Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Scaling up nutrition in Guinea-Bissau : what will it cost?

This paper builds on global experience and Guinea-Bissau's specific context to identify an effective nutrition approach along with costs and benefits of key nutrition interventions. It is intended to help guide the selection of the most cost-effective interventions as well as strategies for scaling these up. We estimate that the costs and benefits of implementing 10 nutrition-specific interventions in all regions of Guinea-Bissau would require a public investment of USD 17 million over five years (with about USD 3 million needed to maintain the current coverage of the interventions and USD 14 million needed to expand the coverage to reach 90 percent of the population). The two key conclusions of this paper are, first, that investing in nutrition in Guinea-Bissau is cost-effective based on international standards and, second, that investments in nutrition can generate very substantial health and economic benefits, with one dollar spent on nutrition interventions resulting in about 10 dollars of returns over the productive lives of children covered by high-impact nutrition interventions. Economic productivity could potentially increase by USD 120 million (discounted at 3 percent) over the productive lives of the beneficiaries, with an impressive internal rate of return of 9 percent annually. Theses findings point to a powerful set of nutrition-specific interventions that represent a high cost-effective approach to reducing child malnutrition and stunting in Guinea-Bissau.
The change of landscape pattern in arid mountain of the upper reaches of Shule River basin in Northwest China

Landscape changes are among the most important socio-economic forces of global as well as local environmental change. Mountain is a source of water in the arid regions, playing an important role in keeping ecological balance. This study focuses on the changes of mountain landscape in Shule River basin located in arid Northwest China. Based on the Landsat TM remote sensing satellite date of the study areas taken in 1986 and 2000, DEM (1:100000), using ArcGIS software, the landscape changes had been analyzed in the different elevation zones. The results show that: (1) Area of the sparse grassland is the largest in all the landscape types, the followed is rock. The vegetation of the study is 50%, and the dense grassland accounted for only 4.5%. (2) During the 15 years, the area of the dense grassland decreased 299.45 km2 because of degradation, the mid-density grassland decreased 91.5 km2. On the other hand, the area of the swamp meadow increased 168.92 km2, the freezing-throwing rock increased 101.28km2, and the sparse grassland increased 95.3 km2. (3) The grassland in lower elevation with 3500m-3800m were undergoing degeneration because of the global warming and overgrazing, and the altitude of 3500m-3800m was just the lower limit of permafrost distribution.
Controlling for P‐value inflation in allele frequency change in experimental evolution and artificial selection experiments

Experimental evolution studies can be used to explore genomic response to artificial and natural selection. In such studies, loci that display larger allele frequency change than expected by genetic drift alone are assumed to be directly or indirectly associated with traits under selection. However, such studies report surprisingly many loci under selection, suggesting that current tests for allele frequency change may be subject to P‐value inflation and hence be anticonservative. One factor known from genomewide association (GWA) studies to cause P‐value inflation is population stratification, such as relatedness among individuals. Here, we suggest that by treating presence of an individual in a population after selection as a binary response variable, existing GWA methods can be used to account for relatedness when estimating allele frequency change. We show that accounting for relatedness like this effectively reduces false‐positives in tests for allele frequency change in simulated data with varying levels of population structure. However, once relatedness has been accounted for, the power to detect causal loci under selection is low. Finally, we demonstrate the presence of P‐value inflation in allele frequency change in empirical data spanning multiple generations from an artificial selection experiment on tarsus length in two free‐living populations of house sparrow and correct for this using genomic control. Our results indicate that since allele frequencies in large parts of the genome may change when selection acts on a heritable trait, such selection is likely to have considerable and immediate consequences for the eco‐evolutionary dynamics of the affected populations.
Fetal origins of developmental plasticity: Animal models of induced life history variation

The interaction of the genetic program with the environment shapes the development of an individual. Accumulating data from animal models indicate that prenatal and early‐postnatal events (collectively called “early‐life events”) can initiate long‐term changes in the expression of the genetic program which persist, or may only become apparent, much later in the individual's life. Researchers working with humans or animal models of human diseases often view the effects of early‐life events through the lens of pathology, with a focus on whether the events increase the risk for a particular disease. Alternatively, comparative biologists often view the effects of early‐life events through the lens of evolution and adaptation by natural selection; they investigate the processes by which environmental conditions present early in life may prompt the adoption of different developmental pathways leading to alternative life histories. Examples of both approaches are presented in this article. This article reviews the concepts of phenotypic plasticity, natural selection, and evidence from animal models that early‐life events can program the activity of the neuroendocrine system, at times altering life history patterns in an adaptive manner. Data from seasonally breeding rodents are used to illustrate the use of maternally derived information to alter the life history of young. In several species, the maternal system transfers photoperiodic information to the young in utero. This maternally derived information alters the response of young to photoperiods encountered later and life, producing seasonally distinct life histories. Am. J. Hum. Biol. 17:34–43, 2005. © 2004 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Robotic Thyroidectomy for Benign Thyroid Diseases: A Stepwise Strategy to the Adoption of Robotic Thyroidectomy (Gasless, Transaxillary Approach)

Purpose: Thyroid surgery for benign diseases mainly involves young women, and thus, cosmetic considerations have motivated the development of “no scar to the neck” procedures. Endoscopic techniques are often strenuous, and therefore, discouraging to adopt. However, the recent incorporation of robotic technology proposes a feasible, safe, extracervical approach that alleviates most of the technical difficulties associated with endoscopy. Here, the authors present a series of robotic thyroidectomies performed to treat benign thyroid diseases and detail the key issues of initial patient selection. Patients and Methods: From November 2007 to December 2010, 44 patients with benign thyroid disease were operated upon using a robotic procedure. Indications were follicular/Hürthle cell lesions smaller than 5 cm, nodules with an indefinite/suspicious cytology, or Graves disease. All patients underwent robotic gasless, transaxillary thyroidectomy using the da Vinci S system. Results: Thirty-nine of the 44 patients were women, and the overall mean age was 38.2 years (range, 16 to 60 y). The most common pathology was adenomatous hyperplasia (20 lesions) followed by follicular adenoma (10 lesions). Seven patients had Graves disease. The mean tumor size was 1.68 cm (range, 0.3 to 5 cm). Thirty-nine patients underwent less than total thyroidectomy and 5 underwent total or near total thyroidectomy. The mean total operative time was 129.8 minutes (range, 75 to 242 min) and the mean duration of postoperative hospital stay was 3.1 days (range, 2 to 5 d). Postoperative complications were 1 transient hoarseness, 1 transient hypocalcemia, and 1 permanent recurrent laryngeal nerve injury. Conclusions: Robotic thyroidectomy, although novel and sophisticated, has already been used to treat over 4000 thyroid cancer patients in Korea. Female patients with a small to average build, with a follicular lesion and concerned about neck scarring, seem to be the best candidates. Patients with small suspicious nodules without severe thyroiditis are also a rational choice. In contrast, patients with Graves disease should be reserved, unless significant experience has been gained.
Comparison of final infarct volumes in patients who received endovascular therapy or intravenous thrombolysis for acute intracranial large-vessel occlusions.

IMPORTANCE Studies comparing the efficacy of intra-arterial therapy (IAT) and medical therapy in reducing final infarct volume (FIV) in intracranial large-vessel occlusions (ILVOs) are lacking. OBJECTIVES To assess whether patients with ILVOs who received IAT have smaller FIVs than patients who received either intravenous tissue plasminogen activator therapy (IVT) or no reperfusion therapy (NRT) and to determine a National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) threshold score that identifies patients most likely to benefit from IAT. DESIGN Retrospective cohort study of patients with ILVOs between 2009 and 2011. SETTING Two large-volume stroke centers. PARTICIPANTS Adults with anterior circulation ILVOs who presented within 360 minutes from the time last seen as normal. Patients with isolated extracranial occlusions were not included. EXPOSURE Intra-arterial therapy, IVT, or NRT. MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES Final infarct volumes, rates of acceptable outcome defined as a modified Rankin Scale score of 0 to 3 at hospital discharge, and NIHSS threshold scores. RESULTS A total of 203 consecutive patients with ILVOs were evaluated. Baseline characteristics were similar among the 3 groups. The median infarct volume was significantly smaller for the IAT group (42 cm3) than for the IVT group (109 cm3; P = .001) or the NRT group (110 cm3; P < .01). A higher magnitude of infarct volume reduction in more proximal occlusions was noted in the IAT group compared with the IVT and NRT groups combined: internal carotid artery terminus (75 vs 190 cm3; P < .001), M1 middle cerebral artery (39 vs 109 cm3; P = .004), and M2 middle cerebral artery (33 vs 59 cm3; P = .04) occlusions. Patients were stratified based on NIHSS score at presentation (8-13, 14-19, and ≥20). For patients with an NIHSS score of 14 or higher at presentation, IAT significantly reduced FIV (46 cm3 with IAT vs 149 cm3 with IVT or NRT; P < .001) compared with patients with an NIHSS score of 8 to 13 (22 cm3 with IAT vs 44 cm3 with IVT or NRT; P = .40). Patients with an NIHSS score of 14 or higher who received IAT appear to benefit most from IAT. CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE Our data suggest a greater reduction of FIV with IAT compared with either IVT or NRT. Moreover, patients with an NIHSS score of 14 or higher may be the best candidates for endovascular reperfusion therapy.
A gazdasági válság hatásai a férfiak és a nők munkaerő-piaci helyzetére Kelet-Közép-Európában

Tanulmanyunkban azt vizsgaljuk, hogyan hatott a 2008-as gazdasagi valsag a nemek munkaerő-piaci helyzetere Kelet-Kozep-Europaban. Amellett ervelunk, hogy bar a vizsgalt regioban a foglalkozasi szegregacio jobban megvedte a női, mint a ferfi munkaerőt, azonban a fejlettebb gazdasagokkal szemben itt csokkent a női foglalkoztatas, emelkedett a nők szegenysegi rataja. A nemek szerinti kulonbsegek a valsag hatasanak percepciojaban is tetten erhetők voltak. Elemzesunkhoz a European Social Survey 2010-es adatfelvetelet es az EU SILC adatait hasznaltuk.
Murine infection models for vaccine development

Vaccines are developed and eventually licensed following consecutive human clinical trials. Malaria is a potential fatal vector-borne infectious disease caused by blood infection of the single-cell eukaryote Plasmodium. Pathogen stage conversion is a hallmark of parasites in general and permits unprecedented vaccine strategies. In the case of malaria, experimental human challenge infections with Plasmodium falciparum sporozoites can be performed under rigorous clinical supervision. This rare opportunity in vaccinology has permitted many small-scale phase II anti-malaria vaccine studies using experimental homologous challenge infections. Demonstration of safety and lasting sterile protection are central endpoints to advance a candidate malaria vaccine approach to phase II field trials. A growing list of antigens as targets for subunit development makes pre-selection and prioritization of vaccine candidates in murine infection models increasingly important. Preclinical assessment in challenge studies with murine Plasmodium species also led to the development of whole organism vaccine approaches. They include live attenuated, metabolically active parasites that educate effector memory T cells to recognize and inactivate developing parasites inside host cells. Here, opportunities from integrating challenge experiments with murine Plasmodium parasites into malaria vaccine development will be discussed.
Barriers to mental health care and predictors of treatment dropout in the South African Stress and Health Study.

OBJECTIVE This study used data from the South African Stress and Health Study (SASH) to examine both structural and attitudinal barriers to treatment initiation among South Africans with mental disorders and to investigate predictors of treatment dropout. METHODS Face-to-face interviews were conducted with 4,315 adult South Africans living in households or hostel quarters. The interview included a core diagnostic assessment of past-12-month mental disorders and assessments of disorder severity, service use, and barriers to treatment. Multivariate logistic regression models were used to determine predictors of not seeking treatment in relation to disorder severity and sociodemographic characteristics, as well as factors that were predictive of premature treatment discontinuation by participants who had received mental health treatment in the previous 12 months. Predictors of dropout were identified by cross-tabulation and discrete-time survival analysis. RESULTS Of the 4,315 adults, 729 (16.9% weighted) met criteria for a mental disorder in the past 12 months. Across all levels of severity, the most frequently cited reason for not seeking professional treatment was a low perceived need for treatment. Among those who recognized the need but did not access treatment during the past 12 months (7.2%), attitudinal barriers to treatment seeking were reported more commonly than structural barriers (100% and 34%, respectively). Of the 182 respondents who received treatment (25% weighted), 20% discontinued prematurely. Various factors, such as substance use disorders and absence of health insurance, increased the odds of treatment dropout. CONCLUSIONS Low rates of treatment seeking and high treatment dropout rates for common mental disorders among South Africans are a major concern. Public health efforts to improve treatment of mental disorders should consider the multiple influences on treatment initiation and discontinuation.
Cognitive Behaviour Therapy for Schizophrenia – A Review of Development, Evidence and Implementation

Background: Schizophrenia and other psychotic disorders were once thought to be impervious to psychological treatments; however, there is accumulating evidence that cognitive behaviour therapy (CBT) can result in significant clinical benefit to these patients. Aim: This paper aims to describe the development and adaptation of CBT in the treatment of schizophrenia, to summarise the evidence to support CBT as a viable treatment and to outline some of the issues in ‘rolling out’ this treatment into normal clinical settings. Results: A number of clinical models of CBT have been developed and these typically consist of a variety of clinical methods with different models providing differing emphasis. Twenty controlled trials of CBT in schizophrenia in which 739 patients were included are reviewed. These studies have a mean effect size for CBT of 0.37 (SD 0.39). There is consistent evidence that CBT reduces persistent positive symptoms in chronic patients and may have modest effects in speeding recovery in acutely ill patients. The evidence of CBT reducing relapse rates is equivocal, although targeted early intervention is promising. The available evidence suggests that CBT can be utilised effectively in routine clinical practice. However, the dissemination of novel psychological treatments into widespread clinical practice is not without difficulty, and issues pertaining to the ‘roll-out’ of CBT are discussed. Conclusions: CBT as an adjunct treatment shows considerable promise for the future treatment of schizophrenia.
Acute pancreatitis: a prospective study on incidence, etiology, and outcome

Background and aims Prospective and population-based studies on the incidence of acute pancreatitis (AP) are lacking. Alcohol consumption has increased considerably in Iceland during the last decade. We aimed to determine the incidence, etiology, severity, and complications of AP and compare the results with a previous study on AP in Iceland. Methods A prospective population-based study of patients diagnosed with AP at the National University Hospital of Iceland during 1 year (2010–2011). Information on symptoms, etiology, and complications was registered. Results During the study period, 134 patients were diagnosed with AP, 78 men (58%), median age 57 years (interquartile range 42–71). Overall, 89/104 (86%) patients had their first attack of pancreatitis, yielding a crude incidence of 40/100 000 inhabitants/year. The major etiological groups were as follows: gallstones, 52 cases (42%); alcohol 29, (23%); postendoscopic retrograde cholangio-pancreatography in 12 (9.5%); medications in eight (6.3%); and idiopathic in 15 (12%). Alcohol was more often the cause in men (25 vs. 4, P<0.05) but the incidence of gallstone-induced pancreatitis was similar in men and women (26 vs. 27). Seven patients had severe complications, three had pancreatic necrosis, two had pseudocysts, and one developed renal failure. Another patient developed acute respiratory distress syndrome and was admitted to the ICU. No patient died of AP during the study period. Conclusion The incidence of AP has not increased significantly in Iceland in the last decade. Alcohol-induced pancreatitis has not increased proportionally despite increased alcohol consumption in Iceland. In a population-based setting, the vast majority of AP is of mild severity.
Where does the research knowledge lie in participatory visual processes

Over recent decades there has been a rapid expansion in the use of participatory visual methods to unearth neglected perspectives on complex issues. As example, participatory video can enable participants to show and tell, and connect marginalised communities with external audiences. However, there are important ethical questions raised, which echo wider debates in visual methods, such as the politics of public exposure and reception and the power dynamics between project actors. Furthermore, practical challenges are compounded by the tendency to view participatory video as a data production or research dissemination method, rather than the means to drive research dialogue or social change processes during action research. This provocation draws on participatory video experiences in India and Kenya to raise critical questions about the potentially valuable but tacit or under-utilised sources of research knowledge generated, and the implicit sharing assumptions in contemporary visual practice. I interrogate participatory representation as theoretical frame, because it often functions practically to restrict possibilities for participants by binding activities to the priorities of external agencies. Whilst acknowledging the tensions, I suggest participatory video is more productively conceptualised as the means to mediate communication processes towards both deeper understanding and improvement action. I conclude, that attention needs to shift to ensure the most pertinent knowledge is not overlooked.
Predictors of exercise behaviors among fibromyalgia patients.

BACKGROUND Exercise improves the physical and psychological well being of patients with fibromyalgia syndrome (FMS). However, exercise interventions for patients with FMS have suffered from poor adherence. The purpose of this study was to examine predictors of exercise for people with FMS. METHODS Participants were 444 patients with FMS who were part of a larger study. Hierarchical logistic regression analyses were conducted examining exercise behavior at multiple time points. Discriminant analyses were also used to identify predictor variables. RESULTS Engaging in regular exercise and having higher exercise self-efficacy significantly predicted continued engagement in exercise behavior in people with FMS. Age, employment status, depression, education level, self-efficacy for managing FMS, and the size of one's social network also demonstrated predictive qualities. CONCLUSION Exercise self-efficacy and continued participation in regular exercise most strongly predicted present and future exercise behavior in patients with FMS. Interventions designed to train FMS patients in initiating exercise programs while addressing exercise self-efficacy, depression, and social support are warranted.
Antenna directivity impact on MIMO system performance

This paper deals with the challenges related to evaluating the performance of Multiple Input Multiple Output (MIMO) within an underground mine environment at 2.4 GHz, two measurement campaigns are presented where two types of MIMO antennas are investigated, aiming to identify the optimal antenna technology that allows to improve the performance of MIMO system in terms of correlation and capacity.
One Thousand Consecutive Primary Liver Transplants Under Tacrolimus Immunosuppression: A 17- to 20-Year Longitudinal Follow-Up

Background. Tacrolimus has proven to be a potent immunosuppressive agent in orthotopic liver transplantation (OLT). The aim of this study is to examine its long-term efficacy and safety. Methods and Results. One thousand consecutive primary OLTs performed between August 1989 and December 1992 and maintained under tacrolimus-based immunosuppression were followed up until January 2009. Patient and graft survivals with corresponding causes of death and retransplantation, maintenance immunosuppression, and adverse effects were examined. The study population includes 600 males and 400 females comprising 166 children, 630 adults, and 204 seniors. The mean follow-up was 17.83 (range, 16.1–19.50) years. The overall 20-year actuarial patient and graft survivals were 35.8% and 32.6%, respectively. At the last follow-up, 442 patients were alive; 133 (77.1%) children, 265 (34.5%) adults, and 44 (16.1%) seniors (P=0.0001). After the first post-OLT year, cardiopulmonary events, recurrence of primary disease, and malignancy were the main causes of death. Overall, 183 recipients underwent retransplants; mainly for primary nonfunction, hepatic artery thrombosis, and recurrent primary disease, 180 required dialysis, and 45 underwent kidney transplant. A total of 97.7% of the survivors were on tacrolimus and 26.2% were also receiving adjunctive immunosuppressants at the last follow-up. Conclusions. The overall 20-year actuarial patient and graft survivals were 35.8% and 32.6%, respectively, with significantly better survival among children. Age-related complications, recurrence of primary disease, and malignancy were the major causes of late graft loss. Graft loss related to immunologic reasons was rare. The prevention of recurrent disease and newer immunosuppressive regimen will further improve these results.