Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Prevalence of human papillomavirus in the saliva of sexually active women with cervical intraepithelial neoplasias

Background The main objective of this study was to estimate the prevalence of human papillomavirus-DNA (HPV-DNA) in the saliva of sexually active women with HPV-related cervical intraepithelial neoplasias (CIN) and compare the findings with a healthy control group. The secondary objectives were: 1) to determine the concordance between genital and oral HPV types in sexually active women with HPV-related CIN; 2) to analyze whether sexual habits influence the presence of HPV-related CIN; 3) to determine whether sexual habits influence the presence of oral HPV. Material and Methods Saliva samples were collected from 100 sexually active women, 50 with HPV-related CIN and 50 healthy subjects presenting normal cytology. PCR assay was used to detect HPV-DNA. Results The prevalence of oral HPV infection in saliva samples was 14% in women with HPV-related CIN, while in the healthy group it was 12%, without statistically significant difference (p =0.766). As for the concordance between genital and oral HPV types in women with HPV-related CIN, concordance was only observed for HPV-16, whereby among 22 women with genital HPV-16, only one (4.54%) also presented oral HPV-16. Regarding the possible influence of sexual habits on the presence of cervical pathology and presence of oral HPV, it was found that marital status, age at first intercourse, number of lifetime sexual partners, and condom use are related with the presence of cervical pathology (p<0.001; p=0.017; p=0.002; and p <0.001, respectively); condom use was also found to be related to the presence of oral HPV (p<0.001). Conclusions The prevalence of HPV-DNA in the saliva of sexually active women with HPV-related CIN is similar to healthy women. The concordance between genital and oral HPV types is low. Both the presence of cervical pathology and the presence of oral HPV are related to sexual habits. Wider sample size is required to confirm this results. Key words:Cervical intraepithelial neoplasias, HPV, saliva, cervix, cancer.
Bilateral retinal pathology following a first-ever clinical episode of autoimmune optic neuritis

Objective This longitudinal study aimed to assess changes in retinal structure and visual function following a first-ever episode of acute optic neuritis (ON). Methods Clinical and optical coherence tomography (OCT) data obtained over a period of 12 months were retrospectively analyzed in 41 patients with a first-ever clinical episode of acute ON. OCT scans, high-contrast visual acuity (HCVA), and low-contrast visual acuity (LCVA) were acquired at baseline and at 1, 3, 6, and 12 months thereafter. Macular ganglion cell and inner plexiform layer (GCIP), peripapillary retinal nerve fiber layer (pRNFL), and macular inner nuclear layer (INL) thicknesses were assessed by OCT. Linear mixed-effects models were used to analyze OCT variables of ipsilateral ON and contralateral non-ON (NON) eyes over time. Results The mean change of GCIP thickness in ON eyes was significant at all follow-up time points, with nearly 75% of the total reduction having occurred by month 1. In ON eyes, thinner GCIP thickness at month 1 correlated with lower LCVA at month 3. Mean pRNFL thickness in ON eyes differed significantly from NON eyes at all postbaseline time points. INL thickness was significantly increased in ON eyes (month 1) but also in contralateral NON eyes (month 12). Conclusions Retinal structural damage develops rapidly following acute ON and is associated with subsequent functional visual deficits. Our results also suggest bilateral retinal pathology following unilateral ON, possibly caused by subclinical involvement of the contralateral NON eyes. Moreover, our data may assist in clinical trial planning in studies targeting tissue damage in acute ON.
Stimulated by insight: Exploration of critical care nurses' experience of research participation in a recovery program for intensive care survivors.

AIMS AND OBJECTIVES We aimed to explore critical care nurses' experiences of research participation during a one year recovery program for intensive care survivors. BACKGROUND Nurse led post-intensive care follow-up consultations have emerged to help patients to recover and overcome problems related to critical illness and admission at the intensive care unit (ICU). Previous research exploring post-ICU follow-up programs have shown inconclusive evidence of their effectiveness on patient-reported outcome measurements, and provider evaluation is scarce. The context of this study is the Recovery and Aftercare in Post Intensive care Therapy (RAPIT) trial. DESIGN A qualitative descriptive telephone interview study. METHODS Data were collected after completion of the RAPIT-trial. Participants (n = 14) were trained intensive care nurses, who delivered the post-ICU recovery program, representing nine out of ten sites from the RAPIT-trial. Two focus group discussions were used to construct a semi-structured interview guide. A thematic data analysis was performed using Braun and Clark's six-step method. This study conforms to the COREQ Research Reporting Guidelines for qualitative studies. RESULTS Our study indicated that nurses considered participation in research as a positive experience. The main finding 'Stimulated by insight' described how nurses' engagement and professional growth was gained by reflection, patient feedback, and research competencies acquired in the clinical setting. The research programs stimulated to new knowledge, broaden their perspectives, and enhanced critical reflection of ICU nursing practice. CONCLUSIONS The study indicates that nurses developed research competencies and enhanced their job satisfaction by using critical reflection and patient feedback. However, there is still a substantial need for support to strengthen nurses' competencies in collaboration with colleagues, managers, and researchers. RELEVANCE TO CLINICAL PRACTICE This study can contribute in the development of recommendations supporting nurses doing research, and to optimize implementation of clinical research.
How do savings of different agents respond to interest rate change

The theory underlying the relation between savings and interest rates concerns the household sector, but in modern economies the household sector is not the main source of savings in the economy. Using the SVAR methodology, we try to identify the responsiveness of different sectors’ savings to interest rate changes. We focus on Poland and generalize results for other European economies. We found that responsiveness of savings to interest rate is diversified. In most of analyzed countries household savings rise after an interest rate increase, but simultaneously corporate savings fall, indicating negative conditional correlation between households’ and corporates’ savings. Moreover, the direction of responses of general government and foreign savings are diverse (although the former usually declines after an interest rate increase) and does not seem to be correlated with factors like membership in currency union or the level of debt. We also try to check whether “crowding-out” effects exist and conclude it only applies in the case of government savings crowding out household savings.
PRICE VOLATILITY AND FARM INCOME STABILISATION Modelling Outcomes and Assessing Market and Policy Based Responses Dublin , February 23-24 , 2012 Minimizing geographical basis risk of weather derivatives using a multi-site rainfall model

Weather risk is one of the main causes for income fluctuation in agriculture. Since 1997, the economic consequences of weather risk can be insured with weather derivatives, which are offered for many different weather events, such as temperature, rainfall, snow or hurricanes. It is well known that the hedging effectiveness of weather derivatives is interfered by the existence of geographical basis risk, i.e., the deviation of weather conditions at different locations. In this paper, we explore how geographical basis risk of rainfall based derivatives can be reduced by regional diversification. Minimizing geographical basis risk requires knowledge of the joint distribution of rainfall at different locations. For that purpose, we estimate a daily multi-site rainfall model from which optimal portfolio weights are derived. We find that this method allows to reduce geographical basis risk more efficiently than simpler approaches as, for example, inverse distance weighting.
Economics and Elections Revisited

The economics and elections connection has been heavily investigated, although mostly through single-country studies. The first comparative, survey-based research on economic voting, by Lewis–Beck, found serious effects. Subsequently, other comparative scholars have explored this terrain. The most recent, and most ambitious, examinations are by Duch and Stevenson and by van der Brug et al. These impressive efforts arrive at opposing conclusions about the importance of economic voting. We carry out another major examination, with an eye to reconciling these differences. A carefully specified model of vote choice is estimated on a balanced survey pool (N > 40,000) from 10 Western European nations. Special pains are taken with issues of economic measurement, estimation, and endogeneity. The finding is that economic perceptions are formed from economic reality, and importantly influence vote choice. Besides enhancing our understanding of comparative political behavior, the strong result speaks to the functioning of government accountability in advanced democracies.
Morphology and distribution of antennal sensilla in a parasitoid fly, Gymnosoma rotundatum (Diptera: Tachinidae)

Morphology of antennal sensilla and their distribution were investigated in male and female adults of the parasitoid fly Gymnosoma rotundatum (Diptera: Tachinidae) using scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The overall length and shape were not different between males and females from each other. Three basic types of sensilla (sensilla basiconica, s. chaetica, and s. coeloconica) were identified from both sexes, but with variations in numbers and distribution along the antennae. The s. basiconica and s. chaetica could be divided further into subtypes; s. basiconica into three subtypes and s. chaetica into two subtypes. All the basiconica subtypes 1, 2, and 3 were multiporous, indicating that their primary function was olfactory. The sensilla basiconica was most abundant on the antennae of both sexes. The abundance of s. basiconica subtype 1 was different, but other subtypes 2 and 3 were similar between males and females. There was no pore on the cuticular surface of the s. chaetica and s. coeloconica, suggesting that they are likely to be a mechanosensory or a thermohygroreceptory function. The abundance of the two sensillum types was similar between males and females. The morphological information obtained in our study provides a basis for future investigations into the sensory physiological function, and associated behaviors, of each type of sensilla in this parasitoid fly.
Etiology, clinical, and epidemiological characteristics of severe respiratory infection in people living with HIV

People living with HIV (PLWH) are more prone to severe respiratory infections. We used the severe acute respiratory infection (SARI) definition to describe the etiology, clinical, and epidemiological characteristics in this population. This was a prospective observational study including PLWH hospitalized with fever and cough. Those with symptom onset up to 10 days were classified as severe acute respiratory infection and 11–30 days as non-severe acute respiratory infection. Blood, urine samples and nasopharyngeal swabs were collected. Data were extracted from patient charts during their hospital stay. Forty-nine patients were included, median CD4 cell count: 80 cells/mm3, median time since HIV diagnosis and hospital admission: 84 months and 80% were antiretroviral therapy exposed. Twenty-seven patients were classified as SARI. Etiology was identified in 69%, 47% were polymicrobial. Respiratory virus (9 SARI vs. 13 non-SARI), bacteria (5 SARI vs. 4 non-SARI), Mycobacterium tuberculosis (6 SARI group vs. 7 non-SARI group), Pneumocystis jirovecii (4 SARI vs. 1 non-SARI), Cryptococcus neoformans (1 SARI vs. 3 non-SARI), and influenza A (1 SARI vs. 2 non-SARI). Dyspnea was statistically more prevalent in SARI (78% vs. 36%, p = 0.011) but the risk of death was higher in the non-SARI (4% vs. 36%, p = 0.0067). In the severely immunocompromised PLWH, severe acute respiratory infection can be caused by multiple pathogens and codetection is a common feature.
HsgNet: A Road Extraction Network Based on Global Perception of High-Order Spatial Information

Road extraction is a unique and difficult problem in the field of semantic segmentation because roads have attributes such as slenderness, long span, complexity, and topological connectivity, etc. Therefore, we propose a novel road extraction network, abbreviated HsgNet, based on high-order spatial information global perception network using bilinear pooling. HsgNet, taking the efficient LinkNet as its basic architecture, embeds a Middle Block between the Encoder and Decoder. The Middle Block learns to preserve global-context semantic information, long-distance spatial information and relationships, and different feature channels’ information and dependencies. It is different from other road segmentation methods which lose spatial information, such as those using dilated convolution and multiscale feature fusion to record local-context semantic information. The Middle Block consists of three important steps: (1) forming a feature resource pool to gather high-order global spatial information; (2) selecting a feature weight distribution, enabling each pixel position to obtain complementary features according to its own needs; and (3) inversely mapping the intermediate output feature encoding to the size of the input image by expanding the number of channels of the intermediate output feature. We compared multiple road extraction methods on two open datasets, SpaceNet and DeepGlobe. The results show that compared to the efficient road extraction model D-LinkNet, our model has fewer parameters and better performance: we achieved higher mean intersection over union (71.1%), and the model parameters were reduced in number by about 1/4.
CXCL12-induced rescue of cortical dendritic spines and cognitive flexibility

Synaptodendritic pruning is a common cause of cognitive decline in neurological disorders, including HIV-associated neurocognitive disorders (HAND). HAND persists in treated patients as a result of chronic inflammation and low-level expression of viral proteins, though the mechanisms involved in synaptic damage are unclear. Here, we report that the chemokine CXCL12 recoups both cognitive performance and synaptodendritic health in a rodent model of HAND, which recapitulates the neuroinflammatory state of virally controlled individuals and the associated structural/functional deficiencies. CXCL12 preferentially regulates plastic thin spines on layer II/III pyramidal neurons of the medial prefrontal cortex via CXCR4-dependent stimulation of the Rac1/PAK actin polymerization pathway, leading to increased spine density and improved flexible behavior. Our studies unveil a critical role of CXCL12/CXCR4 signaling in spine dynamics and cognitive flexibility, suggesting that HAND - or other diseases driven by spine loss - may be reversible and upturned by targeting Rac1-dependent processes in cortical neurons.
Knowledge Level of Cervical Cancer Among Women in Cameroon

Ngwayu Claude Nkfusai1 and Samuel Nambile Cumber2* 1Department of Microbiology and Parasitology, University of Buea, Cameroon 2Department of Public Health and Community Medicine (EPSO), University of Gothenburg, Sweden Submission: September 14, 2018 ; Published: September 26, 2018 *Corresponding author: Samuel Nambile Cumber, Department of Public Health and Community Medicine (EPSO), University of Gothenburg, Sweden, Tel: ; Email:
Silicon as resistance inducer in to control black aphid Aphis craccivora Koch, 1854 in Phaseolus lunatus lima beans

Arq. Inst. Biol., v.86, 1-5, e0512018, 2019 RESUMO: São poucos os registros no Brasil de insetos associados à cultura da fava; entre eles, destaca-se o pulgão preto Aphis craccivora Koch, 1854. O objetivo deste estudo foi avaliar os efeitos da aplicação de silício na indução de resistência de plantas de feijão-fava Phaseolus lunatus a esse inseto. O experimento foi conduzido no Laboratório de Entomologia do setor de Fitossanidade do Centro de Ciências Agrárias da Universidade Federal do Piauí (UFPI). Os efeitos da aplicação do silício sobre os aspectos biológicos do inseto foram avaliados utilizando os tratamentos: silício aplicado no solo, silício aplicado no solo + folha, silício aplicado à folha; e controle, sem aplicação de silício. Foram avaliadas as variáveis biológicas: duração do período pré-reprodutivo, período reprodutivo e fertilidade, e média diárias de ninfas produzidas por fêmea. Os teores de silício e de lignina nas plantas também foram avaliados. O ácido silícico foi aplicado em uma solução a 1% ao redor do caule das plantas (no solo), 15 dias após a emergência, diluindo-se 2,0 g do produto em 200 mL de água. Já a aplicação foliar foi realizada com um pulverizador de 1 L, 5 dias após a aplicação em solo. A não preferência de A. craccivora em feijão também foi avaliada. As avaliações foram realizadas após 48 e 72 horas da infestação, por meio da contagem de ninfas e adultos em cada secção foliar. A aplicação de silício promove a redução da produção de ninfas, interferindo nos aspectos biológicos de A. craccivora, podendo ser utilizado em programas de manejo de pragas do feijão-fava.
Board Structure and Firm Performance: Evidence from an Emerging Economy

We investigate the relationship between corporate board structure and firm performance of Bangladeshi companies. Using a sample of 654 firm year observations for the period 2005-2009, the results show some support for aspects of agency theory as a greater proportion of independent directors on boards is related to better firm performance. Supporting resource dependence theory our result also suggest that larger boards provide valuable business experience, expertise, skill and social and professional networks which might add substantial business resources to the firms and thus positively impact on performance. We also find that female and foreign directors in Bangladesh provide more monitoring which leads to better firm performance. Our study contributes to extant research on board structure-performance relationship by providing evidence from an emerging economy context which is characterised by ownership concentration, family dominance and poor regulatory oversight.
January 2019 EXAMINING ATTENDANCE PATTERNS FOR SFUSD STUDENTS IN MISSION PROMISE NEIGHBORHOOD SCHOOLS : 2013-14 THROUGH 2016-17

The Mission Promise Neighborhood (MPN) in San Francisco offers coordinated supports and services to help children and families connected to the Mission neighborhood achieve health, education, and economic goals. MPN supports children and families through a network of community organizations led by the Mission Economic Development Agency (MEDA). This brief focuses on outcomes for children at the four Mission Promise Neighborhood focus schools: Bryant Elementary School, Caesar Chavez Elementary School, Everett Middle School, and John O’Connell High School. At these schools, MPN resources provide family success coaches, mental health counselors, and academic support programs. They also support other school site staff. Implementation of MPN supports varies by school, as principals engage partners and services to meet the particular needs of children and families at each school.1 Instead of offering a particular program or service for a subgroup of students, MPN schools offer all students a coordinated network of integrated supports in alignment with four interrelated goals: (1) families are supported to engage with schools, (2) students are connected to schools and communities, (3) students come to school ready to learn, and (4) students achieve academically. Student attendance is a key indicator of whether students and families are connected to and effectively engaged with schools. As an outcome, student attendance influences access to learning opportunities and, consequently, academic achievement.
Significance of hemodynamic assessment by pressure wire for endovascular therapy of subclavian steal syndrome

Objective Subclavian steal syndrome results from hemodynamic impairment due to stenosis or occlusion of subclavian artery. Therefore, it is important for subclavian steal syndrome patients to assess hemodynamic status during endovascular therapy. Methods Eleven subclavian steal syndrome patients undergoing endovascular therapy attended this study. Pressure wire was used to measure trans-stenosis pressure difference (ΔP). Digital subtraction angiography, Transcranial Doppler and Electronic sphygmomanometer were introduced to assess stenotic rate, steal grade and inter-arm systolic pressure difference, respectively. Clinical symptoms and restenosis were followed up after endovascular therapy. The associations of ΔP with stenotic rate, inter-arm pressure difference, steal degree, clinic symptoms and restenosis were analyzed in this paper. Results Prior to the therapy, ΔP moderately correlated with stenotic rate (r = 0.757, p = 0.007) and inter-arm pressure difference (r = 0.701, p = 0.016). ΔP was ≥6 mmHg in all patients, and 6–9 mmHg for grade 1 steal and ≥10 mmHg for grade 2 and 3 steals. After the therapy, all patients had technique success, and 10 patients had clinic success, and 1 patient appeared restenosis. ΔP was ≤3 mmHg and steal disappeared in the patients with clinical success. ΔP was 18 mmHg and grade 3 steal still existed in one patient without clinical success. One patient with 1 mmHg of ΔP after therapy appeared restenosis in the follow-up. Conclusion The trans-stenosis pressure difference is closely related to steal degree and clinical symptoms. The measurement of hemodynamic status by pressure wire is very useful to guide endovascular therapy in subclavian steal syndrome patients. However, the restenosis may still occur, even though the hemodynamic impairment is improved.