Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Scaling up child development centres in Bangladesh

BACKGROUND Child Development Centres (CDCs) have been established within government medical college tertiary hospitals across Bangladesh. Services entail a parent-professional partnership in a child and family friendly environment with a focus on assessment, diagnosis, and management of a range of neurodevelopmental disorders in children and adolescents 0-16 years of age. Services are provided by a multidisciplinary team of professionals (child health physician, child psychologist, and developmental therapist) who emphasize quality of services over the numbers of children seen. METHODS In 2008, Dhaka Shishu (Children's) Hospital was given the mandate by the government to conceptualize, train, and monitor CDCs nationwide. Here, we describe the rationale and processes for the establishment of the national network of CDCs and discuss lessons learned on scaling up early childhood development services in a low resource setting. RESULTS Fifteen CDCs were established in major government hospitals across Bangladesh and have recorded 208,866 patient visits. The majority (79%) of children were from the lowest and middle-income families, and about one third (30%) were < 2 years of age at first presentation. Two thirds of children seen in follow-up demonstrated improvements in functional skills since their first visit, 77% in their adaptive behaviour (i.e., activities of daily living) and 70% in cognitive functions. CONCLUSIONS CDCs are expanding coverage for child neurodevelopment services across Bangladesh through a tiered system of home-based screening, community- and clinic-based functional assessment, and CDC-based diagnosis, support, and referral. Vulnerable populations-the lowest income groups and younger children-comprised the majority of patients, among whom there is high unmet need for psychological services that is being met for the first time. Innovative human resource development, including a 3-month training for the multidisciplinary teams, enabled wide coverage for assessment and diagnosis of a range of neurodevelopmental problems. Demand for services is growing, especially among non-government and private hospitals.
Socioeconomic disparities are negatively associated with pediatric emergency department aftercare compliance.

OBJECTIVES This study sought to identify demographic, socioeconomic, and clinical predictors of aftercare noncompliance by pediatric emergency department (ED) patients. METHODS The authors conducted a prospective, observational study of pediatric patients presenting to a university teaching hospital ED from July 1, 2002, through August 31, 2002. Demographic and clinical information was obtained from guardians during the ED visit. Guardians were contacted after discharge to determine compliance with ED aftercare instructions. Subjects were excluded if they were admitted or if guardians were unavailable or unwilling to consent. Data were analyzed using multivariable logistic regression to identify predictors of noncompliance from a list of predetermined variables. RESULTS Of the 409 patients enrolled in the study, 111 were prescribed medications and 364 were given specific follow-up instructions. Subtypes of the variable "insurance status" were significantly associated with medication noncompliance in multivariable regression analysis. "Insurance status" and "low-acuity discharge diagnoses" were significantly associated with follow-up noncompliance. CONCLUSIONS Disparity in health insurance has been shown to be a predictor of poor aftercare compliance for pediatric ED patients within the patient population.
NGO Contributions to Creating Wealth Through Health Promotion in Ghana

Aims The study investigates the role played by NGOs in promoting health as a tool for wealth creation in Ghana. It also delves into the successes and constraints faced by NGOs in creating health through wealth in Ghana. Design A qualitative approach was used by the study. Sampling was purposive and data was collected through in-depth interviews. Reports and other documentary evidence obtained from respondents were also used. The data was analyzed thematically and discussed within the context of relevant literature and evidence based practices. Setting The study set in the Dangme West (now Shai-Osudoku) District of Ghana and focuses on the local Area Development Programme (ADP) of World Vision Ghana. It covers the activities of the ADP in the district between 1996 and 2011. Participants The study interviewed 3 persons who had been involved in managing the ADP, 4 opinion leaders in the District and 3 representatives of the District Health Directorate. Findings World Vision was the key stakeholder of education, health and nutrition, agriculture, water and sanitation, emergency relief response and HIV/AIDS education and support in the district. Findings also show logistical, cultural and other resource barriers hamper the effective operations of NGOs in creating wealth through health. Limited community participation and commitment to World Vision’s exit strategy were also major impediments. Conclusion NGOs are very instrumental in mitigating of the direct, indirect and intangible costs of health in rural areas of Ghana through capacity building, empowerment, public health interventions and Local economic development.
Preventing Attacks in Real-Time through the Use of a Dummy Server

Zero-day exploits against servers pose one of the most challenging problems faced by system and security administrators. Current solutions rely mainly on signature databases of known attacks and are not efficient at detecting new attacks not covered by their attack signature database. We propose using a dummy server, i.e. A mirror of the server to be protected but without the real data. Consequently, any incoming network packet is first tested against the dummy server and once it is ensured that the packet is benign, it is delivered to the real server. This would prevent all types of attacks, including those based on zero-day exploits, from reaching the protected server.
Non-Collinear Magnetic Configurations at Finite Temperature in Thin Films

The finite-temperature magnetism of a monolayer on a bcc (110) surface was examined using a model Hamiltonian containing ferromagnetic or antiferromagnetic exchange interactions, Dzyaloshinsky-Moriya (DM) interactions, and easy-axis on-site anisotropy. We examined the competition between the collinear ground state parallel to the easy axis and the spin spiral state in the plane perpendicular to this axis preferred by the DM interaction. Using approximative methods to calculate the magnon spectrum at finite temperatures, it was found that even if the ground state is collinear, increasing the DM interaction strongly decreases the critical temperature where this collinear order disappears. Using atomistic spin dynamics simulations, it was found that at this critical temperature the system transforms into the non-collinear state. Including external magnetic field helps stabilizing the ferromagnetic state. An effect due to the finite size of the magnetic monolayer was included in the model considering a different value for the anisotropy at the edges of the monolayer. This effect was shown to stabilize the spin spiral state by fixing the phase at the ends of the stripe.
Sirt2 Deacetylase Is a Novel AKT Binding Partner Critical for AKT Activation by Insulin*

Background: AKT kinases mediate insulin signaling downstream of phosphatidylinositol-3 kinase (PI3K). Results: AKT binds Sirt2 in insulin-responsive cells and Sirt2 inhibition blocks AKT activation, whereas Sirt2 overexpression sensitizes cells to insulin. Conclusion: Sirt2 deacetylase is an essential factor in AKT activation. Significance: Sirt2 modulators could be useful in treatment of diseases involving AKT, such as type 2 diabetes and cancer. AKT/PKB kinases transmit insulin and growth factor signals downstream of phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K). AKT activation involves phosphorylation at two residues, Thr308 and Ser473, mediated by PDK1 and the mammalian target of rapamycin complex 2 (mTORC2), respectively. Impaired AKT activation is a key factor in metabolic disorders involving insulin resistance, whereas hyperactivation of AKT is linked to cancer pathogenesis. Here, we identify the cytoplasmic NAD+-dependent deacetylase, Sirt2, as a novel AKT interactor, required for optimal AKT activation. Pharmacological inhibition or genetic down-regulation of Sirt2 diminished AKT activation in insulin and growth factor-responsive cells, whereas Sirt2 overexpression enhanced the activation of AKT and its downstream targets. AKT was prebound with Sirt2 in serum or glucose-deprived cells, and the complex dissociated following insulin treatment. The binding was mediated by the pleckstrin homology and the kinase domains of AKT and was dependent on AMP-activated kinase. This regulation involved a novel AMP-activated kinase-dependent Sirt2 phosphorylation at Thr101. In cells with constitutive PI3K activation, we found that AKT also associated with a nuclear sirtuin, Sirt1; however, inhibition of PI3K resulted in dissociation from Sirt1 and increased association with Sirt2. Sirt1 and Sirt2 inhibitors additively inhibited the constitutive AKT activity in these cells. Our results suggest potential usefulness of Sirt1 and Sirt2 inhibitors in the treatment of cancer cells with up-regulated PI3K activity and of Sirt2 activators in the treatment of insulin-resistant metabolic disorders.
Preparation and assessment of revised simulated body fluids.

A simulated body fluid (SBF) with ion concentrations approximately equal to those of human blood plasma has been used widely for in vitro assessment of the bioactivity of artificial materials and for the formation of bone-like apatite on various substrates. The ion concentrations of a conventional SBF (c-SBF) are, however, not exactly equal to those of blood plasma. In the present study, a revision of c-SBF was made to prepare new SBFs (r-SBF, i-SBF, and m-SBF) with ion concentrations equal to or closer to those of blood plasma. The ion concentrations of the r-SBF and i-SBF were designed to be equal to those of blood plasma in total and dissociated amounts, respectively. The m-SBF was designed to have a total ion concentration equal to that of blood plasma, except for the concentration of HCO(-) (3), which was set to the saturated level with respect to calcite. The ion concentrations and pH of the as-prepared new SBFs were found to be equal to those of the nominal values. Upon sealed storage, the r-SBF and i-SBF showed no change in ion concentrations for up to 4 weeks at 5 degrees C, and up to 2 weeks at 36.5 degrees C, but thereafter they showed a decrease in HCO(-) (3) concentration and an increase in pH. Under the same storage conditions, the c-SBF and m-SBF showed no change in ion concentrations and pH values over a period of up to 8 weeks. These results indicate that the r-SBF and i-SBF are less stable than the c-SBF and m-SBF in terms of changes in ion concentrations relative to storage period. The m-SBF is optimal for in vitro bioactivity assessment of artificial materials and for biomimetic production of bone-like apatite.
Evolution of an Incompatibility Group IncA/C Plasmid Harboring blaCMY-16 and qnrA6 Genes and Its Transfer through Three Clones of Providencia stuartii during a Two-Year Outbreak in a Tunisian Burn Unit

ABSTRACT During a 2-year period in 2005 and 2006, 64 multidrug-resistant Providencia stuartii isolates, including 58 strains from 58 patients and 6 strains obtained from the same tracheal aspirator, were collected in a burn unit of a Tunisian hospital. They divided into four antibiotypes (ATB1 to ATB4) and three SmaI pulsotypes (PsA to PsC), including 49 strains belonging to clone PsA (48 of ATB1 and 1 of ATB4), 11 strains to clone PsB (7 of ATB2 and 4 of ATB3), and 4 strains to clone PsC (ATB3). All strains, except for the PsA/ATB4 isolate, were highly resistant to broad-spectrum cephalosporins due to the production of the plasmid-mediated CMY-16 β-lactamase. In addition, the 15 strains of ATB2 and ATB3 exhibited decreased quinolone susceptibility associated with QnrA6. Most strains (ATB1 and ATB3) were gentamicin resistant, related to an AAC(6′)-Ib′ enzyme. All these genes were located on a conjugative plasmid belonging to the incompatibility group IncA/C2 of 195, 175, or 100 kb. Despite differences in size and in number of resistance determinants, they derived from the same plasmid, as demonstrated by similar profiles in plasmid restriction analysis and strictly homologous sequences of repAIncA/C2, unusual antibiotic resistance genes (e.g., aphA-6), and their genetic environments. Further investigation suggested that deletions, acquisition of the ISCR1 insertion sequence, and integron cassette mobility accounted for these variations. Thus, this outbreak was due to both the spread of three clonal strains and the dissemination of a single IncA/C2 plasmid which underwent a remarkable evolution during the epidemic period.
Bone mineral density of total body, spine, and femoral neck in children and young adults: A cross‐sectional and longitudinal study

Bone mineral density (BMD) of total body (TBMD), lumbar spine (L2‐4), and femoral neck was measured in 266 normal subjects (136 males) aged 4‐27 years (mean 13 years) using dual‐energy x‐ray absorptiometry (DXA). BMD of all sites increased significantly with age until 17.5 years in males and 15.8 years in females, except for femoral neck BMD in females, which peaked at age 14.1 years. Males had higher peak TBMD, which was attributed to greater weight and lean tissue mass. In contrast, despite a later timing, peak L2‐4 BMD in males was not different from that in females. Before peak BMD, weight was the best predictor of TBMD and L2‐4 BMD in both sexes (r2 ranged from 0.77 to 0.88), whereas femoral neck BMD was predicted equally by height and weight. Longitudinal information collected from 53 (25 boys) of these children, aged 4‐16.9 years, showed that the average annualized gain in TBMD was 0.047 g/cm2 for boys and 0.039 g/cm2 for girls. No significant difference in the association between age and BMD (slopes) was found between cross‐sectional and longitudinal data for either sex. We conclude that the timing for peak BMD was consistent for total body, lumbar spine, and femoral neck for each sex. The earlier peak BMD in females is most likely related to earlier puberty. The cross‐sectional normative data of this study are useful in serving as a standard for serial assessment in health and disease states.
Randomization or Condensation?: Linear-Cost Matrix Sketching Via Cascaded Compression Sampling

Matrix sketching is aimed at finding compact representations of a matrix while simultaneously preserving most of its properties, which is a fundamental building block in modern scientific computing. Randomized algorithms represent state-of-the-art and have attracted huge interest from the fields of machine learning, data mining, and theoretic computer science. However, it still requires the use of the entire input matrix in producing desired factorizations, which can be a major computational and memory bottleneck in truly large problems. In this paper, we uncover an interesting theoretic connection between matrix low-rank decomposition and lossy signal compression, based on which a cascaded compression sampling framework is devised to approximate an m-by-n matrix in only O(m+n) time and space. Indeed, the proposed method accesses only a small number of matrix rows and columns, which significantly improves the memory footprint. Meanwhile, by sequentially teaming two rounds of approximation procedures and upgrading the sampling strategy from a uniform probability to more sophisticated, encoding-orientated sampling, significant algorithmic boosting is achieved to uncover more granular structures in the data. Empirical results on a wide spectrum of real-world, large-scale matrices show that by taking only linear time and space, the accuracy of our method rivals those state-of-the-art randomized algorithms consuming a quadratic, O(mn), amount of resources.
DNA Replication Licensing Affects Cell Proliferation or Endoreplication in a Cell Type–Specific Manner

In eukaryotic cells, the function of DNA replication licensing components (Cdc6 and Cdt1, among others) is crucial for cell proliferation and genome stability. However, little is known about their role in whole organisms and whether licensing control interfaces with differentiation and developmental programs. Here, we study Arabidopsis thaliana CDT1, its regulation, and the consequences of overriding licensing control. The availability of AtCDT1 is strictly regulated at two levels: (1) at the transcription level, by E2F and growth-arresting signals, and (2) posttranscriptionally, by CDK phosphorylation, a step that is required for its proteasome-mediated degradation. We also show that CDC6 and CDT1 are key targets for the coordination of cell proliferation, differentiation, and development. Indeed, altered CDT1 or CDC6 levels have cell type–specific effects in developing Arabidopsis plants: in leaf cells competent to divide, cell proliferation is stimulated, whereas in cells programmed to undergo differentiation-associated endoreplication rounds, extra endocycles are triggered. Thus, we propose that DNA replication licensing control is critical for the proper maintenance of proliferative potential, developmental programs, and morphogenetic patterns.
Data-driven strategy for the discovery of potential urinary biomarkers of habitual dietary exposure.

BACKGROUND An understanding of causal relations between diet and health is hindered by the lack of robust biological markers of food exposure. OBJECTIVE We aimed to develop a data-driven procedure to discover urine biomarkers indicative of habitual exposure to different foods. DESIGN The habitual diet of 68 participants was assessed by using 4 food-frequency questionnaires over 3 mo, and participants were assigned to different consumption-frequency classes for 58 dietary components. Flow infusion electrospray-ionization mass spectrometry followed by supervised multivariate data analysis was used to determine whether the chemical composition of urine was related to specific differences in the consumption levels of each food. RESULTS Foods were eaten habitually in 1 of 5 basic patterns differing in range and distribution of consumption frequency. Overnight, 24-h, and fasting urine samples proved useful for biomarker lead discovery with habitual citrus exposure used as a paradigm. Exposure level discrimination robustness improved linearly as urine samples from low-frequency citrus consumers were compared with urine samples from participants reporting increasingly higher intakes. For all foods, distinctiveness and consumption-frequency range influenced the likelihood that differential dietary exposure could be detected. Model output statistics indicated foods for which biomarker lead discovery was feasible. Metabolites proposed previously as acute intake biomarkers of citrus (proline betaine), oily fish (methylhistidine), coffee (dihydrocaffeic acid derivatives), and tomato (phenolic metabolites) were also biomarkers of habitual exposure. A significance threshold in modeling output statistics was determined to guide the discovery of potential biomarkers for other foods. CONCLUSION This data-driven strategy can identify urinary metabolites associated with habitual exposure to specific foods. This trial has the UK registration number 4349 and was registered at isrtcn.org as CCT-NAPN-A13175.
Sparse Macro Factors

We use machine learning to estimate sparse principal components (PCs) for 120 monthly macro variables spanning 1960:02 to 2018:06 from the FRED-MD database. For comparison, we also extract the ﬁrst ten conventional PCs from the macro variables. Each of the conventional PCs is a linear combination of all the underlying macro variables, making them difficult to interpret. In contrast, each of the sparse PCs is a sparse linear combination, whose active weights allow for intuitive economic interpretations of the sparse PCs. The ﬁrst ten sparse PCs can be interpreted as yields, inﬂation, production, housing, employment, yield spreads, wages, optimism, money, and credit. Innovations to the conventional (sparse) PCs constitute a set of conventional (sparse) macro factors. Robust tests indicate that only one of the conventional macro factors earns a signﬁcant risk premium. In contrast, three of sparse macro factors — corresponding to yields, housing, and optimism — earn signﬁcant risk premia. Compared to leading risk factors from the literature, mimicking portfolios for the yields, housing, and optimism factors deliver sizable Sharpe ratios. A four-factor model comprised of the market factor and mimicking portfolio returns for the yields, housing, and optimism factors performs on par with or better than leading multi-factor models from the literature in accounting for numerous anomalies in cross-sectional stock returns.
Loading of the Nonhomologous End Joining Factor, Ku, on Protein-occluded DNA Ends*

The nonhomologous end joining pathway for DNA double strand break repair requires Ku to bind DNA ends and subsequently recruit other nonhomologous end joining factors, including the DNA-dependent protein kinase catalytic subunit and the XRCC4-Ligase IV complex, to the break site. Ku loads at a break by threading the DNA ends through a circular channel in its structure. This binding mechanism explains both the high specificity of Ku for ends and its ability to translocate along DNA once loaded. However, DNA in cells is typically coated with other proteins (e.g. histones), which might be expected to block the ability of Ku to load in this manner. Here we address how the nature of a protein obstruction dictates how Ku interacts with a DNA end. Ku is unable to access the ends within an important intermediate in V(D)J recombination (a complex of RAG proteins bound to cleaved recombination targeting signals), but Ku readily displaces the linker histone, H1, from DNA. Ku also retains physiological affinity for nucleosome-associated ends. Loading onto nucleosome-associated ends still occurs by threading the end through its channel, but rather than displacing the nucleosome, Ku peels as much as 50 bp of DNA away from the histone octamer surface. We suggest a model where Ku utilizes an unusual characteristic of its three-dimensional structure to recognize certain protein-occluded ends without the extensive remodeling of chromatin structure required by other DNA repair pathways.
HTLV-1 and Its Neurological Complications

BACKGROUND—Since its discovery in 1980, human T-cell lymphotropic virus type-1 (HTLV-1) has been associated with a number of neurological diseases. The distribution of HTLV-1-associated neurological disease is worldwide. In endemic areas, up to 30% of the population may be infected with HTLV-1; however, only a small percentage of infected persons develops neurological disease. REVIEW SUMMARY—In 1986, HTLV-1 infection was reported in patients of chronic progressive myelopathy of uncertain etiology, and the disease entity was called HTLV-1-associated myelopathy/tropical spastic paraparesis. Recently, HTLV-1 infection has been associated with polymyositis and uveitis. Interestingly, a single patient may display more than one syndrome. Although other neurological syndromes occur in HTLV-1-infected individuals, there is not enough epidemiologic data that show a strong association. Treatment of HTLV-1-associated neurological disease is challenging, and well-controlled studies are lacking. CONCLUSION—As neurologists and other scientists begin to understand the pathophysiology of HTLV-1 infection, improved therapies should be developed. Randomized trials with longer follow-up are required to understand the effect of treatment on disability and quality of life.