of ESCNN over state-of-the-art methods.
An Unusual Association of Os Odontoideum Compressive Synovial Cyst and Multiple Sclerosis: Case Report and Review of the Literature

Os odontoideum is a rare atlantoaxial abnormality that affects the odontoid process. It has been proposed to be a congenital anomaly due to lack of chondral tissue or failed ossification along the growth line of the proatlas and the first spinal sclerotome, which are the precursors for the future odontoid process [1]. Some authors have argued against this theory and believe that os odontoideum is likely a result of previous trauma with nonunion of the healed fracture, hence, mimicking a type-II odontoid fracture [2]. This was based on frequent radiological findings of non-union above the superior articular facets of the axis, a location that is above the synchondrosis line. Nevertheless, the ultimate result is an isolated rostral ossicle that can move with the anterior arc of C1 (orthotopic) or functionally fused to the basion (dystopic) [3].
Imaging After Total Knee Arthroplasty

Radiologic Procedure Rating Comments RRL* X-ray knee 9 ☢ Fluoroscopy knee 1 ☢ X-ray arthrography knee 1 ☢ CT knee without IV contrast 1 ☢ CT knee with IV contrast 1 ☢ CT knee without and with IV contrast 1 ☢ MRI knee without IV contrast 1 O MRI knee without and with IV contrast 1 O US knee 1 O 3-phase bone scan knee 1 ☢☢☢ WBC scan and sulfur colloid scan knee 1 ☢☢☢☢ FDG-PET/CT whole body 1 ☢☢☢☢ Aspiration knee 1 Varies
Valuation of Health Effects due to Air Pollution: A Review

-One of our era's greatest scourges is air pollution, on account not only of its impact on climate change but also its impact on public and individual health due to increasing morbidity and mortality. However, there are many pollutants that are major factors in disease in humans. The present paper is an attempt to provide a review on estimation of health effects due to air pollution
BIS Working Papers

We evaluate the eﬃcacy of the Secondary Market Corporate Credit Facility (SMCCF), a program designed to stabilize the U.S. corporate bond market during the Covid-19 pandemic. The Fed announced the SMCCF on March 23, 2020, and expanded the program on April 9. Our results show that the two announcements signiﬁcantly lowered credit and bid-ask spreads, the former almost entirely through a reduction in credit risk premia. The announcements had a diﬀerential eﬀect on the program-eligible bonds relative to their ineligible counterparts, but this diﬀerence is not due to program eligibility per se, according to our results. Rather, the an-nouncements restored the “normal” upward-sloping proﬁle of the term structure of credit spreads by substantially reducing spreads at the short end of the maturity spectrum relative to spreads at the long end. Using an IV approach, we also document important announcement-induced spillovers across all bonds outstanding for issuers whose bonds were likely to be purchased by the facility. Finally, we show that the Fed’s actual purchases had negligible eﬀects on credit and bid ask spreads. Our results highlight the extraordinary power of modern central banks: when markets have trust in the central bank’s ability to deliver on its promise, as exempliﬁed by the iconic “whatever it takes” remark by Mario Draghi, the central bank needs to do less (if anything) to deliver on its promise.
The Fintech Gender Gap

Fintech promises to spur financial inclusion and close the gender gap in access to financial services. Using novel survey data for 28 countries, this paper finds a large `fintech gender gap': while 29% of men use fintech products and services, only 21% of women do. The gap is present in almost every country in our sample. Country characteristics and several individual-level controls explain about a third of the unconditional gap. Gender differences in the willingness to use new financial technology or fintech entrants if they offer cheaper services account for over half of the remaining gap. The paper concludes by suggesting potential explanations for the gender gap and implications for challenges in fostering financial inclusion with new technology.
Guideline-based survey of outpatient COPD management by pulmonary specialists in Germany

Background: Little is known about the role of guidelines for the practical management of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) by office-based pulmonary specialists. The aim of this study was to assess their outpatient management in relation to current guideline recommendations for COPD. Methods: A nationwide prospective cross-sectional COPD questionnaire survey in the form of a multiple-choice questionnaire was sent to 1000 office-based respiratory specialists in Germany. The product-neutral questions focused on routine COPD management and were based on current national and international COPD guideline recommendations being consistent in severity classification and treatment recommendations. Results: A total of 590 pulmonary specialists (59%) participated in the survey. Body plethys-mography was considered the standard for diagnosis (65.9%), followed by spirometry (32%). Most respondents were able to cite the correct spirometric criteria for classifying moderate (87%) to very severe COPD (77%). A quarter of the respondents equated the World Health Organization (WHO) definition of chronic bronchitis with COPD. Notably, most participants preferred the updated national COPD guidelines (51.4%) to the Global Initiative for Chronic Obstructive Lung Disease (GOLD) guidelines (40.2%). Improvement of functional exercise capacity and quality of life were considered the two most relevant treatment goals; whereas impact on mortality was secondary. Treatment of COPD largely complied with the guidelines. However, a significant percentage of the pulmonary specialists differed in their assessment of the benefits of various therapeutic measures from evidence-based results. Referral for pulmonary rehabilitation was uncommon, regardless of the severity of COPD. Conclusion: The findings of this large national survey suggest that most pulmonary specialists adhere to the current COPD guideline recommendations in daily practice. However, physicians’ knowledge of guidelines is not sufficient as the sole benchmark when assessing their implementation in day-to-day practice. Necessary changes in the health care system must include more effective ways to transfer knowledge to clinical practice and to give access to interventions of proven clinical benefit.
MODELING NITROGEN CONTROLS ON TERRESTRIAL ECOSYSTEMS

iv ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS . vi TABLE OF CONTENTS . ix INDEX OF TABLES . xii INDEX OF FIGURES . xiv 1. CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION . 1 1.1 Objectives . 3 1.2 Reference: . 4 2. CHAPTER 2: Assessing Nitrogen Controls on Carbon, Water and Energy Exchanges in Vegetation Ecosystems using a Carbon and Nitrogen Coupled Ecosystem Model . 9 2.1 Abstract . 10 2.2 Introduction . 11 2.3 Methods . 12 2.3.1 Model . 12 2.3.1.1 CLASS Model . 13 2.3.1.2 CTEM Model . 13 2.3.1.3 CLASS-CTEM . 14 2.3.2 FLUXNET Sites and Data . 17 2.3.3 Simulation Scheme . 18 2.3.3.1 Initialization and Spin-up . 18 2.3.3.2 Model Parameterization . 18 2.3.3. 3 Model Evaluation Criteria . 22 2.4 Results . 22 2.4. 1 N controls on diurnal carbon, water and energy exchanges . 23 2.4. 2 N controls on daily and seasonal carbon, water and energy exchanges . 24 2.4. 3 N controls on inter-annual variability . 26 2.4. 4 N controls on C stocks . 27 2.4. 5 Sensitivity analysis of N controls on C fluxes . 28 2.5 Discussion . 39 2.6 Conclusion . 41 Acknowledgement . 42 2.7 References . 42
Total Face, Double Jaw, and Tongue Transplantation: An Evolutionary Concept

Background: The central face high-energy avulsive injury has been frequently encountered and predictably managed at the R Adams Cowley Shock Trauma Center. However, despite significant surgical advances and multiple surgical procedures, the ultimate outcome continues to reveal an inanimate, insensate, and suboptimal aesthetic result. Methods: To effectively address this challenging deformity, a comprehensive multidisciplinary approach was devised. The strategy involved the foundation of a basic science laboratory, the cultivation of a supportive institutional clinical environment, the innovative application of technologies, cadaveric simulations, a real-time clinical rehearsal, and an informed and willing recipient who had the characteristic deformity. Results: After institutional review board and organ procurement organization approval, a total face, double jaw, and tongue transplantation was performed on a 37-year-old man with a central face high-energy avulsive ballistic injury. Conclusions: This facial transplant represents the most comprehensive transplant performed to date. Through a systematic approach and clinical adherence to fundamental principles of aesthetic surgery, craniofacial surgery, and microsurgery and the innovative application of technologies, restoration of human appearance and function for individuals with a devastating composite disfigurement is now a reality. CLINICAL QUESTION/LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Therapeutic, V.
The Relationship Between Crime and Road Safety

The aim of this project was to examine the relationship between crime and road safety and to identify what and how pertinent Victorian crime and road safety data can be utilised to examine this relationship. Of specific interest was the relationship between criminal activity of individuals and the likelihood of these individuals being involved in a fatal or serious injury outcome road crash. The key findings of this research suggest that there is a positive relationship between: general negative behaviour (e.g. involvement in antisocial behaviours) and risky driving behavior; criminal behaviour and traffic offences (specifically violence, theft and burglary and recidivist/drink driving, driving whilst disqualified); risky traffic behaviour contributing to a crash and criminal history (particularly for violent crime, vandalism, property crime, and involvement in traffic crime), and; crash involvement, drink driving and general criminal history including theft, car theft, drug and alcohol related crimes, violence and property damage. There are a variety of approaches that have been adopted internationally to examine these relationships, although such work has not been undertaken in Victoria to date. There are several limitations and barriers for linking crime and road safety data in Victoria, predominantly concerning privacy and ethics, matching of data, issues with data analysis and cost/resource factors. A number of recommendations have been presented to overcome these factors and to explore the relationship between crime and road safety in Victoria.
Measurement of Halide Efflux from Cultured and Primary Airway Epithelial Cells Using Fluorescence Indicators

The use of the halide-sensitive fluorescent probes (6-methoxy-N-(À sulphopropyl)quinolinium (SPQ) and N-(ethoxycarbonylmethyl)-6-methoxyquinolinium bromide (MQAE)) to measure chloride transport in cells has now been established as an alternative to the halide-selective electrode technique, radioisotope efflux assays and patch-clamp electrophysiology. We report here procedures for the assessment of halide efflux, using SPQ/MQAE halide-sensitive fluorescent indicators, from both adherent cultured epithelial cells and freshly obtained primary human airway epithelial cells. The procedure describes the calculation of efflux rate constants using experimentally derived SPQ/ MQAE fluorescence intensities and empirically derived Stern – Volmer calibration constants. These fluorescence methods permit the quantitative analysis of CFTR function. 1. Overview The use of the quinolinium salt-based halide-sensitive fluorescent probes (6-methoxy-N-(À sulphopropyl)quino-linium (SPQ) and N-(ethoxycarbonylmethyl)-6-methoxyqui-nolinium bromide (MQAE)) to measure chloride (Cl À) transport in epithelial cells has now been established as an alternative to the halide-selective electrode technique, radio-isotope efflux assays and patch-clamp electrophysiology. In the assay introduced by Verkman and colleagues, halide secretion is followed by measuring the dequenching of intracellular SPQ/MQAE fluorescence by the effluxing ha-lide in response to stimulation of a specific agonist-mediated cellular Cl À secretion mechanism [1 –3]. In general, cells attached to a coverslip are loaded with SPQ/MQAE, the extracellular dye is washed off, and the cells are transferred to a superfusion chamber on a fluorescent microscope and fluorescence imaging performed. Images are saved for off-line analysis, and SPQ/MQAE fluorescence intensity for each region of interest (ROI) is compared over time or treatment. Many studies have used the fluorescence indicators to assess actual Cl À channel efflux. Iodide is increasingly used as a Cl
Political corruption : a handbook

Are phenomena labeled as corrupt subject to systematic social science investigation, or does corruption lie so much in the eye of the beholder as to frustrate serious analysis? The editors of this volume, which follows up an important earlier work on the same subject, hold that the comparative perspective, involving both comparisons over time and comparisons between systems, is crucial if the study of corruption is to reach the point where it can be studied as s socio-political phenomenon. The studies of political corruption included here pertain to all areas of the world, but especially to the United States, Communist systems and Europe. Most were published during the last fifteen years, and some were written especially for the volume. Although the editors are political scientists, scholars from all social science disciplines, as well as law, history and communications, are represented among the authors of the approximately sixty selections included in this volume. The first of the book's four parts deals with changing conceptualization and definition in the study of corruption. The second part examines the incidence of corruption in the context of political development and modernization. The third part examines the special vulnerability of some local, national and international systems to corrupt practices. In the final part, perceptions of corruptions are related to scandal and other social control efforts, as well as to studies of the effect and consequences of corruption.
the Dynamic

When network operators want to oﬀer security services to a large number of customers (potentially tens of million) with current technologies face several limitations in terms of infrastructure management and costs. Network Functions Virtualization (NFV) and Software-Deﬁned Networks (SDN) paradigms try to overcome these limitations by allowing more ﬂexibility, conﬁgurability and agility. Unfortunately, the problem of deciding which security services to use, where to place and how to conﬁgure them is a multi-dimensional problem that has not an easy solution. This paper provides a preliminary model that can be used to determine the best allocation for the security applications that are needed to satisfy, globally, the requests coming from users while minimizing the cost for the network operator, subject to the diﬀerent levels of constraints expressed by the involved actors. This model can be exploited either to pursue an initial dimensioning and setup of the system infrastructure or to dynamically adapt it to support the security policies requested by users. Initial validation shows that allocations generated with our model have considerable advantages in terms of costs and performance compared to traditional approaches.
Lunar Meteorite Miller Range 07006: Petrography and VLT Basalt Clast Inventory

Introduction: Miller Range (MIL) 07006 is a basalt bearing, feldspathic, regolith breccia meteorite with a lunar origin [1,2]. Our section (MIL 07006,12) is bound on two sides by a heterogeneous fusion crust (Fig. 1) and contains abundant lithic and mineral clasts bound in a vesiculated glass matrix. The meteorite is reported by Korotev et al. [2] to be paired with the Yamato-791197 regolith breccia stone [3-5] on the basis of bulk composition and sample texture, and is also compositionally akin to the Dhofar 1436 impact melt breccia [2]. Methods: Mineral chemistries were investigated using a Cameca SX100 Wavelength Dispersive Spectrometer. Element maps (Fig. 1) and BSE images were collected using a JEOL 5900LV SEM at the NHM fitted with Oxford Instruments INCA energy dispersive spectrometer.