Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Potential confounding in the association between short birth intervals and increased neonatal, infant, and child mortality

Background Recent steep declines in child mortality have been attributed in part to increased use of contraceptives and the resulting change in fertility behaviour, including an increase in the time between births. Previous observational studies have documented strong associations between short birth spacing and an increase in the risk of neonatal, infant, and under-five mortality, compared to births with longer preceding birth intervals. In this analysis, we compare two methods to estimate the association between short birth intervals and mortality risk to better inform modelling efforts linking family planning and mortality in children. Objectives Our goal was to estimate the mortality risk for neonates, infants, and young children by preceding birth space using household survey data, controlling for mother-level factors and to compare the results to those from previous analyses with survey data. Design We assessed the potential for confounding when estimating the relative mortality risk by preceding birth interval and estimated mortality risk by birth interval in four categories: less than 18 months, 18–23 months, 24–35 months, and 36 months or longer. We estimated the relative risks among women who were 35 and older at the time of the survey with two methods: in a Cox proportional hazards regression adjusting for potential confounders and also by stratifying Cox regression by mother, to control for all factors that remain constant over a woman's childbearing years. We estimated the overall effects for birth spacing in a meta-analysis with random survey effects. Results We identified several factors known for their associations with neonatal, infant, and child mortality that are also associated with preceding birth interval. When estimating the effect of birth spacing on mortality, we found that regression adjustment for these factors does not substantially change the risk ratio for short birth intervals compared to an unadjusted mortality ratio. For birth intervals less than 18 months, standard regression adjustment for confounding factors estimated a risk ratio for neonatal mortality of 2.28 (95% confidence interval: 2.18–2.37). This same effect estimated within mother is 1.57 (95% confidence interval: 1.52–1.63), a decline of almost one-third in the effect on neonatal mortality. Conclusions Neonatal, infant, and child mortality are strongly and significantly related to preceding birth interval, where births within a short interval of time after the previous birth have increased mortality. Previous analyses have demonstrated this relationship on average across all births; however, women who have short spaces between births are different from women with long spaces. Among women 35 years and older where a comparison of birth spaces within mother is possible, we find a much reduced although still significant effect of short birth spaces on child mortality.
A new methodology for learning design Conference or Workshop Item

This paper describes the development of a new methodology for learning design. Our approach is predicated on the view that no one, simple, view of design is appropriate, because of the inherently messy and creative nature of design. Instead we are adopting an interactive and multi-faceted approach which consists of a series of cycles of user consultation, focus groups and workshops alongside the development of learning design tools and resources. In particular we will describe how we have adapted an existing mind mapping and argumentation tool, Compendium, so that it can be used as a means of guiding designers through the learning design decision making process in the creation of learning activities. We will describe the initial evaluations of the use of this tool, along with our findings to date on a series of fact finding exercises to better understand individual and team approaches to design.
There can be only one truth: Ideological segregation and online news communities in Ukraine

The paper examines ideological segregation among Ukrainian users in online environments, using as a case study partisan news communities on Vkontakte, the largest online platform in post-communist states. Its findings suggest that despite their insignificant numbers, partisan news communities attract substantial attention from Ukrainian users and can encourage the formation of isolated ideological cliques – or ‘echo chambers’ – that increase societal polarisation. The paper also investigates factors that predict users’ interest in partisan content and establishes that the region of residence is the key predictor of selective consumption of pro-Ukrainian or pro-Russian partisan news content.
Diagnostic Accuracy of Combined FP-CIT, IBZM, and MIBG Scintigraphy in the Differential Diagnosis of Degenerative Parkinsonism: A Multidimensional Statistical Approach

In vivo molecular imaging of pre- and postsynaptic nigrostriatal neuronal degeneration and sympathetic cardiac innervation with SPECT is used to distinguish idiopathic Parkinson disease (PD) from atypical parkinsonian disorder (APD). However, the diagnostic accuracy of these imaging approaches as stand-alone procedures is often unsatisfying. The aim of this study was therefore to evaluate to which extent diagnostic accuracy can be increased by their combined use together with a multidimensional statistical algorithm. Methods: The SPECT radiotracers 123I-(S)-2-hydroxy-3-iodo-6-methoxy-N-[1-ethyl-2-pyrrodinyl)-methyl]benzamide (IBZM), 123I-N-ω-fluoropropyl-2β-carbomethoxy-3β-(4-iodophenyl)nortropan (FP-CIT), and meta-123I-iodobenzylguanidine (MIBG) were used to assess striatal postsynaptic D2 receptor binding, striatal presynaptic dopamine transporter binding, and myocardial adrenergic innervation, respectively. Thirty-one PD and 17 APD patients were prospectively investigated. PD and APD diagnoses were established using consensus criteria and reevaluated after 37.4 ± 12.4 and 26 ± 11.6 mo in PD and APD, respectively. Test accuracy (TA) for PD–APD differentiation was computed for all logical (Boolean) combinations of imaging modalities by receiver-operating-characteristic analysis—that is, after multidimensional optimization of cutoff values. Results: Analysis showed moderate TA for PD–APD differentiation using each molecular approach alone (IBZM, 79%; MIBG, 73%; and FP-CIT, 73%). For combined use, the highest TA resulted under the assumption that at least 2 of the 3 biologic markers had to be positive for APD using the following cutoff values: 1.46 or less for IBZM, less than 2.10 for FP-CIT, and greater than 1.43 for MIBG. This algorithm distinguished APD from PD with a sensitivity of 94%, specificity of 94% (TA, 94%), positive predictive value of 89%, and negative predictive value of 97%. Conclusion: Results suggest that the multidimensional combination of FP-CIT, IBZM, and MIBG scintigraphy is likely to significantly increase TA in differentiating PD from APD. The differential diagnosis of degenerative parkinsonism may thus be facilitated.
Comparison of Gene Set Analysis with Various Score Transformations to Test the Significance of Sets of Genes

Microarray analysis can help identify changes in gene expression which are characteristic to human diseases. Although genomewide RNA expression analysis has become a common tool in biomedical research, it still remains a major challenge to gain biological insight from such information. Gene Set Analysis (GSA) is an analytical method to understand the gene expression data and extract biological insight by focusing on sets of genes that share biological function, chromosomal regulation or location. This systematic mining of different gene-set collections could be useful for discovering potential interesting genesets for further investigation. Here, we seek to improve previously proposed GSA methods for detecting statistically significant gene sets via various score transformations.
Fish Protection and Downstream Migration at Hydropower Intakes

Fish experiments with potamodromous species were conducted in the laboratory of Hydraulic and Water Resources Engineering (VAO) of Technische Universitat Munchen (TUM) to investigate the fish behavior at the intake screen of innovative hydro power plant (HPP) concepts. The objective was to improve the knowledge concerning the fish protection at the turbine intake and the fish guidance to a downstream passage facility. The experiences were conducted for 24 hours at the scale one-to-one in an open air experimental channel supplied with water from the Isar River.
Integrated microseismic and geomechanical study in the Barnett Shale Formation

ABSTRACTWe have developed a careful chronological review of multistage stimulation treatments, in which microseismic interpretation was supported by fracture simulation and finite-element geomechanical simulation. The interpretation of a zipper frac stimulation treatment conducted in the Barnett Shale Formation in 2011 progressed from microseismic interpretation, from well-site observation, to a self-consistent understanding across multiple stages and multiple wells. Through this process, we have developed a tutorial on practical interpretation of microseismic data in the context of the hydraulic fracture treatment information (pump data) and regional structural information from interpretation of 3D seismic sections. Analysis of microseismic data included summarizing groups of events in the form of b-value, D-value, and extracted planar geometries. We advocate the development of a chronological interpretation, the consistency of which is tested using forward modeling. The process is iterative and relies o.
Beneath the Oil Sands: Stratigraphy and Structural Features of the Devonian of Northeast Alberta, Canada

Summary Devonian limestone and shale subcrops beneath the McMurray Formation oil sand in northeastern Alberta. The Beaverhill Lake Group and the Watt Mountain Formation of the Elk Point Group underwent structural deformation and karstification related to the dissolution of subsurface Prairie Formation halite. We reconstructed four scales of folds, ranging from a wavelength of 50m to the width of the study area, and encountered small normal faults in outcrops and abundant offset fractures in cores. Throughout the area, karst is a common feature, primarily occurring as active and relict sinkholes, enlarged joints and to a lesser extent, caves. Our reconstruction of the pre-Cretaceous unconformity surface reveals a channel system roughly paralleling the present-day Athabasca River north of Fort McMurray. Abundant lineaments related to erosional and salt dissolution processes and circular structures attributed to sinkholes or other collapse from halite dissolution occur on the Devonian surface.
Working Paper Series Department of Economics University of Verona Extensions of the Traditional Travel Cost Model of Non-Market Valuation to a Collective Framework : Evidence from the Field

Traditional recreation demand models do not make a distinction between a househo ld and an individual as the reference decision -making unit, thus assuming that a family maximizes a single utility function, even if it consists of different individuals. Such models ignore t he possibility of family members’ divergent preferences for non -market goods. This study proposes a novel approach —the “collective travel -cost model” (CTCM) —to eliciting individual preferences for a non -market good such as a recreation site by using revealed preference data. This approach accounts for the intra-household resource allocation and the role of each household member’s preferences. We show t hat the collective travel-cost model can be applied to estimating a recreation demand model that yields individual welfare estimates appropriate for policy analysis of non -market goods, such as the willingness -to-pay to access a recreation site. We find that how resources are distributed within the house hold reflects significant differences in welfare measures.
A nearly exact seismic modeling algorithm for frequency domain FWI

To substantially accelerate frequency domain full waveform inversion, we developed an efficient and nearly exact seismic wave propagation modeling algorithm. The modeling engine is based on a finite-different time domain method but the output data is in frequency domain. In this algorithm, a 4-point stencil scheme (same computational cost as the 4 order conventional finite difference method) is used while the accuracy is higher than the conventional 16 order finite difference scheme. Furthermore, the accuracy level of this algorithm is independent of time step size due to two special techniques employed: 1) dispersion minimization algorithm (a nonlinear inversion algorithm) incorporating both spatial and temporal discretization and propagation angle; 2) optimized time integration based on finite impulse response (FIR) filter design technology. This algorithm does not suffer from artificial anisotropy, which can be a serious issue in the conventional finite difference method when the grid size is relatively large or the grid sizes are different in lateral and vertical directions. This method is applicable to 2D, 3D, anisotropic, and elastic cases. Numerical examples are presented to show its performance is actually better than the conventional 16 order finite difference with much lower computational expense.
Fracture-coating minerals in the Topopah Spring Member and upper tuff of Calico Hills from drill hole J-13

Fracture-lining minerals from drill core in the Topopah Spring Member of the Paintbrush Tuff and the tuff of Calico Hills from water well J-13 were studied to identify the differences between these minerals and those seen in drill core USW G-4. In USW G-4 the static water level (SWL) occurs below the tuff of Calico Hills, but in J-13 the water table is fairly high in the Topopah Spring Member. There are some significant differences in fracture minerals between these two holes. In USW G-4 mordenite is a common fracture-lining mineral in the Topopah Spring Member, increasing in abundance with depth. Euhedral heulandite >0.1 mm in length occurs in fractures for about 20 m above the lower vitrophyre. In J-13, where the same stratigraphic intervals are below the water table, mordenite is uncommon and euhedral heulandite is not seen. The most abundant fracture coating in the Topopah Spring Member in J-13 is drusy quartz, which is totally absent in this interval in USW G-4. Though similar in appearance, the coatings in the vitrophyre have different mineralogy in the two holes. In USW G-4 the coatings are extremely fine grained heulandite and smectite. In J-13 the coatings are fine-grained heulandite, chabazite, and alkali feldspar. Chabazite has not been identified from any other hole in the Yucca Mountain area. Fractures in the tuff of Calico Hills have similar coatings in core from both holes. In J-13, as in USW G-4, the tuff matrix of the Topopah Spring Member is welded and devitrified and that of the tuff of Calico Hills is zeolitic. 11 refs., 10 figs., 5 tabs.
Guidance for the Clinician in Rendering Pediatric Care Management of Infants at Risk for Group B Streptococcal Disease

Group B streptococcal (GBS) infection remains the most common cause of neonatal early-onset sepsis and a significant cause of late-onset sepsis among young infants. Administration of intrapartum antibiotic prophylaxis is the only currently available effective strategy for the prevention of perinatal GBS earlyonset disease, and there is no effective approach for the prevention of late-onset disease. The American Academy of Pediatrics joins with the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists to reaffirm the use of universal antenatal microbiologic-based testing for the detection of maternal GBS colonization to facilitate appropriate administration of intrapartum antibiotic prophylaxis. The purpose of this clinical report is to provide neonatal clinicians with updated information regarding the epidemiology of GBS disease as well current recommendations for the evaluation of newborn infants at risk for GBS disease and for treatment of those with confirmed GBS infection. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) first published consensus guidelines on the prevention of perinatal group B streptococcal (GBS) disease in 1996. These guidelines were developed in collaboration with the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG), the American College of NurseMidwives, the American Academy of Family Physicians, and other stakeholder organizations on the basis of available evidence as well as expert opinion. The 1996 consensus guidelines recommended either an antenatal culture–based or risk factor–based approach for the administration of intrapartum antibiotic prophylaxis (IAP) to prevent invasive neonatal GBS early-onset disease (EOD). The guidelines were updated in 2002 primarily on the basis of new data from a CDC multistate retrospective cohort study in which authors found universal screening for group B streptococci (Streptococcus agalactiae) was . 50% more effective at preventing the disease compared to a risk-based approach. In 2010, the CDC once again revised the GBS perinatal prevention guidelines and continued to endorse the universal antenatal culture–based approach to Department of Pediatrics, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; Minnesota Department of Health, St Paul, Minnesota; and Departments of Pediatrics and Bioethics, Alden March Bioethics Institute, Albany Medical College,
Identification of a pKa-regulating motif stabilizing imidazole-modified double-stranded DNA

The predictable 3D structure of double-stranded DNA renders it ideally suited as a template for the bottom-up design of functionalized nucleic acid-based active sites. We here explore the use of a 14mer DNA duplex as a scaffold for the precise and predictable positioning of catalytic functionalities. Given the ubiquitous participation of the histidine-based imidazole group in protein recognition and catalysis events, single histidine-like modified duplexes were investigated. Tethering histamine to the C5 of the thymine base via an amide bond, allows the flexible positioning of the imidazole function in the major groove. The mutual interactions between the imidazole and the duplex and its influence on the imidazolium pKaH are investigated by placing a single modified thymine at four different positions in the center of the 14mer double helix. Using NMR and unrestrained molecular dynamics, a structural motif involving the formation of a hydrogen bond between the imidazole and the Hoogsteen side of the guanine bases of two neighboring GC base pairs is established. The motif contributes to a stabilization against thermal melting of 6°C and is key in modulating the pKaH of the imidazolium group. The general features, prerequisites and generic character of the new pKaH-regulating motif are described.
Hydrocarbon Biomarkers in the Topla-Mežica Zinc-Lead Deposits, Northern Karavanke/Drau Range, Slovenia: Paleoenvironment at the Site of Ore Formation

The Mississippi Valley-type zinc and lead deposits at Topla (250,150 metric tons (t) of ore grading 10 wt % Zn and 3.3 wt % Pb) and Mežica (19 million metric tons (Mt) of ore grading 5.3 wt % Pb and 2.7 wt % Zn) occur within the Middle to Upper Triassic platform carbonate rocks of the northern Karavanke/Drau Range geotectonic units of the Eastern Alps, Slovenia. The ore and host rocks of these deposits have been investigated by a combination of inorganic and organic geochemical methods to determine major, trace, and rare earth element (REE) concentrations, hydrocarbon distribution, and stable isotope ratios of carbonates, kerogen, extractable organic matter, and individual hydrocarbons. These data combined with sedimentological evidence provide insight into the paleoenvironmental conditions at the site of ore formation. The carbonate isotope composition, the REE patterns, and the distribution of hydrocarbon biomarkers (normal alkanes and steranes) suggest a marine depositional environment. At Topla, a relatively high concentration of redox sensitive trace elements (V, Mo, U) in the host dolostones and REE patterns parallel to that of the North American shale composite suggest that sediments were deposited in a reducing environment. Anoxic conditions enhanced the preservation of organic matter and resulted in relatively higher total organic carbon contents (up to 0.4 wt %). The isotopic composition of the kerogen (δ 13 C kerogen = −29.4 to −25.0‰, δ 15 N kerogen = −13.6 to 6.8‰) suggests that marine algae and/or bacteria were the main source of organic carbon with a very minor contribution from detrital continental plants and a varying degree of alteration. Extractable organic matter from Topla ore is generally depleted in 13 C compared to the associated kerogen, which is consistent with an indigenous source of the bitumens. The mineralization correlates with δ 15 N kerogen values around 0 per mil, 13C depleted kerogen, 13C enriched n -heptadecane, and relatively high concentrations of bacterial hydrocarbon biomarkers, indicating a high cyanobacterial biomass at the site of ore formation. Abundant dissimilatory sulfate-reducing bacteria, feeding on the cyanobacterial remains, led to accumulation of biogenic H 2 S in the pore water of the sediments. This biogenic H 2 S was mainly incorporated into sedimentary organic matter and diagenetic pyrite. Higher bacterial activity at the ore site also is indicated by specific concentration ratios of hydrocarbons, which are roughly correlated with total Pb plus Zn contents. This correlation is consistent with mixing of hydrothermal metal-rich fluids and local bacteriogenic sulfide sulfur. The new geochemical data provide supporting evidence that Topla is a low-temperature Mississippi Valley-type deposit formed in an anoxic supratidal saline to hypersaline environment. A laminated cyanobacterial mat, with abundant sulfate-reducing bacteria was the main site of sulfate reduction.
Supporting material for : Optically detected structural change in the N-terminal region of the voltage-sensor domain

The voltage-sensor domain (VSD) is a functional module that undergoes structural transitions in response to membrane potential changes and regulates its effectors, thereby playing a crucial role in amplifying and decoding membrane electrical signals. Ion-conductive pore and phosphoinositide phosphatase are the downstream effectors of voltage-gated channels and the voltage-sensing phosphatase, respectively. It is known that upon transition, the VSD generally acts on the region C-terminal to S4. However, whether the VSD also induces any structural changes in the N-terminal region of S1 has not been addressed directly. Here, we report the existence of such an N-terminal effect. We used two distinct optical reporters—one based on the Förster resonance energy transfer between a pair of fluorescent proteins, and the other based on fluorophorelabeled HaloTag—and studied the behavior of these reporters placed at the N-terminal end of the monomeric VSD derived from voltage-sensing phosphatase. We found that both of these reporters were affected by the VSD transition, generating voltage-dependent fluorescence readouts. We also observed that whereas the voltage dependencies of the Nand C-terminal effects appear to be tightly coupled, the local structural rearrangements reflect the way in which the VSD is loaded, demonstrating the flexible nature of the VSD.