Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Comparing maternal breastfeeding self-efficacy during first week and sixth week postpartum

Introduction The ideal nourishment for the first 12 months of a child’s life comes from breastfeeding its mother’s milk, and maternal self-efficacy is one factor which affects breastfeeding duration. Therefore, the present study aimed to compare the maternal breastfeeding self-efficacy during the first week and sixth-week postpartum. Methods This descriptive, analytical study was conducted on 767 women referring to the Family Health Research Center of Rasht in 2014. Mothers were selected through continuous sampling. For data collection, we used demographic questionnaires, and Dennis breastfeeding self-efficacy scale. For data analysis, Chi-square, Mann-Whitney U, Pearson’s correlation coefficient and multiple regression were performed using SPSS version 19. Results In this study, most mothers had scores compatible with moderate self-efficacy in the first week, and in the sixth week had high self-efficacy for breastfeeding. There was a significant relationship between breastfeeding self-efficacy (BSE) score and employment status (p<0.0001). Also, we found significant BSE score differences between primiparous and multiparous women (p<0.001). Conclusion Results of the study indicate that breastfeeding duration increases the breastfeeding self-efficacy levels. So, Developing and implementing appropriate approaches are needed to improve breastfeeding duration in mothers.
Intestinal STC-1 cells respond to five basic taste stimuli

STC-1 cells have been established as an enteroendocrine cell line from the small intestine. By monitoring the level of intracellular Ca2+ using a calcium-imaging technique, cellular responses of intestinal STC-1 cells to compounds of five basic tastants were investigated. Although this cell line was known to respond to bitter compounds, we found that compounds of the other four basic tastants also stimulate STC-1 cells. When solutions containing glutamate, sucrose, HCl, or NaCl were applied, the intracellular Ca2+ concentration in STC-1 cells significantly increased. We thus demonstrated that the gastrointestinal system can sense all five basic taste stimuli, and that STC-1 cells emerge as a new cell model for studying the molecular mechanism of signaling pathways of the five basic tastants.
An Empirical Analysis of Factors Affecting Bank Interest Margins: Evidence from the South East European Countries

Abstract This paper provides an empirical analysis of factors affecting Bank Interest Margins in eight countries of the South-East European (SEE) region between 2000 and 2014. The purpose of this paper is to examine and investigate the main drivers of Bank Interest Rate Margins across selected countries throughout the SEE region. Also, the study explored the relationship between the dependent variable Interest Rate Spread (IRS - as a proxy variable for measuring variation in Bank Interest Rate Margins) and a set of selected banks’ specific variables in SEE by employing panel data estimation methodology. This research is based on aggregate data for the whole banking sector of each country. In line with some expectations, our findings confirm the importance of credit risk, bank concentration operative efficiency, and inflation expectations in determining Bank Interest Rate Margins. Interestingly, in contrast to the majority of recent empirical research, the study found an inverse relationship between the bank concentration variable and Bank Interest Rate Margins as well as between the operational efficiency variable and Bank Interest Rate Margins. Also, the study could not find statistically significant evidence that Bank Interest Rate Margins are determined by output growth, bank profitability (measured by ROA) or liquidity risk.
Ranking Twitter Influence by Combining Network Centrality and Influence Observables in an Evolutionary Model

Influential agents in networks play a pivotal role in information diffusion. Influence may rise or fall quickly over time and thus capturing this evolution of influence is of benefit to a varied number of application domains such as: digital marketing, counter-terrorism or policing. In this paper we investigate the influence of users in programming communities on Twitter. We propose a new model for capturing both time-invariant influence and also temporal influence. The unified model is a combination of network topological methods and observation of influence-relevant events in the network. We provide an application of Hidden Markov Models (HMM) for capturing this effect on the network. There are many possible combinations of influence factors, hence we required a ground-truth for model configuration. We performed a primary survey of our population users to elicit their views on influential users. The survey allowed us to validate the results of our classifier. We introduce a novel reward-based transformation to the Viterbi path of the observed sequences which provides an overall ranking for users. Our results show an improvement in ranking accuracy over using solely topology-based methods for the particular area of interest we sampled. Utilising the evolutionary aspect of the HMM we attempt to predict future states using current evidence. Our prediction algorithm significantly outperforms a collection of naive models, especially in the short term (1-3 weeks).
Capture Myopathy in Little Bustards after Trapping and Marking

Four little bustards (Tetrax tetrax) (one adult and three juvenile males), captured with leg nooses and fitted with a backpack radiotag, died after capture. The first bird was found after 16 days with its left foot caught in the harness and died after 1 day. The other birds showed symptoms of capture myopathy after release, such as the difficulty or inability to fly and/or walk. They died after 5, 6, and 8 days, respectively. At necropsy, muscles affected in all cases were those from the legs, and these were diffusely pale and dull, with a soft friable texture. Microscopically these muscles had multiple foci of myofiber fragmentation, loss of striation, and necrosis; a mononuclear cell infiltrate was observed in muscle from two birds. These findings suggest the little bustard is susceptible to capture myopathy and that caution should be exercised during its capture and handling.
Purification and characterization of the cytochrome bd complex from Azotobacter vinelandii: comparison to the complex from Escherichia coli

Partial purification of a cytochrome bd complex from Azotobacter vinelandii grown under high aeration was achieved by isolating respiratory particles enriched in this hemoprotein via differential centrifugation and detergent extraction. The cytochrome bd complex was subsequently solubilized from the inner membrane with dodecyl maltoside and purified to near homogeneity via DEAE-Sepharose chromatography. Sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis indicated that the complex consisted of two subunits, with sizes in good agreement with those predicted from the cloned cyd locus (59.7 and 42 kDa). Spectral analysis of the purified complex indicated that the heme components present were cytochromes b560, b595, and d; CO difference spectral studies identified cytochrome d as a CO-reactive component. The complex had a Km for ubiquinol-1 approximately seven times larger than that for the analogous bd complex from Escherichia coli, and O2 consumption curves revealed a Km value for O2 three times greater than that which we determined for the E. coli bd complex.
An Estimation of Inflation Threshold for Africa

The objective of this study was to shed new light on the non-linear effects of inflation and the inflation thresholds for long-term growth in Africa. Using a dynamic panel threshold model, the study covered a large panel-data set of 41 African countries for the period 1960-2015. The sample was divided into 21 resource rich countries and 20 non-resource rich countries in order to see if there are any differences in the empirical linkage between inflation and long-term growth. For the full sample of African countries, the empirical evidence showed that inflation hampered growth if it exceeds 11.1 percent. Below this threshold, however, the impact of inflation on growth remained positive though insignificant. However, the results differed for resource rich and non-resource rich African countries: inflation was beneficial for growth when inflation is below 12.5 percent and 9.4 percent threshold levels for resource rich and non-resource rich African countries, respectively. However, when inflation exceeded these threshold levels, it had a negative effect on growth. The estimated inflation threshold value for resource rich countries was definitely more than in non-resource rich countries. The evidence clearly suggested a growth-dampening effect of excessive inflation for Africa.
Gastric cancer with metastases to the distant peritoneum: a 20-year surgical experience.

BACKGROUND/AIMS The efficacy of palliative gastrectomy in gastric cancer with peritoneal metastases remains uncertain. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the benefits of gastrectomy on the postoperative course of patients with gastric cancer and simultaneous metastases to the distant peritoneum. METHODOLOGY A total of 122 patients who had gastric cancer and metastases to the distant peritoneum were studied with respect to survival. RESULTS The extent of peritoneal metastases did not significantly affect the prognosis. Moreover, multivariate analysis indicated that surgery without gastrectomy was the only significant prognostic factor (relative risk, 2.587). CONCLUSIONS Our results suggest that the decision to perform gastrectomy does not depend on the extent of peritoneal metastasis in gastric cancer. Furthermore, palliative gastrectomy, if feasible, seems to have a beneficial effect on the postoperative course and is indicated for patients regardless of metastasis to the peritoneum, if the primary tumor is surgically resectable and there is no evidence of liver metastasis.
Block of sodium channels by psychotropic drugs in single guinea‐pig cardiac myocytes

1 Effects of imipramine and haloperidol on voltage‐gated sodium channels were investigated in guinea‐pig isolated ventricular myocytes by the whole‐cell patch clamp technique. Some additional experiments were also performed with chlorpromazine for the purpose of comparison. 2 All test drugs in micromolar concentrations suppressed the amplitude of peak sodium current associated with step depolarization from a holding potential of −140 mV in a reversible manner. The order of potency was chlorpromazine > imipramine > haloperidol. 3 Dose‐response curves obtained with a holding potential of −140 mV were best fitted by 2:1 stoichiometry in all three drugs and were shifted in the direction of lower concentrations when a holding potential of −90 mV was used. 4 The drug‐induced block was not associated with any change in the time courses of sodium current activation and inactivation. 5 Steady‐state sodium channel inactivation curve was shifted in the direction of more negative potentials by the drugs. 6 All three drugs also produced marked use‐dependent block as demonstrated by a cumulative increase in the block during a train of depolarizing pulses. 7 The use dependence was due to a higher affinity of the drugs for the inactivated state of sodium channels than the resting state and to a very slow repriming of the drug‐bound sodium channels from inactivation. 8 The steady‐state and use‐dependent block of voltage‐gated sodium channels by psychotropic drugs may contribute to their cardiotoxic and perhaps antiarrhythmic effect.
Local $V_{\rm th}$ Variability and Scalability in Silicon-on-Thin-BOX (SOTB) CMOS With Small Random-Dopant Fluctuation

The silicon on thin buried oxide (SOTB) has the smallest V th variation among planar CMOS due to a low-dose channel. This study focuses on evaluating local variability components and searching for the dominant factor after reducing random-dopant fluctuation (RDF) by decreasing impurities in the channel. Improving short-channel-effect immunity is important to reduce both the global and local variations. The local V th variation A Vt was very small, ~ 1.0 and 0.7 mV·¿m for NMOS and PMOS, respectively; however, additional unknown factors other than RDF still exist. Silicon-on-insulator thickness variation does not play a major role in ¿V th , and the SOTB is scalable to less than 25 nm while maintaining small variability and, hence, low power consumption. The larger variability in NMOS compared to that in PMOS cannot be explained by conventional RDF but seems to be strongly related to channel doping.
Muscarinic control of the hyperpolarization‐activated current (if) in rabbit sino‐atrial node myocytes.

1. The mechanism by which acetylcholine (ACh), by stimulation of muscarinic receptors, acts to inhibit activation of the hyperpolarization‐activated ‘pacemaker’ current, if was investigated in isolated rabbit sino‐atrial (SA) node myocytes. 2. Intracellular loading with GTP gamma S, a non‐hydrolysable analogue of GTP, did not impair the ACh action on if, but made it irreversible. On the other hand, the ACh action on if disappeared after a few minutes of cell loading with GDP beta S, a GDP analogue known to bind to G‐proteins and prevent their receptor‐stimulated action. Furthermore, incubation of cells in a solution containing pertussis toxin (PTX) led to abolition of the if response to ACh. These results indicate that the inhibitory effect of ACh on if is mediated by G‐proteins activated by muscarinic receptors. 3. Intracellular loading with phosphodiesterase (PDE) increased the rate of if current run‐down, but did not abolish the inhibitory action of ACh on if. 4. Extracellular perfusion with isobutylmethylxanthine (IBMX), a PDE inhibitor, increased if activation by shifting the current activation range to more positive voltages, as inferred by a three‐pulse protocol analysis; in the presence of IBMX, the inhibition of if by ACh was not abolished. 5. The ACh‐induced if depression persisted also in cells loaded with cyclic GMP. In these cells, as in those loaded with PDE, the if run‐down was fast. 6. Oxotremorine, a muscarinic agonist coupled to adenylate cyclase but not to phosphoinositide turnover in cardiac cells, simulated ACh in its inhibitory action on if. The above results rule against the ACh action being mediated by PDE or by phosphoinositide turnover. 7. To investigate the possible involvement of cyclic AMP as a second messenger in the ACh action on if, we loaded cells with cyclic AMP and IBMX; under these conditions the action of ACh disappeared within a few minutes of whole‐cell recording. 8. In cells where the slow inward Ca2+ current (isi) was measured together with if, ACh was seen to depress both currents. 9. In cells superfused with forskolin, the if amplitude on stepping to the half‐activation voltage range was enhanced as a consequence of a depolarizing shift of the activation curve; ACh was not effective on if following stimulation by forskolin, but strongly depressed in the same cell the if current stimulated to a similar degree by isoprenaline. (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)
Passive smoking, air pollution, and acute respiratory symptoms in a diary study of student nurses.

A cohort of approximately 100 student nurses in Los Angeles was recruited for a diary study of the acute effects of air pollution. Smoking histories and presence of asthma and other allergies were determined by questionnaire. Diaries were completed daily and collected weekly for as long as 3 yr. Air pollution was measured at a monitoring location within 2.5 miles of the school. Incidence and duration of a symptom were modeled separately. Pack-years of cigarettes were predictive of the number of episodes of coughing (p less than 0.0001) and of bringing up phlegm (p less than 0.0001). Current smoking, rather than cumulative smoking, was a better predictor of the duration of a phlegm episode (p less than 0.0001). Controlling for personal smoking, a smoking roommate increased the risk of an episode of phlegm (odds ratio [OR] = 1.41, p less than 0.001), but not of cough. Excluding asthmatics (who may be medicated), increased the odds ratio for passive smoking to 1.76 (p less than 0.0001). In logistic regression models controlling for temperature and serial correlation between days, an increase of 1 SD in carbon monoxide exposure (6.5 ppm) was associated with increased risk of headache (OR = 1.09, p less than 0.001), photochemical oxidants (7.4 pphm) were associated with increased risk of chest discomfort (OR = 1.17, p less than 0.001) and eye irritation (OR = 1.20 p less than 0.001), and nitrogen dioxide (9.1 pphm) was associated with increased risk of phlegm (OR = 1.08 p less than 0.01), sore throats (OR = 1.26, p less than 0.001), and eye irritation (OR = 1.16, p less than 0.001). (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
The Imaginative Institution: Planning and Governance in Madrid

Every 20 years since 1920 Madrid has undergone an urban planning cycle in which a city plan was prepared, adopted by law, and implemented by a new institution. This sequence, along with the institution's structures and procedures, has persisted - with some exceptions - despite frequent upheavals in society. The planning institution itself played a key role in maintaining continuity, traumatic history notwithstanding. This book presents an empirically based life cycle theory of institutional evolution that suggests that the constitutional image sustaining the institution undergoes a change or is replaced by a new image, leading to a new or reformed institution.
Influences of body composition upon the relative metabolic and cardiovascular demands of load-carriage.

AIM To test the hypothesis that measures of aerobic fitness, body mass and indices of body composition will influence the metabolic and cardiovascular demands of simulated load-carriage tasks. METHOD Twenty-eight healthy male volunteers, following assessment of maximal oxygen uptake (O(2)max) and body composition, walked on a treadmill at 4 kph (1.11 m/s) for 60 min on gradients of 0, 3, 6 and 9% whilst carrying backpack loads of 0, 20 and 40 kg. During the final 3 min of each 5-min exercise bout, indirect respiratory calorimetry and heart rate data were collected and the 'steady-state' metabolic O(2) and cardiovascular (heart rate) demands quantified. RESULTS Absolute O(2)max (ml/min) produced the strongest correlation (r = -0.64, P < 0.01) with the metabolic demand of heavy load-carriage (40 kg). The body composition index lean body mass/(fat mass + external load) produced a moderate correlation (r = -0.52, P < 0.01) with the metabolic demand of heavy load-carriage. The increases in metabolic and cardiovascular demands were greater when the load carried increased from 20 to 40 kg compared with 0 to 20 kg at all four gradients. A model incorporating anthropometric and physiological characteristics with gradient and load explains 89% of the variability in the metabolic demands of load-carriage compared with 82% using gradient and load alone. CONCLUSION The results show that indices of body composition as well as absolute aerobic power influence the relative metabolic demands of load-carriage. Application of these measurements would ensure selection criteria for load-carriage occupations are based on lean muscle mass rather than running speed.
Advanced pediatric myelodysplastic syndromes: Can immunophenotypic characterization of blast cells be a diagnostic and prognostic tool?

The diagnosis of myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) is mainly based on morphology and cytogenetic analysis. Several efforts to analyze MDS by flow cytometry have been reported in adults. These studies have focused on the identification of abnormalities in the maturation pathway of antigen expression of myelo‐monocytic cells, and characterization of blast populations. Therefore, phenotype has been proposed as a diagnostic and prognostic criterion tool for adult MDS. The current article provides data concerning the blast phenotype in pediatric MDS.
Obesity and short sleep: unlikely bedfellows?

The link between habitual short sleep and obesity is critically examined from a sleep perspective. Sleep estimates are confounded by ‘time in bed’, naps; the normal distribution of sleep duration. Wide categorizations of ‘short sleep’, with claims that <7 h sleep is associated with obesity and morbidity, stem from generalizations from 5 h sleepers (<8% of adults) and acute restriction studies involving unendurable sleepiness. Statistically significant epidemiological findings are of questionable clinical concern, even for 5 h sleepers, as any weight gains accumulate slowly over years; easily redressed by e.g. short exercise exposures, contrasting with huge accumulations of ‘lost’ sleep. Little evidence supports ‘more sleep’, alone, as an effective treatment for obesity. Impaired sleep quality and quantity are surrogates for many physical and psychological disorders, as can be obesity. Advocating more sleep, in these respects, could invoke unwarranted use of sleep aids including hypnotics. Inadequate sleep in obese children is usually symptomatic of problems not overcome by increasing sleep alone. Interestingly, neuropeptides regulating interactions between sleep, locomotion and energy balance in normal weight individuals, are an avenue for investigation in some obese short sleepers. The real danger of inadequate sleep lies with excessive daytime sleepiness, not obesity.
The Effect of a Perioperative Ketamine Infusion on the Incidence of Chronic Postsurgical Pain—A Pilot Study

Chronic postsurgical pain (CPSP) is a common and debilitating complication of major surgery. We undertook a pilot study at three hospitals to assess the feasibility of a proposed large multicentre placebo-controlled randomised trial of intravenous perioperative ketamine to reduce the incidence of CPSP. Ketamine, 0.5 mg/kg pre-incision, 0.25 mg/kg/hour intraoperatively and 0.1 mg/kg/hour for 24 hours, or placebo, was administered to 80 patients, recruited over a 15-month period, undergoing abdominal or thoracic surgery under general anaesthesia. The primary endpoint was CPSP in the area of the surgery reported at six-month telephone follow-up using a structured questionnaire. Fourteen patients (17.5%) reported CPSP (relative risk [95% confidence interval] if received ketamine 1.18 [0.70 to 1.98], P=0.56). Four patients in the treatment group and three in the control group reported ongoing analgesic use to treat CPSP and two patients in each group reported their worst pain in the previous 24 hours at ≥3/10 at six months. There were no significant differences in adverse event rates, quality of recovery scores, or cumulative morphine equivalents consumption in the first 72 hours. Numeric Rating Scale pain scores (median [interquartile range]) for average pain in the previous 24 hours among those patients reporting CPSP were 17.5 [0 to 40] /100 with no difference between treatment groups. A large (n=4,000 to 5,000) adequately powered multicentre trial is feasible using this population and methodology.