Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
How effective are community health workers? An Overview of Current Evidence with Recommendations for Strengthening Community Health Worker Programs to Accelerate Progress in Achieving the Health-related Millennium Development Goals.

Community Health Workers (CHWs) provide a critical and essential link with health systems and are a powerful force for promoting healthy behaviors in resource-constrained settings. During the past decade there has been an explosion of evidence and interest concerning community health workers and their potential for improving the health of populations where health workforce resources are limited. Given the massive shortage of health workers in Africa and Asia -recently estimated to be 4.25 million workers -the inequitable distribution of health workers within countries and the need to accelerate progress in achieving the MDGS for health it is essential to take stock of the current body of evidence. This document serves to provide an update and supplement to the extensive review carried out by Bhutta and colleagues under the auspices of the World Health Organization and the Global Health Workforce Alliance in 2010.
Structural Attributes and Principles of the Neocortical Connectome in the Marmoset Monkey

The marmoset monkey has become an important primate model in Neuroscience. Here we characterize salient statistical properties of inter-areal connections of the marmoset cerebral cortex, using data from retrograde tracer injections. We found that the connectivity weights are highly heterogeneous, spanning five orders of magnitude, and are log-normally distributed. The cortico-cortical network is dense, heterogeneous and has high specificity. The reciprocal connections are the most prominent and the probability of connection between two areas decays with their functional dissimilarity. The laminar dependence of connections defines a hierarchical network correlated with microstructural properties of each area. The marmoset connectome reveals parallel streams associated with different sensory systems. Finally, the connectome is spatially embedded with a characteristic length that obeys a power law as a function of brain volume across species. These findings provide a connectomic basis for investigations of multiple interacting areas in a complex large-scale cortical system underlying cognitive processes.
Tunable Block Floating-Point Quantizer With Fractional Exponent for Compressing Non-Uniformly Distributed Signals

Block floating point quantization (BFPQ) exploits signal statistics so that one common exponent is shared among a block of data. The output signal-to-quantization-noise ratio (SQNR) may drop due to the increase in quantization error resulted from the increment of the exponent, especially for the non-uniformly distributed input signals. The tunable BFPQ is then proposed. With the aid of the tuning parameter to enlarge the thresholds for deciding the exponent and fractional exponent, the quantization error and saturation error can be balanced and thus the output SQNR can be sustained as high as possible. Both the analytic and simulated results are provided to verify the effectiveness of the tuning parameter for Gaussian-distributed and Laplacian-distributed signals. The improvement in output SQNR compared to the conventional BFPQ is also shown. Finally, the concept is implemented to support real-time high-speed compression for high-resolution synthetic aperture radar image applications. We demonstrate that the tunable BFPQ can be accomplished with only a small overhead but brings substantial performance gain, especially for large data blocks.
Power-Zienau-Woolley representations of nonrelativistic QED for atoms and molecules

In this paper the general Hamiltonian for non-relativistic QED is developed in terms of polarization fields that may be interpreted in terms of fields associated with Faraday's lines of force. The authors finds that the respective vacuum states of the two Hamiltonians are orthogonal and that the Coulomb interaction is explicit only in the Coulomb gauge formalism.
Newborn Screening for Severe Combined Immunodeficiency-A History of the TREC Assay

Infants born with T cell lymphopenias, especially severe combined immunodeficiency (SCID) are at risk for serious, often fatal infections without intervention within the first year or two of life. The majority of these disorders can be detected through the use of the T cell recombination excision circle assay (TREC assay.) The TREC assay detects the presence of non-replicating, episomal DNA that is formed during T cell development. This assay initially developed to measure thymic output during aging and HIV infection, has undergone modifications for the purpose of newborn screening (NBS) for SCID. To meet the requirements for inclusion on NBS panels, the assay needed to utilize blood from dried blood spots on NBS cards, and be both sensitive and specific, avoiding the costs of false positives. Currently, the assay relies upon real time, quantitative PCR (RT-qPCR) to detect TRECs in punches taken from dried blood spots. This review seeks to highlight some of the early work leading up to the initial implementation of the TREC assay for SCID detection, and the subsequent revisions made to optimize the assay.
The triple helix approach in the defence industry: a case study at the Brazilian Army

As in many other industries, technological innovation plays an important role in the economic development of the defence industry. In recent years, the Brazilian Army has adopted the triple helix model and open innovation as cooperation models in research in order to generate innovation, involving the army research efforts, the defence industry and academia. Inspired on a Swedish model, one of the most recent army's initiatives to stimulate innovation was the creation of an open innovation arena in order to encourage joint open innovation projects in the area of intelligent energy conversion devices and energy storage, involving academia and industry actors. In this article, the concept of this pilot initiative and its first results are described. With the Arenas the army intends to induce the creation of a sustainable defence industry with companies based on dual use technologies in order to achieve strategic and economic goals.
Soil Vulnerability Index assessment as a tool to explain annual constituent loads in a nested watershed

The Soil Vulnerability Index (SVI) was developed by the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) to identify inherent vulnerability of cropland to runoff and leaching. It is a simple index that relies on the SSURGO database and can be used with basic knowledge of ArcGIS. The goal of this study was to investigate a relationship between constituent (sediment and nutrient) loadings and fraction of the watershed in each SVI class. The SVI maps were developed for each of the seven subwatersheds of the Mark Twain Lake watershed in Missouri, which were similar in soil conditions and climatic variability. The SVI assessment was performed by investigating if the distribution of the SVI for cropland in each subwatershed could help explain measured 2006 to 2010 sediment and nutrient loads better than crop distribution alone. Regression analyses were performed between annual loads of sediment and nutrients exported from the watersheds and a composite number that included either cropland distribution alone, or cropland distribution combined with the SVI. Coefficients of determination and p-values were compared to assess the ability of land use and SVI distributions to explain stream loads. Integrating the SVI in the land cover variable improved the ability to explain constituent loads in the watersheds for sediment, total nutrients, and dissolved nitrogen (N). Regression results with and without the SVI were identical for dissolved phosphorus (P), potentially indicating that SVI was not indicative of dissolved P transport at the current site. Overall, the application of the SVI at watershed scale was not perfect, but acceptable at correctly identifying cropland of greatest vulnerability and linking with transported constituent loads.
Anode Surface Bioaugmentation Enhances Deterministic Biofilm Assembly in Microbial Fuel Cells

Mixed microbial communities play important roles in treating wastewater, in producing renewable energy, and in the bioremediation of pollutants in contaminated environments. While these processes are well known, especially the community structure and biodiversity, how to efficiently and robustly manage microbial community assembly remains unknown. ABSTRACT Microbial fuel cells (MFCs) generate energy while aiding the biodegradation of waste through the activity of an electroactive mixed biofilm. Metabolic cooperation is essential for MFCs’ efficiency, especially during early colonization. Thus, examining specific ecological processes that drive the assembly of anode biofilms is highly important for shortening startup times and improving MFC performance, making this technology cost-effective and sustainable. Here, we use metagenomics to show that bioaugmentation of the anode surface with a taxonomically defined electroactive consortium, dominated by Desulfuromonas, resulted in an extremely rapid current density generation. Conversely, the untreated anode surface resulted in a highly stochastic and slower biofilm assembly. Remarkably, an efficient anode colonization process was obtained only if wastewater was added, leading to a nearly complete replacement of the bioaugmented community by Geobacter lovleyi. Although different approaches to improve MFC startup have been investigated, we propose that only the combination of anode bioaugmentation with wastewater inoculation can reduce stochasticity. Such an approach provides the conditions that support the growth of specific newly arriving species that positively support the fast establishment of a highly functional anode biofilm. IMPORTANCE Mixed microbial communities play important roles in treating wastewater, in producing renewable energy, and in the bioremediation of pollutants in contaminated environments. While these processes are well known, especially the community structure and biodiversity, how to efficiently and robustly manage microbial community assembly remains unknown. Moreover, it has been shown that a high degree of temporal variation in microbial community composition and structure often occurs even under identical environmental conditions. This heterogeneity is directly related to stochastic processes involved in microbial community organization, similarly during the initial stages of biofilm formation on surfaces. In this study, we show that anode surface pretreatment alone is not sufficient for a substantial improvement in startup times in microbial fuel cells (MFCs), as previously thought. Rather, we have discovered that the combination of applying a well-known consortium directly on the anode surface together with wastewater (including the bacteria that they contain) is the optimized management scheme. This allowed a selected colonization process by the wastewater species, which improved the functionality relative to that of untreated systems.
Efficient catalytic oxidation of methyl aromatic hydrocarbon with N-alkyl pyridinium salts

A series of N-alkyl pyridinium salts were synthesized and employed as metal-free catalyst for the selective oxidation of methyl aromatic hydrocarbon with molecular oxygen. The electronic effect of the substitutes was found to be an important factor for the catalytic performance. With the introduction of electron-donating substitute –N(CH3)2, the conversion of p-xylene and selectivity of p-toluic acid could be simultaneously increased. 1-Benzyl-4-N,N-dimethylaminopyridinium salt showed the highest catalytic activity, and 95% conversion with 84% of selectivity to p-toluic acid could be obtained for the selective oxidation of p-xylene. Several methyl aromatic hydrocarbons could all be efficiently oxidized with the reported catalyst at the absence of any metal species.
Properties of a Plasma-Nitrided Coating and a CrNx Coating on the Stainless Steel Bipolar Plate of PEMFC

PEMFC are considered to be the most promising for automotive energy because of their good working effect, low temperature, high efficiency, and zero pollution. Stainless steel as a PEMFC bipolar plate has unparalleled advantages in strength, cost, and processability, but it is easy to corrode in a PEMFC working environment. In order to improve the corrosion resistance, the surface modification of 316L stainless steel is a feasible solution for PEMFC bipolar plates. In the present study, the plasma-nitrided coating and CrNx coating were prepared by the plasma-enhanced balanced magnetron sputtering technology on the 316L stainless steel surface. The microstructures, phase compositions, and corrosion resistance behavior of the coatings were investigated. The corrosion behavior of the prepared plasma-nitrided coating and CrNx coating was investigated by potentiodynamic polarization, potentiostatic polarization, and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) in both cathodic and anodic environments. The experimental results show that corrosion resistance of the CrNx coating was better than the plasma-nitrided coating. It was indicated that the technology process of nitriding first and then depositing Cr was better than nitriding only.
Quantification of Recruitable Coronary Collateral Blood Conscious Humans and Its Potential to Predict Future Ischemic Events Flow in

Objectives. The present study was designed to evaluate the applicability of a pressure-flow equation for quantitative calculation of recruitable collateral blood flow at coronary artery occlusion in conscious patients and to investigate the value of that index to predict t'uture ischemic events. Background. Recent experimental studies have indicated that recruitable collateral blood flow at coronary artery occlusion can be expressed as a fraction of normal maximal myocardial blood flow by simultaneous recordings of mean arterial, coronary wedge and central venous pressures, respectively. This index is called the pressure-derived fractional collateral flow and is independent of hemodynamic loading conditions. Methods. In 120 patients undergoing elective coronary angioplasty, mean arterial, coronary wedge and central venous pressures were measured at balloon inflations of 2 min. All patients had a recent exercise electrocardiogram (ECG) with positive findings showing clearly distinguishable, reversible ECG abnormalities, enabling recognition of ischemia at balloon inflation. Fractional collateral blood flow at angioplasty was calculated by coronary wedge pressure minus central venous pressure divided by mean arterial pressure minus central venous pressure and correlated to the presence or absence of ischemia at balloon inflation. Ischemic events were monitored during a follow-up period of 6 to 22 months. Results. In 90 of the 120 patients, ischemia was present at balloon inflation, and in 82 of these patients, fractional collateral blood flow was - 24% in all 29. During the follow-up period, 16 patients had an ischemic event. Fifteen of these 16 patients were in the group with insufficient collateral flow (p < 0.05). Conclusions. To our knowledge, this study presents the first method for quantitative assessment of recruitable collateral blood flow in humans in the catheterization laboratory. Sufficient and insufficient collateral circulation can be reliably distinguished by this method. Use of this method can also help to provide more insight into the extent and behavior of the collateral circulation for investigational purposes and may have potential clinical implications.
Electrohydrodynamic Jet Printed 3D Metallic Grid: Toward High‐Performance Transparent Electrodes

2D metallic grids that consist of various nanomaterials that are suitable for the replacement of indium tin oxide in transparent electronics (TEs) manufacturing. High‐resolution conductive grids with large open areas are often required while considering high transmittance. However, previous research shows that this kind of TE often cannot have high transmittance and low sheet resistance simultaneously; it hinders the fabrication techniques and materials from practical applications. Herein, direct fabrication of a high‐performance TE through electrohydrodynamic jet 3D printing technique is reported. Micro‐scale 3D metallic grids with an aspect ratio of above‐5 were printed on a polyester film using Ag nanoparticles. The metal grids with high aspect ratios exhibit an average sheet resistance of 3 Ω sq−1 and transparency of 96%. Both optical and electrical performances are significantly enhanced for which the large cross‐section of the metallic grid is contributed. Furthermore, the flexibility of printed TE is also characterized by the bending and recovering test. It is believed that the printed flexible TE, which utilize a high aspect ratio, 3D metallic grids may replace the conventional ITO glass for which both high transmittance and conductivity are achieved with economic efficiency.
PLS Equation Model of Student Loyalty based on Gender in IR 4.0 Environment

Students loyalty and attrition is an important issue for university authorities. Â Earlier studies have discovered that many factors influencing student loyalty towards their higher learning institutions such as student satisfaction, university image, student trust, and service quality. However, these factors have high relationship correlated with each other. Therefore, this study used the Partial Least Square (PLS) to create a path model which shows the relationship between all factors related to student loyalty. The results from this study revealed that student satisfaction is the most important factors that influence student loyalty, followed by image of university and student commitment. Analysis based on gender shows that female student model have a same pattern with overall student loyalty model but the male student loyalty model is simpler just consist student satisfaction. On the other hand, factors technology, social environment and quality of instructor gave a great influence towards student satisfaction. Therefore, in order to improve student loyalty, university should keep on improving to satisfy studentsâ€™ requirement.
Sedation modulates fronto-temporal predictive coding circuits and the double surprise acceleration effect

Two important theories in cognitive neuroscience are predictive coding and the global workspace theory. A key research task is to understand how these two theories relate to one another, and particularly, how the brain transitions from a predictive early state to the eventual engagement of a brain-scale state (the global workspace). To address this question, we present a source-localisation of EEG responses evoked by the local-global task – an experimental paradigm that engages a predictive hierarchy, which encompasses the global workspace. The results of our source reconstruction suggest three-phases of processing. The first phase involves the sensory (here auditory) regions of the superior temporal lobe and predicts sensory regularities over a short timeframe (as per the local effect). The third phase is brain-scale, involving inferior frontal, as well as inferior and superior parietal regions; consistent with a global neuronal workspace (as per the global effect). Crucially, our analysis suggests that there is an intermediate (second) phase, involving modulatory interactions between inferior frontal and superior temporal regions. Furthermore, sedation with propofol reduces modulatory interactions in the second phase. This selective effect is consistent with a predictive coding explanation of sedation, with propofol acting on descending predictions of the precision of prediction errors; thereby constraining access to the global neuronal workspace.
Role of the Catecholamine and Limbic Systems in Narcolepsy/Cataplexy

In this thesis I investigated the neural circuits that trigger cataplexy in mice. Specifically, I first addressed the theory that cataplexy is a REM sleep disorder. I then investigated a role for the noradrenergic and dopaminergic systems in murine cataplexy. Finally, I addressed the role of the amygdala in triggering cataplexy. From this work several specific conclusions can be drawn: 1. Cataplexy does not share a common executive mechanism with REM sleep, although the two may share a common mechanism that generates muscle atonia. Muscle tone during REM sleep and cataplexy is similar, however increasing REM sleep pressure does not increase cataplexy and positive affective stimuli that can increase cataplexy tend to
Pocket Skate: Prototype of A Mobile Projection-Based Game

Introduction: Exergaming is the activity in which this kind of videogame relies on the technology from the body’s movement or reaction. There are several existing commercial devices that has been used as user interface for an exergaming activity such XBOX Kinnect and Nintendo Wii Fit. However, these games platform are quite expensive and considered as luxury as they are a dedicated device only for games. What we propose here a different kind of exergaming, that is by using a typical mobile phone as the censor/controller and combined it with a display device such as a smart TV or a laptop. Methods: We use prototyping model that involve “communication”, where the problem and/or room for improvement is being identified, then “quick plan”, where various information are being analyzed and all the required components are being recorded and verified, and then “quick design”, where the app design be created, and then “prototype construction” when we create the app, and lastly “deployment and feedback” where we tried the app and check for faults. The cycle repeats for fixing any things that did not work. Results: The researcher was able to construct a proof of concept prototype of the app. First, the player will look the hero, a skater, on smart TV or other wireless projection where will be receive mirror feeds from the smartphone. The smartphone itself was placed on the player hips and to control the skater and user must make a small jump to make the skater jump or face side to side to make the skater change direction. Discussion: While the app is still a prototype, yet it was able to show how a game can use a projected-based interface and mixed it the use of gyroscope and accelerometer censors. Future recommendation would be integrating it with calories counters for it to be fully “exergaming”. Keywords: exergaming, gyroscope, accelerometer, virtual reality, Unity 3D Engine
Can Green Investment Win the Favor of Investors in China? Evidence from the Return Performance of Green Investment Stocks

ABSTRACT Green investment is a highly praised form of investment behavior in today’s China. The ecological value of green investment has reached a consensus, but its financial performance remains an open question. Based on a unique dataset of 77 green investment stocks covering the period from July 2012 to December 2017, this paper investigates the returns performance of green investments employing multifactor models and propensity score matching techniques. We find that green investment stocks underperform conventional stocks and offer less protection against extreme downside risk, which indicates that investors need to pay what amounts to a premium or supplemental cost for going green. Our empirical results point to some important implications for policymakers and investors.