Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Gender differences in Afghan drug-abuse treatment: an assessment of treatment entry characteristics, dropout, and outcomes

Objective. The current study examines gender differences in drug-abuse treatment (DAT) entry, dropout, and outcomes in seven DAT centers in Afghanistan. This is the first study to examine gender differences in DAT programming in Afghanistan. Design. A prospective cohort design of 504 women and men in seven DAT centers in Afghanistan was used in this study and the analyses examined whether gender differences exist for patients (1) at treatment entry, (2) at treatment dropout, and (3) for treatment outcomes. Results. Gender differences were found at baseline for patient characteristics, drug use, crime, and social and occupational functioning. Results showed a trend that women remained in treatment longer than men. Looking at gender differences in treatment success, results showed greater reductions in drug use and crime, and greater social functioning among women. Conclusion. Results provide preliminary evidence for potential treatment success of women-tailored DAT programming in Afghanistan. Results also indicate that DAT appears to be successful among Afghan men; however, lower positive outcomes for men when compared to women suggest that more efforts should focus on tailoring DAT programming to the specific needs of Afghan men as well. Study limitations are addressed, and important policy implications are discussed.
Cyclic GMP-dependent protein phosphorylation in intact medial tissue and isolated cells from vascular smooth muscle.

cGMP-dependent protein kinase, CGMP-dependent phosphorylation of endogenous substrate proteins, and cGMP levels were studied in rabbit aortic medial tissue and in homogeneous primary cultures of isolated aortic medial smooth muscle cells. The photoaffinity ligand, ~-Ns-[~’P]cIMP, which labels the 74,000-dalton subunit of cGMP-dependent protein kinase, was used to study the distribution of this enzyme between soluble and total particulate fractions obtained from homogenates of aortic medial tissue. Approximately 25% of the total amount of 74,000-dalton protein present in homoge- nates of the tissue was recovered in the particulate fraction. Peptide mapping revealed that the 74,000-dd- ton protein present in the particulate fraction was identical with the 74,000-dalton subunit of the cGMP-de- pendent protein kinase present in the soluble fraction of rabbit aortic medial tissue. Using 8-N3-[32P]cIMP, cGMP-dependent protein kinase was also demon- strated in isolated, cultured aortic medial smooth muscle cells. total
The Impact of Local Trade Barriers on Export Activities , Firm Performance , and Resource Misallocation

It is well known that various forms of non-tariff trade barriers can exist within a country. Empirically, it is difficult to measure these barriers as they can take many forms. This research takes advantage of an export VAT rebate policy reform in China in 2004 as a natural experiment to identify the existence of local trade barriers and study the impact on export activities and resource misallocation. In particular, as a result of shifting tax rebate burden, the 2004 reform leads to greater incentives of the provincial governments to block the domestic flow of non-local goods to local intermediaries for indirect exporting. We find that trade intermediaries become more “inwardlooking” in the years after the reform, especially in province-industries with higher predicted rebate burden, consistent with rising protectionist incentives. The value of total exports and exports via intermediaries grow less in province-industries with greater exposure to the reform, measured using a province-industry’s baseline reliance on intermediaries interacted with the predicted rebate burden. We extend the standard open-economy heterogeneous firm model by adding an intermediary sector following Ahn, Khandelwal, and Wei (2011) but with a new focus on the intermediary’s role of domestic sourcing. The model can be used to recover the spatial distribution of wedges as a result of the rising local trade barriers and quantify the distortion on TFP. ∗Contact information: Bai: Harvard Kennedy School, e-mail: jie bai@hks.harvard. edu; Liu: Harvard Kennedy School, email: jiahua liu@g.harvard. edu. We thank Nikhil Agarwal, Abhijit Banerjee, Panle Jia Barwick, Arnaud Costinot, Dave Donaldson, Benjamin Olken, Robert Townsend for helpful discussions and comments. All errors are our own.
Stepped-Drift LDMOSFET: A Novel Drift Region Engineered Device for Advanced Smart Power Technologies

A novel drift region engineered stepped-drift LDMOSFET device in Freescale's 0.25mum smart power technology is reported for the first time. The specific on-resistance of the device is 0.33 mOmegamiddotcm2 at breakdown voltage of 59 V, the best reported data to date. SOA of the device has been improved up to 87% compared to its conventional counterpart
Selective depletion of rectal lamina propria rather than lymphoid aggregate CD4 lymphocytes in HIV infection

The goal of this study was to examine the changes in lymphocyte populations in rectal mucosa during HIV infection and to study their relationship to mucosal immunity and to systemic depletion of CD4 lymphocytes. Rectal biopsies from 58 HIV‐infected subjects and eight controls were studied. Frozen rectal tissue sections were stained with antibodies to CD4, CD3, CD8, and markers for macrophages. HIV‐infected subjects were divided into early stage (no opportunistic infections) and AIDS groups. There was profound depletion of rectal lamina propria CD4 lymphocytes (16% and 6% of normal content in early and AIDS groups, respectively). However, lymphoid aggregate CD4 lymphocytes were far less severely depleted (69% and 40% of normal content, respectively). The extent of lymphoid aggregate CD4 lymphocyte depletion generally parallelled the CD4 lymphocyte depletion in the blood. CD8 lymphocyte content in both the lamina propria and lymphoid aggregates usually were increased, particularly in early‐stage patients. Macrophage contents were usually normal in the HIV‐infected groups. We conclude that rectal lamina propria and lymphoid aggregates are distinct compartments differing markedly in their CD4 lymphocyte content during HIV infection. In light of this and an increased number of apoptotic cells which were noted in rectal lamina propria in HIV‐infected subjects, we hypothesize that intestinal lamina propria could be a site of rapid CD4 lymphocyte destruction during HIV infection.
Ribosomal Protein S1 Specifically Binds to the 5′ Untranslated Region of the Pseudomonas aeruginosa Stationary-Phase Sigma Factor rpoS mRNA in the Logarithmic Phase of Growth

ABSTRACT The rpoS gene encodes the stationary-phase sigma factor (RpoS or σs), which was identified in several gram-negative bacteria as a central regulator controlling the expression of genes involved in cell survival in response to cessation of growth (stationary phase) and providing cross-protection against various stresses. In Pseudomonas aeruginosa, the levels of σs increase dramatically at the onset of the stationary phase and are regulated at the transcriptional and posttranscriptional levels. The P. aeruginosa rpoS gene is transcribed as a monocistronic rpoS mRNA transcript comprised of an unusually long 373-bp 5′ untranslated region (5′ UTR). In this study, the 5′ UTR and total protein extracts from P. aeruginosa logarithmic and stationary phases of growth were used in order to investigate the protein-RNA interactions that may modulate the translational process. It was observed that a 69-kDa protein, which corresponded to ribosomal protein S1, preferentially binds the 5′ UTR of the rpoS mRNA in the logarithmic phase and not in the stationary phase. This is the first report of a protein-rpoS mRNA 5′ UTR interaction in P. aeruginosa, and the possible involvement of protein S1 in translation regulation of rpoS is discussed.
The influence of low-head dams on fish assemblages in streams across Alabama

Abstract We quantified fish assemblages in 20 streams containing mill dams in various physical conditions (dams intact, partially breached, or relict with normal flows) in Alabama, USA, during the period from 2006 to 2008. We used a backpack electroshocker to sample three 150-m reaches per stream: 500 to 1000 m downstream of the dam, 0 to 100 m downstream of the dam, and 100 m upstream of the impoundment. Species- and trait-based analyses revealed slightly different, but often complementary, information about fish assemblages. Fish species richness and benthic conditions differed longitudinally among reaches in streams with dams. In streams with breached dams, species richness, but not trait richness, was lower in upstream reaches than in downstream reaches. Overall, species and trait richness were correlated with benthic-habitat variables in streams with relict dams and were significantly correlated with water physicochemical variables in streams with intact and breached dams. Nonmetric multidimensional scaling ordination failed to resolve any discernable site groupings based on species abundance data, and indicator species analysis revealed 1 indicator species, Esox americanus, upstream of relict dams. Fourth-corner trait analysis revealed more trait associations in reaches in streams with breached dams than in those with intact or relict dams. Generalist spawners (nest-guarding polyphils) increased and taxa with a preference for cobble substrates decreased upstream of breached dams. Few longitudinal differences were observed in streams with relict and intact dams. Taken together, dams, particularly those that are breached, appear to exert a strong upstream influence on fish species richness and functional composition and could alter the trophic structure of the entire stream through habitat modifications or limitation of fish movements.
A pure case of Gerstmann syndrome with a subangular lesion.

The four symptoms composing Gerstmann's syndrome were postulated to result from a common cognitive denominator (Grundstörung) by Gerstmann himself. He suggested that it is a disorder of the body schema restricted to the hand and fingers. The existence of a Grundstörung has since been contested. Here we suggest that a common psychoneurological factor does exist, but should be related to transformations of mental images rather than to the body schema. A patient (H.P.) was studied, who presented the four symptoms of Gerstmann's syndrome in the absence of any other neuropsychological disorders. MRI showed a focal ischaemic lesion, situated subcortically in the inferior part of the left angular gyrus and reaching the superior posterior region of T1. The cortical layers were spared and the lesion was seen to extend to the callosal fibres. On the basis of an extensive cognitive investigation, language, praxis, memory and intelligence disorders were excluded. The four remaining symptoms (finger agnosia, agraphia, right-left disorientation and dyscalculia) were investigated thoroughly with the aim of determining any characteristics that they might share. Detailed analyses of the tetrad showed that the impairment was consistently attributable to disorders of a spatial nature. Furthermore, cognitive tests necessitating mental rotation were equally shown to be impaired, confirming the essentially visuospatial origin of the disturbance. In the light of this report, the common cognitive denominator is hypothesized to be an impairment in mental manipulation of images and not in body schema.
Anatomy of successfully separated thoracopagus–omphalopagus conjoined twins

The birth of conjoined twins occurs in approximately 1 in 50,000 to 1 in 100,000 deliveries, and the majority are either stillborn or die early in life. Approximately 184 successful separations have been described. The authors describe the preoperative radiologic evaluation of a set of thoracopagus–omphalopagus twins and their successful surgical separation. Preoperative radiologic imaging demonstrated that the twins did not share myocardium, but an ectopic cordis was present. The inferior vena cavae entered the right atria at more acute angles than normal. The liver was fused, two gallbladders were present, and there was a large bridging portal vein that crossed the hepatic isthmus of one twin to the conjoined twin's portal venous system. Replaced hepatic arteries originated from the superior mesenteric arteries. Each twin had separate kidneys, colons, and rectums. Preoperative tissue expansion was necessary, and the twins were separated at 5½ months of life. Successful separation of twins conjoined by several organ systems requires a multispecialty approach. Preoperative knowledge of shared anatomy is necessary for adequate preparation and planning. Despite meticulous preoperative investigations, certain anatomy can only be discovered at the time of surgery, and the ability to adjust to these findings is imperative. Clin. Anat. 20:814–818, 2007. © 2007 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Comparison of hepatocellular carcinoma in Eastern versus Western populations

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a heterogeneous disease that remains highly prevalent in many Asian countries and is the second most common cause of cancer‐related mortality worldwide. Significant differences exist between Eastern and Western populations on many key aspects of HCC, contributing to the potential different treatment outcomes and challenges of clinical trial design and data interpretation. In this review, the authors compare HCC in Asia versus the West and highlight 1) differences in terms of epidemiology and trends and their correlation with etiology, 2) differences in genetics and how they relate to underlying etiology, 3) differences in treatment approaches based on existing guidelines and consensus statements, and 4) differences in clinical outcomes for Asian versus non‐Asian patients with HCC in clinical trials and the implications for future clinical trial design. Cancer 2016;122:3430–3446. © 2016 American Cancer Society
Characterization of Orientia tsutsugamushi Isolated from Wild‐Caught Rodents and Chiggers in Northern Thailand

Abstract: We previously reported Orientia tsutsugamushi detection from tissue samples (kidney, liver, spleen, and whole blood) of 12 wild‐caught rodents from Chiangrai Province, northern Thailand. Of the 30 chiggers individually removed from scrub typhus‐infected rodents, 2 were found positive for O. tsutsugamushi. We further characterized the O. tsutsugamushi detected from these rodents and chiggers by RFLP using three different enzyme digestions. All 14 O. tsutsugamushi samples (12 from tissue samples and 2 from chiggers) showed different digestion patterns when compared to those of reference strains (Karp, Kato, and Gilliam). Interestingly, nine RFLP profiles were observed from these 14 samples suggesting the presence of high genetic diversity of O. tsutsugamushi in this area. Furthermore, one sample displayed the same RFLP pattern as that of O. tsutsugamushi mild resistant strain previously isolated from scrub typhus patient in Chiangrai. Of the two samples from positive chiggers, only one was found to have a similar RFLP pattern to that of its host rodent. DNA sequencing of the entire 56 kDa genome of these O. tsutsugamushi samples is in progress.
High-throughput multiplex protein analysis for limited sample size on a single slide

To meet the challenges of new genomic and proteomic applications, rapid and sensitive analysis of large numbers of interactions in parallel will be required. High-density microarrays are ideally suited for parallel multiplex screening of thousands of interactions with minimum use of materials. In this study, we report on high throughput screening of 10 different cytokines using both 48 and 96 well formats on a single slide. Multiple arrays of cytokine antibodies were printed on a single microarray slide utilizing Dip Pen Nanolithography® (DPN®). DPN allows parallel printing of hundreds of molecules over an area that is 100 times smaller than that of conventional microarray formats. Smaller feature sizes require significantly smaller amounts of synthesized and labeled materials, which is especially pertinent to drug targets that are expressed in vanishingly small quantities. The unique design of this high throughput format does not require gaskets, allowing reaction volumes of only a few microliters. To validate this new approach both conventional and high throughput formats were run in parallel and the results were compared. The performance of these high throughput formats meets or exceeds the performance of conventional assays, while requiring significantly smaller volumes of sample and reagents. Additionally, the gasket-less approach offers up to 384 individual reaction wells and sample sizes as low as 1 microliter affording the capability for parallel quantitative measurements on a scale not previously available.
Multisource Data Fusion Framework for Land Use/Land Cover Classification Using Machine Vision

Data fusion is a powerful tool for the merging of multiple sources of information to produce a better output as compared to individual source. This study describes the data fusion of five land use/cover types, that is, bare land, fertile cultivated land, desert rangeland, green pasture, and Sutlej basin river land derived from remote sensing. A novel framework for multispectral and texture feature based data fusion is designed to identify the land use/land cover data types correctly. Multispectral data is obtained using a multispectral radiometer, while digital camera is used for image dataset. It has been observed that each image contained 229 texture features, while 30 optimized texture features data for each image has been obtained by joining together three features selection techniques, that is, Fisher, Probability of Error plus Average Correlation, and Mutual Information. This 30-optimized-texture-feature dataset is merged with five-spectral-feature dataset to build the fused dataset. A comparison is performed among texture, multispectral, and fused dataset using machine vision classifiers. It has been observed that fused dataset outperformed individually both datasets. The overall accuracy acquired using multilayer perceptron for texture data, multispectral data, and fused data was 96.67%, 97.60%, and 99.60%, respectively.
Molecular cloning and characterization of a sym plasmid locus that regulates cultivar‐specific nodulation of soybean by Rhizobium fredii USDA257

Rhizobium fredii strain USDA257 produces nitrogen‐fixing nodules on primitive soybean cultivars such as Peking but fails to nodulate agronomically improved cultivars such as McCall. Transposonmutant 257DH4 has two new phenotypes: it nodulates McCall, and its ability to do so is sensitive to the presence of parental strain U5DA257, i.e. it is subject to competitive nodulation blocking. We have isolated a cosmid containing DNA that corresponds to the site of transposon insertion in 257DH4 and have localized Tn5 on an 8.0 kb EcoRI fragment. The 5596 bp DNA sequence that surrounds the insertion site contains seven open reading frames. Five of these, designated nolBTU, ORF4, and nolV, are closely spaced and of the same polarity. nolWand nolX are of the opposite polarity. The initiation codon for nolW lies 155bp upstream from that of nolB, and it is separated from nolXby 281 bp. The predicted NolT and NolW proteins have putative membrane‐spanning regions. The N‐terminus of the hypothetical NolW protein also has limited homology to NodH of Rhizobium meliloti, but none of the deduced protein sequences has significant homology to known nodulation gene products. Site‐directed mutagenesis with mudll1734 confirms that inactivation of nolB, nolT, nolU, nolV, nolW, or nolX extends host range for nodulation to McCall soybean. This phenotype could not be genetically dissected from sensitivity to competitive nodulation blocking. Expression of nolBTU anti nolX is induced as much as 30‐fold by flavonoid signal molecules, even though these genes lack nod‐box promoters. Histochemical staining of McCall roots inoculated with nolB–, nolU–, or nolX–lacZ fusions verifies that these genes are expressed continuously from preinfection to the stage of the functional nodule. Although a nolU–ORF4–nolV clone hybridizes to a single 8.0 kb EcoRI fragment from 10 strains of R. fredii and broad‐host‐range Rhizobium sp. NGR234, hybridizing sequences are not detectable in other rhizobia.
Gluing as an alternative to solder flexible batteries for its use in system-in-a-package: Preliminary results

Size and cost are two basic issues regarding the mass production of electronics. Flexible batteries have been in development and research in the last few years resulting in an optimal option to reduce the size of the package in a system due to its flexibility; nevertheless, the composition of the battery brings with it a temperature limitation in the process given by the electrolyte which starts to decompose at 80 °C [1]. Moreover, the two leads that contact the battery to the outside world are made one of nickel and the other one of aluminum. For these reasons, the use of an electrically conductive adhesive as an alternative to solder and ultrasonic welding is studied.
Acute Myocardial Infarction in Pregnancy and the Puerperium: A Population-Based Study

OBJECTIVE: To estimate the population-based incidence and pregnancy outcomes of acute myocardial infarction (MI) in pregnancy. METHODS: Maternal and newborn hospital discharge records were linked to birth/death certificates for the 10-year period January 1, 1991, to December 30, 2000, for the majority (98%) of deliveries in California. This database was searched for the diagnosis of acute MI, demographic characteristics, and pregnancy outcomes. Patients were divided into 4 groups: antenatal diagnosis, intrapartum diagnosis, up to 6-week postpartum diagnosis, and those without the diagnosis of acute MI. All groups were compared by Student t test or χ2 or both, where appropriate. RESULTS: A total of 151 women had an acute MI during the antepartum (38%), intrapartum (21%), or 6-week postpartum (41%) period, giving an incidence rate of 1 in 35,700 deliveries. The incidence rate increased over the study period. The maternal mortality rate was 7.3%, and maternal death only occurred in women with an acute MI before or at delivery (P < .01). Compared with women who did not have an acute MI, those with one were more likely to be older (30% were older than 35 years compared with 10%), multiparous (78% compared with 61%), non-Hispanic white (40% compared with 35%) or African Americans (15% compared with 7%). All measures of maternal and neonatal morbidity were increased in the acute MI group compared with those without an acute MI. Multivariate analysis identified chronic hypertension, diabetes, advancing maternal age, eclampsia, and severe preeclampsia as independent risk factors for acute MI. CONCLUSION: Acute MI during pregnancy remains a rare event, with significant maternal, fetal, and neonatal morbidity and mortality and maternal mortality limited to the antepartum and intrapartum period. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: III
Requirements for Relaxation Coaching - A Formalization of the Fogg Behavior Model

Relaxation training consists of doing regular (e.g., daily) relaxation exercises over a longer period of time (e.g., months). Adherence to relaxation training is for many people difficult because of time constraints, social obligations, forgetting to practice and so on. This is a pity because relaxation training can act as a natural antidote to health-related effects of excessive stress like poor sleep. In this paper, we present a formal model of relaxation coaching that is rooted in the theory of persuasive design. This model supports the development of coaching systems that can improve people’s adherence to relaxation training with its associated health