Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Care seeking in tuberculosis: results from a countrywide cluster randomised survey in Bangladesh

Objectives To explore systematically the care seeking trajectories of tuberculosis (TB) cases up to four subsequent places of care and to assess the type of services provided at each place. Methods TB cases detected actively during the 2007–2009 national TB prevalence survey and passively under the routine programme in the same period were interviewed by administering a standardised questionnaire. Care seeking and services provided up to four subsequent points were explored. Care seeking was further explored by categorising the providers into formal, informal and ‘self-care’ groups. Results A total of 273 TB cases were included in this study, of which 33 (12%) were detected during the survey and 240 (88%) from the TB registers. Out of the 118 passively detected cases who first sought care from an informal provider, 52 (44.1%) remained in the informal sector at the second point of care. Similarly, out of the 52, 17 (32.7%) and out of the 17, 5 (29.4%) remained in the informal sector at the third and fourth subsequent points of care, respectively. All the 33 actively detected cases had ‘self-care’ at the first point, and 27 (81.8%) remained with ’self-care’ up to the fourth point of care. Prescribing drugs (59–99%) was the major type of care provided by the formal and informal care providers at each point and was limited to the non-existent practice of investigation or referrals. Conclusions Free TB services are still underutilised by TB cases and informal caregivers remained the major care providers for such cases in Bangladesh. In order to improve case detection, it is necessary that the National Tuberculosis Programme immediately takes effective initiatives to engage all types of care providers, particularly informal providers who are the first point of care for the majority of the TB suspects.
The Mechanism of Fluoride-Induced Hypocalcaemia

1 Fluoride intoxication leads to sudden cardiac death which has been assumed to result from the accompanying severe hypocalcaemia. The aim of this study has been to investigate the suggestion that fluorapatite formation rather than CaF2 precipitation is responsible for this low calcium. 2 Measurements of free Ca2+ and F- ion concentrations in HEPES buffered solutions containing F-, Ca2+, and phosphate ions at different concentrations in the absence and presence of hydroxyapatite showed that the presence of hydroxyapatite enhanced the decrease of Ca2+ and F- concentration. 3 The ratio of Ca2+:F- clearance was 5:1 which is consistent with formation of fluorapatite. These results support the hypothesis that hydroxyapatite acts as a nucleation catalyst for fluorapatite formation and this process is responsible for the hypocalcaemia induced by fluoride intoxication. 4 The proposed mechanism explains also the metabolic acidosis which is frequently seen in cases of fluoride intoxication.
Merging and splitting self-similar traffic

Traffic measurements in corporate LANs, VBR video sources, ISDN control channels, and other communication systems, have indicated traffic behavior of self-similar nature, which have implications for the design, control and analysis of high-speed networks. Merging and splitting are two basic networking operations and should be studied before we analyze the performance of entire high-speed networks. We give the necessary and sufficient conditions for merging of self-similar traffic streams that also results in a self-similar stream, and show that splitting traffic streams of the self-similar stream are still self-similar streams by the independent splitting operation.
The Human Organic Anion Transporter 2 Gene Is Transactivated by Hepatocyte Nuclear Factor-4α and Suppressed by Bile Acids

The human organic anion transporter 2 (hOAT2, SLC22A7) mediates the sodium-independent uptake of numerous drugs, including cephalosporins, salicylates, dicarboxylates, and prostaglandins, and is mainly expressed in hepatocytes. Because the regulation of hOAT2 expression is poorly understood, we characterized cis-acting elements in the 5′-flanking region that regulate hOAT2 transcription. A consensus binding motif for the hepatocyte nuclear factor-4α (HNF-4α), arranged as a direct repeat (DR)-1, is located at nucleotides –329/-317 relative to the transcription initiation site. This element specifically binds HNF-4α in electrophoretic mobility shift assays. A luciferase-linked hOAT2 promoter fragment containing the HNF-4α binding site was transactivated upon cotransfection of an HNF-4α expression vector in Huh7 cells, whereas site-directed mutagenesis of the DR-1 element abolished activation by HNF-4α. Short interfering RNAs inhibiting endogenous HNF-4α expression markedly reduced endogenous expression of hOAT2 in Huh7 cells. Because HNF-4α is a known target for bile acid-mediated repression of gene transcription, we studied whether chenodeoxycholic acid (CDCA) suppresses hOAT2 gene expression by inhibiting HNF-4α-mediated transactivation. Treatment of Huh7 cells with CDCA or the synthetic farnesoid X receptor (FXR) agonist GW4064 decreased mRNA and protein levels and also nuclear binding activity of HNF-4α. The FXR-inducible transcriptional repressor small heterodimer partner inhibited transactivation of hOAT2 promoter constructs and of endogenous hOAT2 expression by HNF-4α. We conclude that the hOAT2 gene is critically dependent on HNF-4α and that bile acids repress the hOAT2 gene by inhibiting HNF-4α. Hepatic uptake of hOAT2 substrates may thus be decreased in disease conditions associated with elevated intracellular levels of bile acids.
Morphological Characterization and Determination of Aflatoxin-Production Potentials of Aspergillus flavus Isolated from Maize and Soil in Kenya

This study aimed at morphologically identifying Aspergillus flavus in soil and maize and at determining their aflatoxin-producing potentials. Five hundred and fourteen isolates obtained from maize and soil in Kenya were cultivated on Czapeck Dox Agar, Malt Extract Agar, Sabouraud Dextrose Agar, Potato Dextrose Agar, and Rose-Bengal Chloramphenicol Agar. Isolates were identified using macro-morphological characteristics. Micromorphological characteristics were determined using slide cultures. Aflatoxin production was determined by direct visual determination of the UV fluorescence of colonies on Coconut Agar Medium, Yeast Extract Sucrose agar, and Yeast Extract Cyclodextrin Sodium Deoxycholate agar and by Thin Layer Chromatography. Forty-three presumptive A. flavus isolates were identified; aflatoxin was detected in 23% of the isolates by UV fluorescence screening and in 30% by Thin-Layer Chromatography (TLC). The aflatoxins produced were: aflatoxin B1 (AFB1), aflatoxin B2 (AFB2), and aflatoxin G1 (AFG1); some isolates produced only AFB1, whereas others produced either AFB1 and AFB2 or AFB1 and AFG1. The highest incidence of A. flavus (63%) and aflatoxin production (28%) was recorded in samples from Makueni District. Isolates from Uasin Gishu (21%) and Nyeri (5%) were non-aflatoxigenic. Bungoma District recorded 11% positive isolates of which 2% were aflatoxin producers. The occurrence of aflatoxin-producing A. flavus emphasises the need for measures to eliminate their presence in food crops.
Die Skala dysfunktionaler Einstellungen für Jugendliche (DAS-J)

Zusammenfassung. Theoretischer Hintergrund: Dysfunktionale Einstellungen spielen eine wichtige Rolle im Rahmen kognitiv-behavioraler Storungsmodelle. Fragestellung: Wahrend mit der Skala dysfunktionaler Einstellungen (DAS) seit langerem ein Messinstrument fur Erwachsene vorliegt, existiert im Deutschen bislang keine fur Jugendliche geeignete Version. Methode: Ein fur Jugendliche adaptierter Fragebogen (DAS-J) wurde bei 266 Schulern im Alter von 13–18 Jahren an vier Schulen zusammen mit der Allgemeinen Depressionsskala (ADS) und dem Inventar zur Lebensqualitat (ILK) eingesetzt. Ergebnisse: Die psychometrischen Kriterien der DAS-J entsprechen denen der DAS; die interne Konsistenz der Skala ist zufriedenstellend (Cronbachs Alpha = 0.83). Eine Hauptkomponentenanalyse repliziert die bekannte Struktur mit den Faktoren „Leistungsbewertung” und „Anerkennung durch Andere”. Korrelationen liegen mit der ADS bei r = . 39 und mit den ILK-Bereichen zwischen r = . 14–. 35. Schlussfolgerungen: Den Studienergebnissen zufolge.
Medical Marijuana for Treatment of Chronic Pain and Other Medical and Psychiatric Problems: A Clinical Review.

IMPORTANCE As of March 2015, 23 states and the District of Columbia had medical marijuana laws in place. Physicians should know both the scientific rationale and the practical implications for medical marijuana laws. OBJECTIVE To review the pharmacology, indications, and laws related to medical marijuana use. EVIDENCE REVIEW The medical literature on medical marijuana was reviewed from 1948 to March 2015 via MEDLINE with an emphasis on 28 randomized clinical trials of cannabinoids as pharmacotherapy for indications other than those for which there are 2 US Food and Drug Administration-approved cannabinoids (dronabinol and nabilone), which include nausea and vomiting associated with chemotherapy and appetite stimulation in wasting illnesses. FINDINGS Use of marijuana for chronic pain, neuropathic pain, and spasticity due to multiple sclerosis is supported by high-quality evidence. Six trials that included 325 patients examined chronic pain, 6 trials that included 396 patients investigated neuropathic pain, and 12 trials that included 1600 patients focused on multiple sclerosis. Several of these trials had positive results, suggesting that marijuana or cannabinoids may be efficacious for these indications. CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE Medical marijuana is used to treat a host of indications, a few of which have evidence to support treatment with marijuana and many that do not. Physicians should educate patients about medical marijuana to ensure that it is used appropriately and that patients will benefit from its use.
Multidisciplinary Life Cycle Metrics and Tools for Green Buildings

Abstract Building sector stakeholders need compelling metrics, tools, data, and case studies to support major investments in sustainable technologies. Proponents of green building widely claim that buildings integrating sustainable technologies are cost effective, but often these claims are based on incomplete, anecdotal evidence that is difficult to reproduce and defend. The claims suffer from 2 main weaknesses: 1) buildings on which claims are based are not necessarily “green” in a science-based, life cycle assessment (LCA) sense and 2) measures of cost effectiveness often are not based on standard methods for measuring economic worth. Yet, the building industry demands compelling metrics to justify sustainable building designs. The problem is hard to solve because, until now, neither methods nor robust data supporting defensible business cases were available. The US National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) Building and Fire Research Laboratory is beginning to address these needs by developing metrics and tools for assessing the life cycle economic and environmental performance of buildings. Economic performance is measured with the use of standard life cycle costing methods. Environmental performance is measured by LCA methods that assess the “carbon footprint” of buildings, as well as 11 other sustainability metrics, including fossil fuel depletion, smog formation, water use, habitat alteration, indoor air quality, and effects on human health. Carbon efficiency ratios and other eco-efficiency metrics are established to yield science-based measures of the relative worth, or “business cases,” for green buildings. Here, the approach is illustrated through a realistic building case study focused on different heating, ventilation, air conditioning technology energy efficiency. Additionally, the evolution of the Building for Environmental and Economic Sustainability multidisciplinary team and future plans in this area are described.
Adoption of Mobile Internet Services in Chile: An Exploratory Study

: - The main objective of this study is to explore differences on the adoption of mobile Internet services on a sample of Chilean users. A survey based on constructs of individual acceptance models is the tool used to measure the acceptance of mobile Internet of the respondents. We used Kruskal–Wallis one-way analysis of variance to compare differences between groups. In summary, results show that some constructs of users’ behaviour of acceptance of mobile Internetservices manifest statistically significant differences associated with gender, age and experience.
Hypoxia-Induced Retinal Neovascularization in Zebrafish Embryos: A Potential Model of Retinopathy of Prematurity

Retinopathy of prematurity, formerly known as a retrolental fibroplasia, is a leading cause of infantile blindness worldwide. Retinopathy of prematurity is caused by the failure of central retinal vessels to reach the retinal periphery, creating a nonperfused peripheral retina, resulting in retinal hypoxia, neovascularization, vitreous hemorrhage, vitreoretinal fibrosis, and loss of vision. We established a potential retinopathy of prematurity model by using a green fluorescent vascular endothelium zebrafish transgenic line treated with cobalt chloride (a hypoxia-inducing agent), followed by GS4012 (a vascular endothelial growth factor inducer) at 24 hours postfertilization, and observed that the number of vascular branches and sprouts significantly increased in the central retinal vascular trunks 2–4 days after treatment. We created an angiography method by using tetramethylrhodamine dextran, which exhibited severe vascular leakage through the vessel wall into the surrounding retinal tissues. The quantification of mRNA extracted from the heads of the larvae by using real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction revealed a twofold increase in vegfaa and vegfr2 expression compared with the control group, indicating increased vascular endothelial growth factor signaling in the hypoxic condition. In addition, we demonstrated that the hypoxic insult could be effectively rescued by several antivascular endothelial growth factor agents such as SU5416, bevacizumab, and ranibizumab. In conclusion, we provide a simple, highly reproducible, and clinically relevant retinopathy of prematurity model based on zebrafish embryos; this model may serve as a useful platform for clarifying the mechanisms of human retinopathy of prematurity and its progression.
Lactate clearance as the predictor of outcome in pediatric septic shock

Context: Septic shock can rapidly evolve into multiple system organ failure and death. In the recent years, hyperlactatemia has been found to be a risk factor for mortality in critically ill adults. Aims: To evaluate the predictive value of lactate clearance and to determine the optimal cut-off value for predicting outcome in children with septic shock. Settings and Design: A prospective observational study was performed on children with septic shock admitted to pediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU). Subjects and Methods: Serial lactate levels were measured at PICU admission, 24 and 48 h later. Lactate clearance, percent decrease in lactate level in 24 h, was calculated. The primary outcome measure was survival or nonsurvival at the end of hospital stay. We performed receiver operating characteristic analyses to calculate optimal cut-off values. Results: The mean lactate levels at admission were significantly higher in the nonsurvivors than survivors, 5.12 ± 3.51 versus 3.13 ± 1.71 mmol/L (P = 0.0001). The cut-off for lactate level at admission for the best prediction of mortality was determined as ≥4 mmol/L (odds ratio 5.4; 95% confidence interval [CI] =2.45–12.09). Mean lactate clearance was significantly higher in survivors than nonsurvivors (17.9 ± 39.9 vs. −23.2 ± 62.7; P < 0.0001). A lactate clearance rate of <10% at 24 h had a sensitivity and specificity of 78.7% and 72.2%, respectively and a positive predictive value of 83.1% for death. Failure to achieve a lactate clearance of more than 10% was associated with greater risk of mortality (likelihood ratio + 2.83; 95% CI = 1.82–4.41). Conclusions: Serial lactate levels can be used to predict outcome in pediatric septic shock. A 24 h lactate clearance cut-off of <10% is a predictor of in-hospital mortality in such patients.
Cellular distribution of oxygen sensor candidates—Oxidases, cytochromes, K+‐channels—in the carotid body

The specific tissue of the carotid body is built up of groups of glomus cells, enveloped by glial‐type sustentacular cells, and innervated by sensory nerve fibers. These units sense arterial pO2 and respond to hypoxia by a variety of reactions that include initiation of the arterial chemoreflex, i.e., increasing firing activity in the carotid sinus nerve. Until now, neither the cellular localization of the initial events that lead to stimulation of chemoreceptor afferents nor the molecular mechanism of oxygen sensing in the carotid body have been unequivocally identified. Proposed molecular candidates for the mechanism of oxygen sensing include: 1) components of the mitochondrial respiratory chain, 2) NADPH oxidases generating reactive oxygen species in an oxygen‐dependent manner, 3) oxygen‐regulated plasmalemmal K+‐channels, and 4) nonoxidase iron‐proteins. Our still limited knowledge on their cellular distribution within the carotid body is reviewed here. It is evident that: 1) the distribution of at least some oxygen sensor candidates is not ubiquitous but cell‐type‐specific, and 2) each specific parenchymal cell type of the carotid body contains at least one of the proposed oxygen sensor candidates. This applies also for the glial‐type sustentacular cells that exhibit immunoreactivity to the two‐pore domain K+‐channel, TASK‐1. These observations fit best with the assumption that each cell type within the carotid body is principally responsive to hypoxia. The differential equipping of glomus cells, nerve endings, and sustentacular cells with sensor proteins might serve to determine different thresholds of sensitivity and/or to connect the process of oxygen sensing to different signaling pathways. It also favors the assumption that several mechanisms of oxygen sensing may act simultaneously. The cellular identification of the cell type initiating the chemoreceptor reflex, however, has to await the molecular identification of the particular oxygen sensor molecule that initiates increased carotid sinus nerve activity. Microsc. Res. Tech. 59:234–242, 2002. © 2002 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
The Effect of Non-Invasive Goal Directed Fluid Administration on Graft Function in Deceased Donor Renal Transplantation: A Pilot Study

Background: Non-invasive goal directed fluid therapy during deceased donor renal transplant (CRT) may reduce the incidence of delayed graft function. Plethysmograph Variability Index (PVI) has been shown to predict fluid responsiveness during surgery. This pilot study evaluated the feasibility of goal directed fluid administration protocol based upon PVI studying the incidence of delayed graft function (DGF) in renal transplant recipients. Methods: Twenty patients underwent primary CRT. The Control group received intravenous fluid (IVF) at a calculated constant rate. The Treatment group received a baseline IVF infusion throughout the surgery. PVI values greater than 13% were treated with 250 ml boluses of IVF. Primary end point was DGF; total IVF administration and urinary biomarker NGAL levels were secondary endpoints. Results: Treatment group at every time point received significantly less IVF. There was no significant difference in incidence of DGF between the groups. 2 patients in the Control group and 6 in the Treatment group developed DGF. NGAL was not associated with the group assignment or total IVF given (p < 0.2). Conclusions: The effectiveness of goal directed fluid therapy with non-invasive dynamic parameters has not been validated in renal transplant surgery and larger prospective studies are needed to determine its utility in renal transplantation.
On the effect of code regularity on comprehension

It is naturally easier to comprehend simple code relative to complicated code. Regrettably, there is little agreement on how to effectively measure code complexity. As a result simple generalpurpose metrics are often used, such as lines of code (LOC), Mc- Cabe’s cyclomatic complexity (MCC), and Halstead’s metrics. But such metrics just count syntactic features, and ignore details of the code’s global structure, which may also have an effect on understandability. In particular, we suggest that code regularity—where the same structures are repeated time after time—may significantly reduce complexity, because once one figures out the basic repeated element it is easier to understand additional instances. We demonstrate this by controlled experiments where subjects perform cognitive tasks on different versions of the same basic function. The results indicate that versions with significant regularity lead to better comprehension, while taking similar time, despite being longer and having higherMCC. These results indicate that regularity is another attribute of code that should be taken into account in the context of studying the code’s complexity and comprehension. Moreover, the fact that regularity may compensate for LOC and MCC demonstrates that complexity cannot be decomposed into independently addable contributions by individual attributes.
Teacher Retention and Satisfaction: A Comparison of M.A.T. and B.S./B.A. Graduates in Teacher Education.

Career satisfaction among teachers is directly related to their initial level of preparation and locale of the school district. Teachers who initially completed an M.A.T. were more satisfied in suburban than rural schools. Teachers who initially completed the traditional undergraduate program were more satisfied in rural than suburban schools. In the past four years four national reports were issued which focused upon reform in teacher education. The initial report, A Call fOr Change in TeacherEducation
A Synchronous Chopping Demodulator and Implementation for High-Frequency Inductive Position Sensors

We describe a new method for high-frequency precision sensing. The method combines synchronous detection with chopping in a fully differential architecture that includes an instrumentation amplifier. An integrated circuit implementation of the proposed synchronous chopping demodulator front end was designed and fabricated in a 0.35-mum CMOS process technology and tested with high-frequency inductive position sensors. The measured results show that the new technique offers considerable advantages in terms of offset reduction compared to traditional techniques for these sensors, which rely on a microcontroller to measure the offset before each position measurement is taken. The measured average input-referred offset for the 20 fabricated chip samples is 87 muV at a chopping frequency of 500 kHz when the resonant target is off and synchronous demodulation and transmitter excitation are both applied at 1 MHz. The technique, in addition to improving system resolution and immunity to common-mode interference, allows these high-frequency position sensors to work with multiple targets, thus increasing speed and functionality.