Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Cervical Cancer Screening and Human Papillomavirus Vaccination among Korean Sexual Minority Women by Sex of Their Sexual Partners

Cervical cancer-preventive behaviors in Korean sexual minority women (SMW) are underexplored. We aimed to assess the differences in cervical cancer screening uptake and completion of human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination among Korean SMW by sex of their sexual partners. This cross-sectional study used data from the 2017 Korean Sexual Minority Women’s Health Study; we included Korean lesbian and bisexual women aged ≥20 years. They were divided into three groups: SMW with more than one male sexual partner (male only/both), SMW with only female sexual partners (female-only), or no sexual partner (no partner). Among the 671 participants, 266 (39.6%), 294 (43.8%), and 111 (16.5%) belonged to the male-only/both, female-only, and no partner groups, respectively. Compared to the male-only/both group, the female-only group was significantly less likely to have undergone cervical cancer screening (Adjusted odds ratio (AOR) = 0.24, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 0.15–0.37) and to have completed HPV vaccinations (AOR = 0.58, 95% CI = 0.37–0.91). In conclusion, Korean SMW with only female sexual partners had lower cervical cancer screening and HPV vaccination completion rates than SMW who had male sexual partners. More extensive efforts are needed to improve cervical cancer-preventive behaviors among Korean SMW.
The Benefits of Omnivory for Reproduction and Life History of a Specialized Aphid Predator, Hippodamia convergens (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae)

Abstract The convergent lady beetle, Hippodamia convergens Guerin-Meneville, is a specialized predator of cereal aphids on the High Plains, completing its first generation each year in winter wheat, the resulting adults dispersing into summer crops and producing additional generations, contingent on the availability of aphids. In the present study, we tested the collective value of supplementary plant resources (sugars, pollen, and seedling wheat leaves), and small amounts of alternative prey, eggs of Ephestia kuehniella (Zeller) (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae), all provided together, for improving beetle life history and reproductive success even when suitable prey, Schizaphis graminum (Rondani) (Hemiptera: Aphididae), were provided ad libitum. Although a monotypic diet of S. graminum yielded slightly faster larval development and heavier adults than the omnivorous diet, preoviposition periods were extended and 21-d fecundities greatly reduced when this diet was continued through adult life, largely due to fewer oviposition days, although egg fertility was unaffected. The results highlight the critical importance of plant-derived resources even when suitable prey are not limiting. However, monotypic diet beetles that diapaused for 21 d in the presence of supplementary plant resources, plus moth eggs, achieved the same reproductive success as those reared on the omnivorous diet, with or without diapause, demonstrating that access to these resources post-emergence was sufficient to compensate for their absence during development. The diapause treatment itself had no impact on the fitness of beetles reared on the omnivorous diet, likely because neither its duration, nor the caloric restriction imposed, were sufficient to diminish reproductive effort.
To what extent does punishment insensitivity explain the relationship between callous-unemotional traits and academic performance in secondary school students?

BACKGROUND Callous-unemotional (CU) traits are related to low achievement but not to deficits in verbal ability, commonly regarded as a major risk factor for poor academic outcomes in antisocial youth. This suggests that CU traits may have utility in explaining heterogeneous risk pathways for poor school performance in antisocial children. Reduced sensitivity to teacher discipline has been suggested as a potential explanation for the association between CU traits and low achievement, given its importance in facilitating engagement in learning. This study is the first to examine punishment insensitivity as a potential mechanism explaining the relationship between CU traits and poor achievement. AIM The current study investigated the indirect pathway from CU traits via the predictor of punishment insensitivity to English, Maths, and Science grades. SAMPLE A total of 437 English secondary school students aged 11 to 14 years (49% girls). METHODS We conducted a mediation analysis within a structural equation modelling framework. CU traits and punishment insensitivity were assessed using child report questionnaires and academic grades were obtained from school records. RESULTS CU traits were indirectly associated with low academic grades in Maths and Science, but not English, via punishment insensitivity, controlling for child age, gender, single parent household status, free school meals eligibility, externalizing problems, and classroom effects. CONCLUSIONS Findings indicated that reduced sensitivity to discipline forms a pathway linking CU traits to poor performance in Maths and Science. Teachers may therefore need additional support to implement discipline effectively with children high in CU traits in order to prevent poor academic outcomes.
Human-Elephant Conflicts and Villagers’ Attitudes and Knowledge in the Xishuangbanna Nature Reserve, China

In this study, we analyzed the accidents associated with the Asian elephant (Elephas maximus Linnaeus) and issues pertaining to compensation in Xishuangbanna Nature Reserve from 2011 to 2018. We conducted interviews and a questionnaire survey with 217 villagers. The results show that: (1) the main Asian elephants damage is crop loss (more than 95% of the total damage), and the villagers suffer economic losses; (2) through the influence of traditional culture and natural education, the majority of local villagers still have a favorable impression of Asian elephants; (3) female respondents, those engaged in agricultural production, those who had experienced crop loss and those who had never seen Asian elephants had more negative attitudes toward Asian elephants; (4) most villagers believe that the Asian elephant population has increased in the past decade; and (5) the villagers are quite passive in the human–elephant conflict, and most of them do not take action. Finally, based on the research results, this paper discusses the causes of human elephant conflict and proposes targeted mitigation measures.
Impact of liver injury on the severity of COVID-19: Systematic Review with Meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS SARS-CoV-2 is mainly a respiratory virus that has relevant systemic effects. We assessed the impact of the baseline liver function (AST, ALT, and bilirubin) on COVID-19-related outcomes, including on mortality, intensive care unit admission, and non-fatal severe complications. METHODS After a systematic review of the relevant studies, odds ratio, mean difference, sensitivity, specificity, and positive and negative likelihood ratios, were calculated for the prediction of relevant COVID-19 outcomes by performing a meta-analysis using fixed and random effects models. A Fagan nomogram was used to assess the clinical utility. Heterogeneity was explored by sensitivity analysis and univariable meta-regression. RESULTS Twenty-six studies were included (22 studies and 5271 patients for AST, 20 studies and 5440 subjects for ALT, and 9 studies and 3542 patients for bilirubin). The outcomes of the studies were: survival (n=8), intensive care unit admission (n=4), and non-fatal severe complications (n=16). AST>ULN (OR 3.10 (95%CI 2.61-3.68)), ALT>ULN (OR 2.15 (95%CI 1.43-3.23)), and bilirubin >ULN (OR 2.78 (95%CI 1.88-4.13)) were associated with an increased prevalence of severe complications, with 78%, 77% and 94% of specificity, respectively. The mean difference between mild and severe COVID-19 was 10.7 U/L (95%CI 5.8-15.6) for AST, 8 U/L (95%CI 1.0-15) for ALT, and 0.3 mg/dL (95%CI 0.16-0.45) for bilirubin. CONCLUSIONS Patients showing liver injury had significantly higher risks of developing severe COVID-19 compared to those with normal liver function tests at admission. We should include the assessment of AST, ALT, and total bilirubin routinely in patients affected by SARS-CoV-2 in order to anticipate those at risk of developing COVID-19-related outcomes.
Revisiting Information Detection and Energy Harvesting: A Power Splitting-Based Approach

Wireless sensors are becoming essential in machine-type communications and Internet of Things. As the key performance metrics, the spectral efficiency as well as the energy efficiency have been considered while determining the effectiveness of sensor networks. In this paper, we present several power-splitting solutions to maximize the average harvested energy under a rate constraint when both the information and power are transmitted through the same wireless channel to a sensor (i.e., a receiver). More specifically, we first designed the optimal dynamic power-splitting policy, which decides the optimal fractional power of the received signal used for energy harvesting at the receiver. As effective solutions, we proposed two types of single-threshold-based power-splitting policies, namely, Policies I and II, which decide to switch between energy harvesting and information decoding by comparing the received signal power with some given thresholds. Additionally, we performed asymptotic analysis for a large number of packets along with practical statistics-based policies. Consequently, we demonstrated the effectiveness of the proposed power-splitting solutions in terms of the rate–energy trade-off.
Life Course and Socioecological Influences on Gender-Equitable Attitudes Among Men: A Scoping Review

Emerging research suggests that holding gender-equitable attitudes (GEA) is associated with decreased risk of gender-based violence perpetration and increased willingness to engage in violence preventative actions among men. GEA, defined here as support for political, economic, and social equity across gender in both public and private spheres, may therefore constitute a protective factor against perpetration and a promotive factor in fostering healthy relationships and communities. Forces that shape GEA throughout boys’ and young men’s lives are less well articulated. The purpose of this exploratory, scoping review was to synthesize cross-disciplinary research to distill life-course influences on the development of GEA among men. Three databases and Google Scholar were searched to locate peer-reviewed studies that empirically examined GEA as an outcome of childhood, adolescent, or young adulthood factors. Sixty-nine articles were located that, collectively, used data from 97 different countries and identified 22 potential life-course influences on men’s GEA. Across studies, facilitators of equitable attitudes included higher levels of education, exposure to gender transformative prevention programming, and having parents who held, modeled, and communicated gender-equitable beliefs. Hindrances to equitable attitudes included but were not limited to religiosity, the transition to fatherhood, and having mostly male peer groups. Findings suggest that opportunities to foster equitable attitudes exist across the life course and both inside and outside of formal prevention or education interventions.
Disparate compound eyes of Cambrian radiodonts reveal their developmental growth mode and diverse visual ecology

Fossil eyes show that some early marine arthropods had acute vision and were capable of functioning at different light levels. Radiodonts are nektonic stem-group euarthropods that played various trophic roles in Paleozoic marine ecosystems, but information on their vision is limited. Optical details exist only in one species from the Cambrian Emu Bay Shale of Australia, here assigned to Anomalocaris aff. canadensis. We identify another type of radiodont compound eye from this deposit, belonging to ‘Anomalocaris’ briggsi. This ≤4-cm sessile eye has >13,000 lenses and a dorsally oriented acute zone. In both taxa, lenses were added marginally and increased in size and number throughout development, as in many crown-group euarthropods. Both species’ eyes conform to their inferred lifestyles: The macrophagous predator A. aff. canadensis has acute stalked eyes (>24,000 lenses each) adapted for hunting in well-lit waters, whereas the suspension-feeding ‘A. ’ briggsi could detect plankton in dim down-welling light. Radiodont eyes further demonstrate the group’s anatomical and ecological diversity and reinforce the crucial role of vision in early animal ecosystems.
Virtual Reality Systems for Upper Limb Motor Function Recovery in Patients With Spinal Cord Injury: Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Background Patients with spinal cord injury (SCI) usually present with different motor impairments, including a deterioration of upper limb motor function (ULMF), that limit their performance of activities of daily living and reduce their quality of life. Virtual reality (VR) is being used in neurological rehabilitation for the assessment and treatment of the physical impairments of this condition. Objective A systematic review and meta-analysis was conducted to evaluate the effectiveness of VR on ULMF in patients with SCI compared with conventional physical therapy. Methods The search was performed from October to December 2019 in Embase, Web of Science, Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature (CINAHL), Scopus, Medline, Physiotherapy Evidence Database (PEDro), PubMed, and Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials. The inclusion criteria of selected studies were as follows: (1) comprised adults with SCI, (2) included an intervention with VR, (3) compared VR intervention with conventional physical therapy, (4) reported outcomes related to ULMF, and (5) was a controlled clinical trial. The Cochrane Collaboration’s tool was used to evaluate the risk of bias. The RevMan 5.3 statistical software was used to obtain the meta-analysis according to the standardized mean difference (SMD) and 95% CIs. Results Six articles were included in this systematic review. Four of them contributed information to the meta-analysis. A total of 105 subjects were analyzed. All of the studies used semi-immersive or nonimmersive VR systems. The statistical analysis showed nonsignificant results for the Nine-Hole Peg Test (SMD –0.93, 95% CI –1.95 to 0.09), muscle balance test (SMD –0.27, 95% CI –0.82 to 0.27), Motricity Index (SMD 0.16, 95% CI −0.37 to 0.68), Jebsen-Taylor Hand Function Test (JTHFT) subtests (writing, SMD –0.10, 95% CI –4.01 to 3.82; simulated page turning, SMD –0.99, 95% CI –2.01 to 0.02; simulated feeding, SMD –0.64, 95% CI –1.61 to 0.32; stacking checkers, SMD 0.99, 95% CI –0.02 to 2.00; picking up large light objects, SMD –0.42, 95% CI –1.37 to 0.54; and picking up large heavy objects, SMD 0.52, 95% CI –0.44 to 1.49), range of motion of shoulder abduction/adduction (SMD –0.23, 95% CI –1.48 to 1.03), shoulder flexion/extension (SMD 0.56, 95% CI –1.24 to 2.36), elbow flexion (SMD –0.36, 95% CI –1.14 to 0.42), elbow extension (SMD –0.21, 95% CI –0.99 to 0.57), wrist extension (SMD 1.44, 95% CI –2.19 to 5.06), and elbow supination (SMD –0.18, 95% CI –1.80 to 1.44). Favorable results were found for the JTHFT subtest picking up small common objects (SMD –1.33, 95% CI –2.42 to –0.24). Conclusions The current evidence for VR interventions to improve ULMF in patients with SCI is limited. Future studies employing immersive systems to identify the key aspects that increase the clinical impact of VR interventions are needed, as well as research to prove the benefits of the use of VR in the rehabilitation of patients with SCI in the clinical setting.
Optimization of flaxseed milk fermentation for the production of functional peptides and estimation of their bioactivities

Bioactive peptides are protein fragments which have a positive impact on the functions and conditions of living organisms. Apart from other animal and plant sources flaxseed is an excellent source of bioactive peptides. In recent years, fermentation has been explored as effective way for bioactive peptides generation. Hence, the present study has been carried out to evaluate an indigenous Lactobacillus plantarum strain NCDC 374 for fermentation and peptides generation in flaxseed milk. Optimization of fermentation condition to obtain maximum functional properties (Proteolytic activity, Antioxidant activity and ACE inhibition %) was investigated using response surface methodology. Optimal condition to produce the functional peptides were found to be 4.20% inoculum size with 126 hours of fermentation time. The fermented milk resulted in 67.38% inhibition in DPPH, 41.35% inhibition in ACE and 30.38 micro gram leucine/ml proteolytic activity. Molecular weight cut off membrane (Viva spin) were used to fractionate the peptides. 10 kDa peptides showed optimal results for % DPPH inhibition, ACE inhibition, Antimicrobial activity and DPP-IV inhibition as compared to 5 kDa.
Source and symptoms of COVID-19 among hospital workers in Milan

Abstract Background Healthcare workers (HCWs) are commonly infected by SARS-CoV-2 and represent one of the most vulnerable groups. Adequate prevention strategies are necessary to guarantee HCWs’ safety, as well as to prevent dissemination of the infection among patients. Aims To describe a case series of SARS-CoV-2-positive HCWs in a large public healthcare organization in Milan (Italy) during the most devastating weeks of the epidemic and analyse the sources, symptoms and duration of SARS-CoV-2 infection. Methods This study included 172 SARS-CoV-2-positive HCWs who were infected between the 25th of February and the 7th of April 2020. A nasopharyngeal swab (NPS) and RT-PCR were used to indicate. Results Initially, the most common sources of infection were other positive HCWs (49%). Medical doctors and nursing assistants were most frequently infected, with infection rates of 53/1000 and 50/1000, respectively. COVID-19 departments were less affected than internal medicine, surgery, intensive care, or emergency room. The most commonly reported symptom was mild cough, while loss of smell (anosmia) and loss of taste (ageusia) were reported as moderate and severe by 30–40% of HCWs. The time necessary for 50% of workers to recover from the infection was 23 days, while it took 41 days for 95% of HCWs to become virus-free. Conclusions HCWs are commonly infected due to close contacts with other positive HCWs, and non-COVID departments were most affected. Most HCWs were asymptomatic or subclinical but contact tracing and testing of asymptomatic HCWs help identify and isolate infected workers.
Patient-Related Factors of Medialization Laryngoplasty with Autologous Thyroid Cartilage

(1) Background: Medialization laryngoplasty with autologous thyroid cartilage (MLATC) is a surgical treatment for glottal closure insufficiency (GCI) resulted from unilateral vocal fold paralysis/paresis (UVFP) and vocal fold atrophy. We aimed to survey the influence of patient-related factors on the outcomes after MLATC. (2) Methods: The study enrolled 35 patients with GCI who underwent MLATC. Patient voice data were recorded before and after MLATC by using multiple acoustic parameters and subjective assessment in a computerized speech laboratory. GCI patients were characterized into subgroups based on three factors: age, ≥60 vs. <60 years; sex, men vs. women; and BMI, ≥24 vs. <24. (3) Results: When the subgroups were compared, men did not have better results after surgery than women. Patients ages < 60 years did not exhibit any significantly different outcome compared with those aged ≥ 60 years. Patients with BMI ≥ 24 did not have any significantly different outcome compared with those with BMI < 24. The subgroups of age, sex, and BMI had no significant difference in cumulative voice recovery and summation of GRBAS (G = grade, R = roughness, B = breathiness, A = asthenia, and S = strain). (4) Conclusions: MLATC is a good alternative surgery with long-term improvement in GCI patients. There is no evidence that age, sex, or BMI affect the functional outcome.
Combination of Systemic Inflammatory Biomarkers in Assessment of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease: Diagnostic Performance and Identification of Networks and Clusters

Interleukin (IL)-1α, IL-1β, IL-6, IL-8 and tumor necrosis factor (TNF)α contribute to inflammation in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). We wanted to investigate their interrelations and association with disease severity, as well as to combine them with other inflammation-associated biomarkers and evaluate their predictive value and potential in identifying various patterns of systemic inflammation. One hundred and nine patients with stable COPD and 95 age- and sex-matched controls were enrolled in the study. Cytokines’ concentrations were determined in plasma samples by antibody-based multiplex immunosorbent assay kits. Investigated cytokines were increased in COPD patients but were not associated with disease or symptoms severity. IL-1β, IL-6 and TNFα showed the best discriminative values regarding ongoing inflammation in COPD. Inflammatory patterns were observed in COPD patients when cytokines, C-reactive protein (CRP), fibrinogen (Fbg), extracellular adenosine triphosphate (eATP), extracellular heat shock protein 70 (eHsp70) and clinical data were included in cluster analysis. IL-1β, eATP and eHsp70 combined correctly classified 91% of cases. Therefore, due to the heterogeneity of COPD, its assessment could be improved by combination of biomarkers. Models including IL-1β, eATP and eHsp70 might identify COPD patients, while IL-1β, IL-6 and TNFα combined with CRP, Fbg, eATP and eHsp70 might be informative regarding various COPD clinical subgroups.
Laminar–Turbulent Intermittency in Annular Couette–Poiseuille Flow: Whether a Puff Splits or Not

Direct numerical simulations were carried out with an emphasis on the intermittency and localized turbulence structure occurring within the subcritical transitional regime of a concentric annular Couette–Poiseuille flow. In the annular system, the ratio of the inner to outer cylinder radius is an important geometrical parameter affecting the large-scale nature of the intermittency. We chose a low radius ratio of 0.1 and imposed a constant pressure gradient providing practically zero shear on the inner cylinder such that the base flow was approximated to that of a circular pipe flow. Localized turbulent puffs, that is, axial uni-directional intermittencies similar to those observed in the transitional circular pipe flow, were observed in the annular Couette–Poiseuille flow. Puff splitting events were clearly observed rather far from the global critical Reynolds number, near which given puffs survived without a splitting event throughout the observation period, which was as long as 104 outer time units. The characterization as a directed-percolation universal class was also discussed.