Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Staff Absenteeism in Public Health Facilities of Uganda: A Study in Bushenyi District on Contributing Factors

Background: Staff absenteeism is a global challenge in health care service delivery that has not spared any country. Aim: This was to assess the factors contributing to staff absenteeism in public health facilities in Bushenyi District of Uganda. Method: This was a cross sectional study conducted for a period of 3 months in which data were collected using a questionnaire and interviews. Results: Majority of participants were females (66.4%) which 50% in the age of 31 - 45 years. The study showed that residing outside the health facility (42.1%) i.e. walking distances over 10 km to get to work was a challenge. Family conflicts, overstay in one workstation without rotations to other major health facilities and drug abuse as well as inadequate supervision were major contributing factors to absenteeism (P < 0.05). This is complicated by increased administrative duties coupled with poor enumeration and motivation in the health facilities visited. However over 50% of the participants reported never to have left their work stations without permission, thus showing that the challenges faced in a majority of health centers in rural communities warrant national support through improved motivation of staff working in the challenging communities. Conclusion: Staff absenteeism in rural communities is a major challenge that needs a multi-sectorial approach for its effective management, thus showing a need to revise policy in the health sector.
Comparative Prevalence of bla CTX-M-15 Gene with Virulence Genes and Serotypes in Klebsiella pneumoniae

Background: Anewlyemergedhypervirulentstrainof Klebsiellapneumoniae hascausedgreatconcernglobally;however,itsmolec-ular characteristics have been rarely reported in Iran. Objectives: The goal of this study was to detect the virulence determinants and serotypes of K. pneumoniae and to evaluate the association among selected virulence traits and bla CTX-M-15 gene in southeastern Iran. Methods: One hundred and three non-duplicate K. pneumoniae strains were isolated from clinical samples. The isolates were identiﬁed by standard bacteriological tests. Conﬁrmed isolates were examined to detect a selection of virulence genes ( wabG , rmpA and iucB ) and serotypes (K1, K2, K5 and K20) by PCR. The isolates were studied foe the presence of beta-lactamase ( bla CTX-M-15) gene. SPSS software (version 19.0) was used for data analysis. Results: Amongthe103 K.pneumoniae isolates,61(59.2%)isolateswerepositivefor wabG ,4(3.9%)for iucB and3(2.9%)for rmpA genes. The presence of K20 in 3.9% (4/103) of the isolates represented the most prevalent. Only 3 (2.9%) isolates possessed the K1 serotype, while K2 and K5 serotypes were not detected in any isolate. The bla CTX-M-15 gene was detected in 47 (45.6%) isolates. bla CTX-M-15 -positive isolates showed a higher prevalence of wabG among the studied isolates (P < 0.05). Conclusions: Our data indicate a correlation between presence of virulence gene and bla CTX-M-15 in K. pneumonia isolates. Further researchshouldbeundertakentounravelaspectsof bothvirulencefactorsandantibioticresistancewhichmayprobablycontribute to managing future spread of infectious diseases.
Advanced Data Converters: Index

Need to get up to speed quickly on the latest advances in high-performance data converters? Want help choosing the best architecture for your application? With everything you need to know about the key new converter architectures, this guide is for you. It presents basic principles, circuit and system design techniques, and associated trade-offs, doing away with lengthy mathematical proofs and providing intuitive descriptions upfront. Everything is covered, from time-to-digital converters to comparatorbased/zero-crossing ADCs, and each topic is introduced with a short summary of the essential basics. Practical examples describing actual chips, together with extensive comparisons between architectural or circuit options, ease architecture selection and help you cut design time and engineering risk. Trade-offs, advantages, and disadvantages of each option are put into perspective with a discussion of future trends, showing where this field is heading, what is driving it, and what the most important unanswered questions are.
Prevalence of Urogynaecological Symptoms in Survivors of Cervical Cancer in a Tertiary Care Gynaecologic Oncology Clinic of a Developing Country

Background: A lot of research has focussed on bowel symptoms but data is relatively scarce on exact burden of urinary subset of urogynaecological symptoms in survivors of cervical cancer. Aims and objectives: To find out the prevalence of urinary subset of urogynaecological symptoms, in women with advanced cervical carcinoma treated with surgery and/or radiotherapy and comparing same with a control group. Methods: A questionnaire incorporating demographic and urogynaecological (urinary) symptoms (IUGA terminology) was prepared and used to interview over 400 women between October 2008 and June 2010 in a case control observational design; 200 patients (study group) with history of treated cervical cancer, attending gynaecological cancer clinic and 200 patients (control group) with benign conditions attending Gynaecology outpatient clinic were interviewed. The frequency of various urinary problems was correlated with the demographic data and cystoscopic findings wherever appropriate and available. Results: Increased daytime frequency of urination (25% vs. 6%, p=0.0001), dysuria (25% vs. 3%, p= 0.0001) and hematuria (26% vs. 2%, p= 0.0001) were seen more in cervical cancer patients compared to the controls. Nocturia (30% vs. 6%, p=0.6) and urinary hesitancy (7% vs. 2%, p=0.09) did not show any statistically significant difference. Among urinary incontinence, ‘any’ urinary incontinence (38% vs. 3%, p=0.0001), urge incontinence was seen in 1% vs. 3 %, stress incontinence in 28% vs. 8%, p=0.0001, “continuous (extra urethral origin)” incontinence was seen in 8% vs. 0% and “mixed” incontinence in 1% vs. 2% (all cancer versus control group). Conclusions: There is a high burden of urogynaecological problems in women with carcinoma cervix treated with surgery and/or chemo-radiotherapy as compared to controls.
Interlanguage Pragmatics: A Compendium of Theory and Practice

Interlanguage pragmatics (ILP), the application of pragmatics in second language acquisition (SLA), gained research momentum in the 1990s following the recognition of functional and pragmatic aspects of language as essential to the process of language acquisition in models of communicative competence. From a ‘pragmatics’ standpoint, language is object to manipulation by language users, hence their pivotal stance in the study of language; however, the relativity and indeterminateness inherent in the study of human beings has rendered attempts at putting forth a cure-all for ILP development ineffectual. Accordingly, the instruction and assessment of pragmatic knowledge is among the most contentious areas of investigation in SLA research. The present study provides a coherent review of pragmatics and ILP theory and research. More specifically, it sketches the theoretical underpinnings of ILP, discusses its stance in models of communicative competence, and provides a synopsis of instructional and assessment approaches featuring in mainstream ILP research.
Exponential Random Graph Models for Social Networks

Exponential random graph models (ERGMs) are increasingly applied to observed network data and are central to understanding social structure and network processes. The chapters in this edited volume provide the theoretical and methodological underpinnings of ERGMs, including models for univariate, multivariate, bipartite, longitudinal, and social influence–type ERGMs. Each method is applied in individual case studies illustrating how social science theories may be examined empirically using ERGMs. The authors supply the reader with sufficient detail to specify ERGMs, fit them to data with any of the available software packages, and interpret the results.
Common physical problems among the elderly in the Livingstone district in Zambia: opportunities for physiotherapists

AbstractIntroduction: The study identified prevalent physical problems with regard to physiotherapy needs in elderlypeople in the Livingstone District in Zambia.Objectives: To identify the physiotherapy needs of common physical problems in the elderly.Methods: A cross-sectional study design, utilising a quantitative research method and a convenience samplingtechnique.Participants: A total of 200 elderly people from the age of 60 yearsSetting: Livingstone District in ZambiaIntervention: A structured self-administered questionnaire was used to collect data.Results: The most common self-reported physical problems identified were musculoskeletal problems, physicalinactivity, decreased ability to walk and the need for walking aids. Hypertension was a common cardiovasculardisorder.Conclusion: Physiotherapists are ideally suited to alleviate the discomfort, activity limitation and participationrestriction associated with ageing.
Learnability and individual frequency characteristics of EEG alfa activity

: The aim of the study was to determine correlations between individual frequency characteristics of EEG alfa activity (individual frequency of maximal alfa spectral peak IFMA, alfa band width--IABW, alfa spindle variability--AA, length--T, and steepness--S) and individual psychometric intelligence characteristics, calculated EEG-predictors, and real learnability indices. The subjects were 129 healthy men aged 16-50. The results show that people manifesting high IFMA along with low variability and the longest duration of alfa spindle, exhibit better performance in acquiring empiric knowledge. The best learnability is a distinctive feature of people with the highest IFMA and the widest IABW.
Knowledge, attitude and practice about allergic rhinitis in a rural population, Kancheepuram district, Tamil Nadu

Background: Allergic rhinitis presents a global health problem. The lack of awareness about allergic rhinitis leads to poor adherence to management protocol. Methods: Our cross sectional study in 100 patients with allergic rhinitis was aimed at assessing the knowledge, attitude and practice about the disease. This was done using a questionnaire. Descriptive analysis was made in the three domains and expressed in percentage. Results: The knowledge about the cause and the treatment options was low. Most of the patients were worried about the long term side effects and dependence of the drugs used for treatment of allergic rhinitis. Most patients ignore the symptoms and do not seek medical advice. Conclusions: Improving the patient’s knowledge and attitude through health education can improve practices among allergic rhinitis patients.
The Khoja of West Siberia and Central Asia

Abstract The paper examines the existence of Khoja. Khoja is a sub-ethnic group, which is not genealogicallyrelated to the people of Central Asia and Kazakhstan. Khoja was an honorary religious priest in the Muslim culture.Also, this paper establishes, that Khoja was a direct descendant of Prophet Muhammad and the propagator ofIslam. The main idea and aim of this paper is to show the ethnic history of Khoja and distinguish their location onthe territory of Russia and Central Asia. The objectives of this work are to characterize the origin and developmentof Khoja on the bases of historical evidences and ethnographical information taken from the people; to appreciatethe peculiarities of Islam by the ethnographical evidences on the regions of Khoja location. Authors have tried todescribe the origin of the people of Khoja, their historical formation and spread on the territories of Russia,Kazakhstan and Central Asia.
Barriers to immunization among women and children living in slums of Zone 3 of Dhaka City Bangladesh. A qualitative assessment.

Improving the health of extremely poor people is essential for improving the health of the public more generally and for promoting equity. Disease illness and mortality are disproportionately concentrated among the extremely poor. Extreme poverty is inexorably linked to poor environmental conditions such as crowding and lack of clean water and sanitation poor nutritional status as a result of poverty and lack of food and frequent childbearing and all these contribute to a greater burden of disease. Furthermore the extremely poor often lack resources which are essential for preventing or treating disease. They lack access to basic health services lack awareness of the importance of timely use of basic health services lack the time and money needed to use health services and often need to address other more pressing issues. One of the most basic of all health services is immunization. This study attempted to understand the reasons that extremely poor people do not obtain immunizations. One hundred women living in the slums of Zone 3 of Dhaka city (in the central part of the city) participated in the study. Twenty women were randomly selected from each of 5 groups of women participating in an ongoing panel survey conducted by ICDDRB: (a) mothers of minimally-vaccinated children (b) mothers of partially-vaccinated children (c) mothers of fully-vaccinated children (d) mothers partially vaccinated against tetanus and (e) mothers fully vaccinated against tetanus. Field staff with special training in qualitative techniques interviewed these women using an open-ended questionnaire. According to the respondents the major barrier to obtaining immunizations was the fees-both official and unofficial-that clients were required to pay. Other major barriers included loss of immunization card (making mothers reluctant to go for immunizations because of a fear that the vaccinator would be upset with them) fear of side-effects and the long-waiting time. The findings suggest that extremely poor mothers and children should be able to obtain immunizations free of charge. Vaccinators need to receive sufficient salaries and reimbursement of expenses so that they do not need to charge unofficial fees. Improved counselling about side-effects and their treatment along with minimizing the waiting times for clients should also improve the use of immunization services among the extremely poor. (authors)
C-Share: Optical Circuits Sharing for Software-Deﬁned Data-Centers

C-Share tackles the challenge of designing a data-center network that integrates optical circuit switches with packet switch designs. In this solution, the authors propose identifying large Elephant network ﬂows and coalescing them onto a common optical circuit. This simpliﬁes rerouting of these ﬂows and reduces the amount of SDN rules required to manage these ﬂows. Through their evaluation, the authors are able to show that their solution effectively separates elephant and smaller mice ﬂows and improves throughput and completion time. The reviewers appreciated the application of host-based elephant ﬂow detection and hybrid optical/electric network designs in the context of ﬂatter network topologies and the gains observed by their design.
Opportunities and barriers for pragmatic embedded trials: Triumphs and tribulations

Embedded pragmatic clinical trials (PCTs) are set in routine health care, have broad eligibility criteria, and use routinely collected electronic data. Many consider them a breakthrough innovation in clinical research and a necessary step in clinical trial development. To identify barriers and success factors, we reviewed published embedded PCTs and interviewed 30 researchers and clinical leaders in 7 US delivery systems.
A comparison between the effect of shisha and cigarette smoking on serum lipid profile of males in Nasiriyah City

Objective: This study aimed to recognize the harm of shisha smoking compared to cigarettes smoking by measuring serum lipid profile in males in AL-Nasiriya city and association lipid profile change with increase of smoking per day. Materials and Methods: This study was conducted between June to December (2015) in Nasiriya city in Iraq ,all samples were randomly selected. Spectrophotometer was used for biochemical analysis for each group of lipid profile. The subjects were divided into three groups, cigarette smokers (n = 35), shisha smokers (n = 20) and non-smokers groups (n = 20). Age ranged between (30 – 60) years and mean of duration smoking was (13.4±1.3) years. Results: Results showed that the increased levels of total cholesterol (TC), triglyceride (TG), very low density lipoprotein (VLDL) and low density lipoprotein (LDL) were significant in all groups of smokers as compared to non-smokers. Conclusion: The study concludes that the danger of shisha impact on human health may be similar or even worse than cigarette smoking.
Pollinator Communities of Restored Sandhills: a Comparison of Insect Visitation Rates to Generalist and Specialist Flowering Plants in Sandhill Ecosystems of Central Florida

ABSTRACT Globally, urbanization and other forms of land use change have been implicated in widespread pollinator declines and disruptions to plant–pollinator interactions. A growing body of literature, however, suggests that urban habitat fragments can provide oases for both plant and insect diversity. A micro-ecosystem on our college campus was created to represent the longleaf pine savannas (sandhills) that once dominated upland ridges throughout the Southeast. To assess the ability of this site to support wild insect pollinators, from May through August for three years (2016–2018) we compared visitation to two abundant flowering plant species, Bidens alba (a generalist-pollinated composite) and Chamaecrista fasciculata (a specialist-pollinated legume), between the campus micro-ecosystem and a nearby site within a large conservation area containing sandhill habitat undergoing restoration. We found that, for both plant species, total insect visitation rates did not differ between years or sites, suggesting that the small urban fragment is capable of maintaining abundant pollinators. The identity of generalist visitors to Bidens alba, however, differed dramatically between sites. Wild hymenopterans constituted more than two-thirds of all insect visits in the campus site but less than half in the conservation area, where butterflies, flies, and beetles were also common visitors. The high density of flowers in the campus site is likely at least partially responsible for the high abundance of hymenopterans, a result consistent with that of many other studies showing that hymenopterans are less sensitive to urbanization than are other insect groups.
“In situ similis” Culturing of Plant Microbiota: A Novel Simulated Environmental Method Based on Plant Leaf Blades as Nutritional Pads

High-throughput cultivation methods have recently been developed to accelerate the recovery of microorganisms reluctant to cultivation. They simulate in situ environmental conditions for the isolation of environmental microbiota through the exchange of growth substrates during cultivation. Here, we introduce leaf-based culture media adopting the concept of the plant being the master architect of the composition of its microbial community. Pre-physical treatments of sunflower plant leaves, namely punching, freezing, and/or autoclavation, allowed the diffusion of electrolytes and other nutrients to configure the leaf surface as a natural pad, i.e., creating an “in situ similis” environment suitable for the growth of rarely isolated microbiota. We used surface inoculation and membrane-filtration methods to assess the culturability of endophytic bacteria from the sunflower phyllosphere and rhizosphere. Both methods supported excellent colony-forming unit (CFU) development when compared to standard R2A medium, with a special affinity to support better growth of epiphytic and endophytic populations of the phyllosphere compared with the rhizosphere. A 16S rRNA gene analysis of >122 representative isolates indicated the cultivation of a diverse set of microorganisms by application of the new methods. It indicated the predominance of 13 genera of >30 potential species, belonging to Firmicutes, Proteobacteria, and Actinobacteria, and especially genera not commonly reported for sunflower, e.g., Rhizobium, Aureimonas, Sphingomonas, Paracoccus, Stenotrophomonas, Pantoea, Kosakonia, and Erwinia. The strategy successfully extended diversity and richness in the endophyllosphere compared to the endorhizosphere, while CFUs grown on the standard R2A medium mainly pertain to Firmicutes, especially Bacillus spp. MALDI-TOF MS analysis clustered the isolates according to their niche and potential functions, where the majority of isolates of the endorhizosphere were clustered away from those of the endophyllosphere. Isolates identified as Gammaproteobacteria and Alphaproteobacteria were distinguishably sub-clustered, which was in contrast to the heterogeneous isolates of Firmicutes (Bacillus spp.). In conclusion, leaf in situ similis cultivation is an effective strategy to support the future application of culturomics of plant microbiota. This is an effort to access novel isolates that are more adapted and competitive in their natural environments, especially those subjected to abiotic stresses like those prevailing in arid/semi-arid zones, and, consequently, to support the application of agro-biotechnologies, among other technologies, to improving agriculture in such zones.
Genomic and Phenotypic Analyses of Acinetobacter baumannii Isolates From Three Tertiary Care Hospitals in Thailand

Antibiotic resistant strains of Acinetobacter baumannii are responsible for a large and increasing burden of nosocomial infections in Thailand and other countries of Southeast Asia. New approaches to their control and treatment are urgently needed and an attractive strategy is to remove the bacterial polysaccharide capsule, and thus the protection from the host’s immune system. To examine phylogenetic relationships, distribution of capsule chemotypes, acquired antibiotic resistance determinants, susceptibility to complement and other traits associated with systemic infection, we sequenced 191 isolates from three tertiary referral hospitals in Thailand and used phenotypic assays to characterize key aspects of infectivity. Several distinct lineages were circulating in three hospitals and the majority belonged to global clonal group 2 (GC2). Very high levels of resistance to carbapenems and other front-line antibiotics were found, as were a number of widespread plasmid replicons. A high diversity of capsule genotypes was encountered, with only three of these (KL6, KL10, and KL47) showing more than 10% frequency. Almost 90% of GC2 isolates belonged to the most common capsule genotypes and were fully resistant to the bactericidal action of human serum complement, most likely protected by their polysaccharide capsule, which represents a key determinant of virulence for systemic infection. Our study further highlights the importance to develop therapeutic strategies to remove the polysaccharide capsule from extensively drug-resistant A. baumanii during the course of systemic infection.