Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Correlates of Slum Household Indebtedness to Medical Care Costs: A Case of Kibera Slums Nairobi, Kenya

Many low income earners rely on meagre out-of-pocket payments for health expenditure leading of indebtedness. This study assessed the reasons for indebtedness a rising from medical costs by Kibera slum dwellers in Nairobi, Kenya. It was a crosssectional study; households were systematically sampled from one randomly selected village (Makina) out of the 12 villages within Kibera slum. A semi-structured, questionnaire was used to gather information on medical expenses incurred by household members and socio-demographic and social economic characteristics. Univariate logistic regression was used to test the associations between indebtedness and social-demographic and social-economic characteristics at a significance level of p ≤ 0.05. A total of 166 households were interviewed. About a quarter (n=39, 23.5%) were indebted from health care expenses. Result of logistic regression returned education, marital status and occupation as significant factors (P ≤ 0.05.). Respectively, study participants with primary and post primary education were 3.5 (95% CI, 1.215, 9.906) P=0.020 and 1.1 (95% CI, 0.435, 3.026) P=0.782 times more likely to be indebted in healthcare compared to those without formal education. Study respondents who were unmarried and separated were each 78% (95% CI, 0.090, 0.515) P=0.001 and 78% (95% CI, 0.083, 0.599) P=0.003, less likely to be indebted in health care compared to those who were married. Respectively, civil servants and casual workers on one hand and small scale business on the other were 2.8 (95% CI, 1.225, 6.286) P=0.014 and 1.2 (95% CI, 0.451, 3.338) P=0.688 times more likely to have debts in the health care as compared to those who were house wives/unemployed. The level of indebtedness was 23.5% among formally educated, married and employed slum dwellers. This finding is counterintuitive as these categories of people have a higher socio economic status relative to those without formal education, not living with a spouse and unemployed. Further studies are needed to authenticate these cross-sectional findings.
CARDIOVASCULAR PHARMACOLOGY OF TWO NEW β-ADRENERGIC RECEPTOR ANTAGONISTS

The β-adrenergic receptor blocking activities of three agents, MJ 1999 [4-(2-isopropylamino-1-hydroxyethyl)methanesulfonanilide hydrochloride], MJ 1998 [4-(2-methylamino-1-hydroxypropyl) methanesulfonanilide hydrochloride] and pronethalol were compared using a number of cardiovascular procedures. The orders of β- receptor blocking potency based upon the capacity of the compounds to block the positive inotropic and/or chronotropic actions of isoproterenol on the heart were as follows: isolated perfused cat heart, MJ 1999 = pronethalol > MJ 1998; anesthetized dog (i. v.), MJ 1999 > pronethalol > MJ 1998. In addition, the three agents antagonized the positive inotropic actions on the heart elicited by electrical stimulation of the cardioaccelerator nerve, epinephrine and norepinephrine. Intrinsic cardiac stimulation was observed with low doses of pronethalol and with large doses of MJ 1998. No stimulating activities were observed with MJ 1999; a mild decrease in cardiac function, indicated by a slowed rate and decreased contractile force, occurred with larger doses. MJ 1999 did not alter arterial blood pressure, femoral arteriolar resistance, total peripheral resistance or coronary arteriolar resistance. All of these parameters were reduced by pronethalol. MJ 1998 acted as a vasoconstrictor in large doses and increased total peripheral resistance, arterial blood pressure and pulmonary arterial resistance when administered by intravenous infusion to the dog. MJ 1998 increased femoral arteriolar resistance but not coronary arteriolar resistance when administered intraarterially. MJ 1999, but not MJ 1998, partially protected guinea pigs from ouabain cardiotoxicity. In addition, MJ 1999 reduced the atrial rate of animals with atrial flutter induced by aconitine or injury stimulation. The order of decreasing cardiovascular toxicity based upon infusion studies in anesthetized dogs was: pronethalol > MJ 1999 > MJ 1998.
How a river submerges into the sea: a geological record of changing a fluvial to a marine paleoenvironment during early Holocene sea level rise

Coastal seas, and in particular estuarine systems, were significantly affected by Quaternary sea level changes. Furthermore, the dynamics of shelf and coastal evolution have had a strong impact on coastal landscapes inhabited by humans. The postglacial evolution of the vast North Sea shelf with its huge drainage systems, e.g. the Elbe Paleovalley and its tributary system, is an excellent research target to understand how coastal shelf environments change in response to sea level rise. In this study, we investigate infill sediments of the Paleo‐Ems valley – a drowned extension of the modern Ems River and part of the Elbe Paleovalley drainage system. Radiocarbon‐dated transgression sequences provide several new observations regarding the mode and rate of the river system submerging due to the Holocene transgression. Thus, the Paleo‐Ems valley submerged within a short time span of~200 years since the river was not able to adjust its gradient to the rapid rising sea level. The fate of the Paleo‐Ems is exemplary for the rapid change of a former fluvial landscape into a coastal landscape and finally into a submarine seascape. © 2019 The Authors. Journal of Quaternary Science Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.
U‐Pb Ages and Hf Isotope of Zircons from a Carbonatite Dyke in the Bayan Obo Fe‐REE Deposit in Inner Mongolia: its Geological Significance

Detailed studies on U‐Pb ages and Hf isotope have been carried out in zircons from a carbonatite dyke associated with the Bayan Obo giant REE‐Nb‐Fe deposit, northern margin of the North China Craton (NCC), which provide insights into the plate tectonic in Paleoproterozoic. Analyses of small amounts of zircons extracted from a large sample of the Wu carbonatite dyke have yielded two ages of late Archaean and late Paleoproterozoic (with mean 207Pb/206Pb ages of 2521±25 Ma and 1921±14 Ma, respectively). Mineral inclusions in the zircon identified by Raman spectroscopy are all silicate minerals, and none of the zircon grains has the extremely high Th/U characteristic of carbonatite, which are consistent with crystallization of the zircon from silicate, and the zircon is suggested to be derived from trapped basement complex. Hf isotopes in the zircon from the studied carbonatite are different from grain to grain, suggesting the zircons were not all formed in one single process. Majority of ∊Hf(t) values are compatible with ancient crustal sources with limited juvenile component. The Hf data and their TDM2 values also suggest a juvenile continental growth in Paleoproterozoic during the period of 1940–1957 Ma. Our data demonstrate the major crustal growth during the Paleoproterozoic in the northern margin of the NCC, coeval with the assembly of the supercontinent Columbia, and provide insights into the plate tectonic of the NCC in Paleoproterozoic.
Integrated large‐scale circulation impact on rainy season precipitation in the source region of the Yangtze River

Monthly precipitation data at regular grids of 0.5° × 0.5° derived from observations during June–August 1961–2016 were used to reveal characteristics of large‐scale circulations associated with rainy season precipitation over the source region of the Yangtze River (SRYR). The integrated impact of major influencing circulation patterns was examined by principal component analysis and composites. Results showed that the first rainy season precipitation mode associates with the Southern Oscillation Index (SOI) and the Pacific Decadal Oscillation (PDO), explaining 64% of spatial and temporal rainy season precipitation variance in the region. Composites of precipitation pattern under different phases of SOI and PDO revealed that the effect of PDO on precipitation varies with the SOI phase. When in phase with the SOI, PDO‐induced precipitation anomalies are magnified. When out‐of‐phase, anomalies weaken or even disappear. Composites of moisture flux patterns show that large‐scale atmospheric circulation affects the strength of westerlies that transport moisture to the study area and formation of convergence. In coming decades, the PDO is likely to continue in a negative phase with La Niña (positive SOI) events, implying more precipitation during the rainy season. Consequently, this knowledge can be used to improve decision making regarding water supply and flood risk management in the SRYR.
The effect of wave amplitude on S-wave velocity in porous media: an experimental study by Laser Doppler Interferometry

Rock physics models are widely used for reservoir characterisation in seismic studies. By improving the models, especially for reservoir rocks, more realistic characterisations can be achieved. To calibrate such models the elastic properties of reservoir porous rocks have been measured by ultrasonic techniques for many years. In conventional ultrasonic methods the local strain inside the wave is much higher than that in field experiments. Up until now, it has not been clear how the velocity of the ultrasonic wave depends on the strain, however this knowledge is important for interpretation of the results of the experiments. This work is an extension of our previous study on the effect of the strain amplitude on wave velocity. This paper focuses on S-wave velocity and its dependency on strain-amplitude effect for porous media (Bentheimer sandstone) and reference media (aluminium). In this study we: (1) directly measured the particle displacement in the ultrasonic wave using a Laser Doppler Interferometry (LDI) and (2) measured the changes in P and S-waves velocities by variations of increasing amplitudes applied to a source transducer from 43 to 400 volts. We measured the velocity using a conventional ultrasonic method and linked the changes of velocity to the measured local strain in the wave which we measured by LDI. The study indicated that for the unconfined Bentheimer sandstone, increasing the local strain produced by an ultrasonic wave from (3.6) 10−7 to (5.7) 10−6 resulted in the S-wave velocity decreasing by 4.75%. Using the LDI technique we also investigated the strains at different points on the surface produced by an S-wave transducer.
True flies (Insecta: Diptera) from the late Eocene insect limestone (Bembridge Marls) of the Isle of Wight, England, UK

ABSTRACT The Diptera fauna from the late Eocene of the Isle of Wight (Bembridge Marls) is studied including redescriptions of formerly described material. The fauna includes the following taxa: Anisopodidae – one species; Bibionidae – 11 species; Ceratopogonidae – one described and two unidentified species; Chironomidae – undetermined species of three subfamilies; Culicidae – four species; Cylindrotomidae – one species; Dixidae – one species; Keroplatidae – one described and four unidentified species; Limoniidae – 31 species; Mycetophilidae – 14 species; Psychodidae – two species; Scatopsidae – two species; Sciaridae – three species; Simuliidae – an unnamed species; Tipulidae – nine species. Diptera Brachycera: Agromyzidae – unidentified species; Anthomyzidae – two species; Asilidae – two species; Bombyliidae – one species; Chloropidae – one species; Dolichopodidae – unidentified species; Empididae – unidentified species; Ephydridae – two species; Heleomyzidae – unidentified species; Lauxaniidae – unidentified species; Otitidae – one species; Phoridae – unidentified species; Rhagionidae – two species; Stratiomyidae – two species; Syrphidae – unidentified species; Tabanidae – one species. Following new taxa are described: Leptotarsus (Longurio) fragmentatus Krzemiński, n. sp. , Leptotarsus (Longurio) wegiereki Krzemiński, n. sp. , Tipula (s. lato) anglicana Krzemiński, n. sp. (Tipulidae); Cyttaromyia rossi Krzemiński, n. sp. (Cylindrotomidae); Gurnardia corami Krzemiński, n. gen, n. sp. , Pilaria hooleyi Krzemiński, n. sp. , Pilaria volodii Krzemiński, n. sp. , Cheilotrichia (Cheilotrichia) duplicata Krzemiński, n. sp. , Cheilotrichia (Empeda) szwedoi Krzemiński, n. sp. , Symplecta (Psiloconopa) gurnetensis Krzemiński, n. sp. , Orimarga (Orimarga) lenae Krzemiński, n. sp. , Dicranomyia (Dicranomyia) azari Krzemiński, n. sp. , Dicranomyia (Dicranomyia) fasciata Krzemiński, n. sp. , Helius (Helius) edmundi Krzemiński, n. sp. , Helius (Helius) popovi Krzemiński, n. sp. , Dicranoptycha staryi Krzemiński, n. sp. (Limoniidae); Wightipsychoda Azar, n. gen. (Psychodidae); Dilophus andrewrossi Nel, Colomb & Waller, n. sp. , Bibiodes massiliensis Nel, Colomb & Waller, n. sp. (Bibionidae); Azana cockerelli Blagoderov, n. sp. , Aglaomyia vectis Blagoderov, n. sp. , Dziedzickia oligocenica Blagoderov, n. sp. , Palaeoempalia saxea Blagoderov, n. sp. , Mycomya hoolei Blagoderov, n. sp. , Leia gurnardensis Blagoderov, n. sp. (Mycetophilidae); Regmoclemina haennii Krzemiński, n. sp. (Scatopsidae); Sylvicola problematica Krzemiński, n. sp. (Anisopodidae); Palaeoberidops barkeri Nicholson, n. gen., n. sp. (Stratiomyidae). The Diptera fauna and palaeohabitat of the Insect Bed is discussed.
Occurrence of selected pharmaceuticals in groundwater, surface water, wastewater and source-separated urine in a peri-urban area of Lusaka, Zambia

The occurrence of selected pharmaceuticals in the hydrological cycle of a peri-urban area and in urine determined for fertilizer use was studied in Lusaka, Zambia. The objective of this thesis was to determine the concentrations of antibiotics and antiretroviral drugs in groundwater, wastewater, surface water and in source-separated urine. The study area is described by insufficient water and sanitation infrastructure. Antibiotics and antiretrovirals were chosen as the target pharmaceuticals because of their vast usage for treatment of HIV/AIDS and other diseases in Lusaka and because of the potential risks they pose when entering the environment, such as ecotoxicological impacts and antimicrobial resistance. The occurrence of the selected pharmaceuticals was investigated by collecting 26 groundwater samples, 5 surface and wastewater samples and 10 samples of source-separated urine. The samples were prepared with solid phase extraction and analyzed with liquidchromatography-tandem-mass-spectrometry (LC-MS/MS). The studied antibiotics were amoxicillin (AMO), doxycycline (DOX), norfloxacin (NOR), ciprofloxacin (CIP), sulfamethoxazole (SMX), tetracycline (TET) and trimethoprim (TMP), whereas the studied antiretroviral drugs were lamivudine (3TC), nevirapine (NVP) and zidovudine (ZDV). Data was also collected by background information surveys and observation. The studied pharmaceuticals were detected in the groundwater samples in relatively low concentrations with a maximum concentration of 880 ng/L of AMO. In surface and wastewater samples all studied pharmaceuticals were detected in the ng or μg range with SMX detected in surface water at a concentration of 11800 ng/L and in wastewater at 33300 ng/L, whereas the antiretroviral 3TC was detected at 49700 ng/L and 232920 ng/L. The pharmaceuticals were detected from source-separated urine in μg and mg range with TMP, 3TC and SMX found in the highest concentrations: 12800 μg/L, 10010 μg/L and 7740 μg/L. The results suggest that the high environmental occurrence of pharmaceuticals in Lusaka can be attributed to insufficient sanitation infrastructure and vast usage of medicines consequential to high disease prevalence. The source-separated urine cannot be recommended to be used as a fertilizer, but the collection of the urine would enable safer sanitation and either its appropriate disposal or treatment into fertilizer products. JYVÄSKYLÄN YLIOPISTO, Matemaattis-Luonnontieteellinen tiedekunta Bioja ympäristötieteiden laitos Ympäristötiede ja –teknologia Development and International Cooperation –maisteriohjelma Myllyniemi Maldonado Johanna: Valittujen lääkeainaiden esiintyminen pohja-, pintaja jätevedessä sekä käymäläerotellussa virtsassa Lusakan epävirallisella asuinalueella Sambiassa Pro Gradu -tutkielma: 96 s. , 2 liitettä (2 s.) Ohjaajat: Professori Tuula Tuhkanen Tarkastajat: Prof. Tuula Tuhkanen ja yo. opettaja Päivi Hasu Maaliskuu 2018 Hakusanat: Antibiootit, Antiretroviraalit, Lääkeaineet, Sambia, Sanitaatio, Vesi, Virtsa
Expression levels of CD4~+CD25~+ regulatory T cells in peripheral blood of patients with chronic hepatitis B and clinical significance

Objective To investigate the proportion of CD4+CD25highTreg and CD4+CD25+CD127low/-Treg in peripheral blood in patients with chronic hepatitis B(CHB) and determine the relationship between the proportion of CD4+CD25+Treg and clinical parameters.Methods Fresh isolated peripheral blood mononuclear cells(PBMCs) of 28 patients with CHB and 24 healthy donors were analyzed for the proportion of CD4+CD25+Treg using flow cytometry by surface staining for CD4-PC5,CD25-FITC,CD127-PE.HBsAg,HBsAb,HBeAg,HBeAb and HBcAb were evaluated.HBV DNA levels were measured using real-time RT-PCR.Results The proportions of CD4+CD25highTreg to CD4+ T cells(3.36%±2.59%) and CD4+CD25+CD127low/-Treg(4.05%±1.63%) to CD4+ T cells in patients with CHB were higher than those in health controls(1.60%±0.66%,1.75%±0.83%,P0.01) in peripheral blood.The CHB patients with high level alanine amino transferase(ALT)(ALT100U·L-1) had a higher fraction(4.26%±3.10%) of CD4+CD25highTreg in peripheral blood than those patients with low level ALT(ALT100U·L-1,2.52%±2.72%,P0.05). The percentage of CD4+CD25highTreg was correlated with ALT level(r=0.44,P0.05). Conclusion The level of Treg in CHB patients is higher than that in health controls.The expression of CD25 could be influenced by the level of ALT.As a specific cell surface marker,CD127 can be helpful to obtain pure CD4+CD25+Treg.
Uncertainty quantification in tidal energy resource assessment

In river and tidal stream power assessment, uncertainties arise from model assumptions and the inexact specification of physical and numerical model parameters. Combined, such uncertainties can greatly affect power estimates for a given site. The thesis examines the effects of bed roughness and turbine drag uncertainties on turbine power estimates. An analytic model is developed for transfer of bed friction uncertainty to power extracted from turbines in a strait, representative of a river. A validated finite volume solver of the shallow water equations is developed and applied to simulate flow driven by a constant head difference through a one-dimensional strait. The presence of a turbine fence is included using enhanced bed friction. A parameter study examines the effect of uncertainty propagation from bed friction to power. Excellent agreement is obtained between the analytic and numerical power uncertainty estimates for a given input bed friction PDF. Perturbation methods are used to determine the leading-order effect of bottom friction uncertainty in tidal stream power assessment. The theoretical models consider quasi-steady flow in a channel completely spanned by tidal turbines, a similar channel but retaining the inertial term, and a circular turbine farm in laterally unconfined flow. It is found that changes to expected power depend on the dynamic balance in the channel, the turbine configuration, and the geometry of the site considered. Bottom friction uncertainty increases estimates of expected power in a fully-spanned channel, but has the reverse effect in laterally unconfined farms. The optimal number of turbines under bottom friction uncertainty is lower for a fully-spanned channel and higher in laterally unconfined farms. The effect of uncertainty in turbine drag is also considered. A standard methodology is presented for uncertainty propagation using general computational models. The methodology is tested using a shallow flow model of the Pentland Firth, where power statistics are determined according to input bed friction probability distribution, and the results compared against those from the (simplified) analytic perturbation approaches. Although the analytic models for channels perform reasonably well regarding the estimate of expected power, the predictions from the unconfined analytic model were not so satisfactory owing to the model assumptions. The methods for uncertainty transfer presented in the thesis could readily be applied to many other problems encountered in hydraulic engineering, such as river flow routing, urban flood risk, reservoir sedimentation, etc.
A Longitudinal Study to Explore the Impact of Preservice Teacher Health Training on Early Career Teachers’ Roles as Health Promoters

Teachers play a key role in promoting children and young people’s health and therefore require health training during their initial teacher education (ITE). However, little is known about the impact of such training on teachers’ knowledge, attitudes, confidence, and competence toward promoting health in school, especially long term. We report on Phase 1 of an 18-month project examining the long-term impact of an innovative health education program, based on socio-constructivist learning and critical reflection, during preservice teacher training at one ITE university in England. It also explored barriers and facilitators to promoting health in school. We sent a questionnaire to 1,014 primary and secondary school teachers from three consecutive cohorts: preservice teachers (N = 334), newly qualified teachers (N = 334), and early careers teachers (N = 346). Of these, 164 (16%) responded (32% of preservice teachers, 8% of in-service teachers). This low response rate presents limitations but is in accordance with other research following up early career teachers. The majority of the respondents found the training useful, felt confident and knowledgeable teaching and dealing with health issues, and held positive attitudes about promoting health. They indicated that practical experience, supportive colleagues, and a positive school ethos toward children’s health and well-being were important facilitators to teaching health education. We conclude the training is associated with a positive, long-term effect in the minority who responded, and we argue that the socio-constructivist nature of the health education training is a contributor. However, school environment factors might mitigate or support the impact of training provided during ITE.
The clinical value of SPECT ~(99)Tc~m-MIBI ST/RE myocardial imagings in restenosis after percutaneous coronary angioplasty

Objective The aim of the study is to assess the clinical value of SPECT 99 Tc m- MIBI ST/RE myocardial imagings in restenosis after percutaneous coronary angioplasty (PTCA). Methods sixty pstients with coronary artery disease were study retrospectively. According to have myocardial ischimia or not, patients were divided into two groups. All patients within 1 month underwent coronary angiography (CA) and SPECT 99 Tc m- MIBI ST/RE myocardial imagings after PTCA. The perfusion studies were analysised in absence results of CA. Results sensitivity and specificity of SPECT 99 Tc m- MIBI ST/RE myocardial imagings in predicting restenosis were 79%. 90% respectively. Sensitivity and specificity related to vascular territories were LAD 74-84%. LCX 53-90%,RCA 50-60%, respectively. Conclusion SPECT 99 Tc m- MIBI ST/RE myocardial imagings is more specific method in predicting restenosis after PTCA.