Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Assessing the Effect of mHealth Interventions in Improving Maternal and Neonatal Care in Low- and Middle-Income Countries: A Systematic Review

Introduction Maternal and neonatal mortality remains high in many low- and middle-income countries (LMIC). Availability and use of mobile phones is increasing rapidly with 90% of persons in developing countries having a mobile-cellular subscription. Mobile health (mHealth) interventions have been proposed as effective solutions to improve maternal and neonatal health. This systematic review assessed the effect of mHealth interventions that support pregnant women during the antenatal, birth and postnatal period in LMIC. Methods The review was registered with Prospero (CRD42014010292). Six databases were searched from June 2014–April 2015, accompanied by grey literature search using pre-defined search terms linked to pregnant women in LMIC and mHealth. Quality of articles was assessed with an adapted Cochrane Risk of Bias Tool. Because of heterogeneity in outcomes, settings and study designs a narrative synthesis of quantitative results of intervention studies on maternal outcomes, neonatal outcomes, service utilization, and healthy pregnancy education was conducted. Qualitative and quantitative results were synthesized with a strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats analysis. Results In total, 3777 articles were found, of which 27 studies were included: twelve intervention studies and fifteen descriptive studies. mHealth interventions targeted at pregnant women increased maternal and neonatal service utilization shown through increased antenatal care attendance, facility-service utilization, skilled attendance at birth, and vaccination rates. Few articles assessed the effect on maternal or neonatal health outcomes, with inconsistent results. Conclusion mHealth interventions may be effective solutions to improve maternal and neonatal service utilization. Further studies assessing mHealth’s impact on maternal and neonatal outcomes are recommended. The emerging trend of strong experimental research designs with randomized controlled trials, combined with feasibility research, government involvement and integration of mHealth interventions into the healthcare system is encouraging and can pave the way to improved decision making on best practice implementation of mHealth interventions.
Understanding the Impact of Economic Crisis on Inequality, Household Structure, and Family Support in Spain from a Comparative Perspective

ABSTRACT This article examines the impact of the economic crisis on household income and on the protective role of Spanish families in the context of the current crisis using a descriptive and comparative perspective. The methodology used for this purpose is based on the use of comparative data from several international statistical sources. The findings presented show that the economic recession has increased inequality and poverty in Spain—particularly among families with children—in relation to other European countries. Another conclusion is that the traditional extended family has supported its members by providing financial and personal care for children and the elderly as a traditional type of intergenerational solidarity. However, the effect of the crisis on families does not translate into greater intergenerational support by regrouping the household into extended families. Inequality can therefore be reduced through more generous benefits and social policy towards families with children and young people.
Morphological and biochemical heterogeneity in facial and vagal nerve innervated taste buds of the channel catfish, Ictalurus punctatus

In catfish, the facial nerve innervates taste buds distributed over the entire body including the barbels, while the glossopharyngeal and vagal nerves innervate oropharyngeal taste buds. Facial nerve innervated taste buds (FITBs) are thought to be involved in food detection and localization, while glossopharyngeal and vagal nerve innervated taste buds (VITBs) evaluate the palatability of food prior to ingestion. Physiological studies indicate that both oral and extra‐oral taste buds detect sapid substances such as amino acids and nucleotides, but the facial taste system is more sensitive to some of these substances. The anatomical, molecular, and/or physiological mechanisms underlying the functional differences in these two gustatory pathways remain to be identified. In the current investigation we compare the basic morphological features of FITBs and VITBs and the distribution of the following metabolites: γ‐aminobutyric acid (GABA), glutamate, aspartate, alanine, taurine, and glutathione. Vagal innervated taste buds are significantly longer and narrower than FITBs, with fewer taste cells and a smaller nerve plexus. Each of the metabolites examined was heterogeneously distributed in taste cells with notably more GABA positive cells present in the VITBs. Patterns of metabolite colocalization suggest the presence of several taste cell subtypes. The morphological and metabolite differences noted between FITBs and VITBs provide a potential anatomical basis for the previously noted differences in physiological sensitivity. J. Comp. Neurol. 486:132–144, 2005. © 2005 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Framework to Evaluate Exposure Relevance and Data Needs for Risk Assessment of Nanomaterials using in Vitro Testing Strategies

This article presents a multistage framework for evaluating the strength of evidence of nanomaterial (NM) exposure characterization data to optimize the utility of in vitro testing strategies for human health risk assessment. This framework is intended to aid risk assessors in evaluating the relevance of data from in vitro tests and to optimize the development of new in vitro testing strategies. The initial stage frames the exposure scenarios of interest in advance of testing to incorporate aspects such as release points, route of exposure, biological and environmental transformations, dose metrics, and biological targets in subsequent stages. The second stage considers characterization in the context of a realistic exposure and the third stage involves designing a testing strategy based on expected exposure conditions. For the fourth and final stage, we propose a matrix approach to evaluate the strength of evidence obtained in the first three stages as a basis for determining the best combination of test conditions and analytical methods available to characterize and measure exposure based on the NM type. This approach can also be used to evaluate existing data for their relevance to the expected exposure scenario and to further develop and optimize in vitro testing strategies. Implementation of the proposed strategy will generate meaningful information on NM properties and their interaction with biological systems, based on realistic exposure scenarios, which will be cost effective and can be applied for assessing risk and making intelligent regulatory decisions regarding the use and disposal of NMs.
Strategic use of digital promotion strategies among female emigrant entrepreneurs in UAE

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine the strategic use of social media and chat applications of women entrepreneurs to promote their businesses. Design/methodology/approach Because of the nature of the study and dearth of sufficient data in the Middle Eastern society on the women entrepreneurship, this study employed a qualitative research methodology. The research comprised of 20 in-depth interviews with immigrant women entrepreneurs in the United Arab Emirates. They were identified through personal contacts and referrals. Findings All the expatriate women interviewed are using social media and chat applications to promote their business. Facebook is used for brand creation and WhatsApp is used as a direct marketing tool to evoke purchase response. Though traditional promotional tools are far from redundant, their role is more supplementary. The increasing trend is a combination of traditional tools and digital tools. Digital tools seem to have an upper hand in their business promotions. Research limitations/implications This study is limited to SME sector in one industry and in one country. The qualitative nature of this study could affect the generalizability of the results. A more extensive study is needed and future research should be more diverse including widening the selection of respondents, industries and countries. Originality/value This study is a novel attempt to gauge an in-depth understanding of modern communication tools. It looks specifically at the integrative strategies pursued by the immigrant women entrepreneurs using Facebook and WhatsApp.
Estrogen and spermatogenesis.

Although it has been known for many years that estrogen administration has deleterious effects on male fertility, data from transgenic mice deficient in estrogen receptors or aromatase point to an essential physiological role for estrogen in male fertility. This review summarizes the current knowledge on the localization of estrogen receptors and aromatase in the testis in an effort to understand the likely sites of estrogen action. The review also discusses the many studies that have used models employing the administration of estrogenic substances to show that male fertility is responsive to estrogen, thus providing a mechanism by which inappropriate exposure to estrogenic substances may cause adverse effects on spermatogenesis and male fertility. The reproductive phenotypes of mice deficient in estrogen receptors alpha and/or beta and aromatase are also compared to evaluate the physiological role of estrogen in male fertility. The review focuses on the effects of estrogen administration or deprivation, primarily in rodents, on the hypothalamo-pituitary-testis axis, testicular function (including Leydig cell, Sertoli cell, and germ cell development and function), and in the development and function of the efferent ductules and epididymis. The requirement for estrogen in normal male sexual behavior is also reviewed, along with the somewhat limited data on the fertility of men who lack either the capacity to produce or respond to estrogen. This review highlights the ability of exogenous estrogen exposure to perturb spermatogenesis and male fertility, as well as the emerging physiological role of estrogens in male fertility, suggesting that, in this local context, estrogenic substances should also be considered "male hormones. "
High-performance Haskell

Haskell makes it possible to write elegant, high-level code that rivals the performance of low-level, imperative languages. In this tutorial, I will introduce the tools Haskell provides for reasoning about the performance of your code and techniques that you can use to make your code faster. I will cover important topics in Haskell performance optimization, including: •accurate benchmarking, •CPU and memory profiling, •laziness and strictness, •making sense of compiler output, •performance idioms, and •data types and their impact on performance. By the end of the tutorial you should have an understanding of how to accurately measure the performance of your Haskell program, determine which parts of the program needs improvement, and finally, improve the performance of the program.
Warfarin and aortic valve calcification in hemodialysis patients.

BACKGROUND This retrospective cohort study was designed to determine the association between long-term exposure to warfarin and severity of aortic valve (AV) calcification in hemodialysis (HD) patients. METHODS One hundred and eight HD patients underwent a study-specific echocardiogram. A grading scheme was used to classify AV calcification as none, mild, moderate and severe. Demographic, biochemical and medication data were abstracted by chart review. RESULTS One hundred and eight subjects were enrolled. A minority had no calcification (n=17, 15.7%), the majority had mild calcification (n=62, 57.4%), and fewer had calcification rated as moderate (n=16, 14.8%) or severe (n=13, 12%). Dialysis vintage was associated with severity of AV calcification (p=0.04). The 18 subjects with long-term warfarin exposure (36.7 +/- 19.7 months) were more likely to have severe AV calcification (p=0.04). The odds ratio of falling into a higher category of AV calcification following 18 months of warfarin was 3.77 (95% confidence ratio, 0.97-14.70; p=0.055). There was an association between lifetime months of warfarin exposure and severity of AV calcification (p=0.004) that was independent of dialysis vintage, calcium and calcitriol intake. CONCLUSIONS The data suggest that warfarin may be associated with severity of AV calcification in HD patients and support the need for prospective studies.
Novel Approaches on Sovereign Credit Ratings

Credit ratings that are transparent, impartial and reliable as well as being up to date, quickly and easily calculated will provide convenience to investors and countries. In this study, sovereign credit rating methodologies of CRAs and studies in relevant literature are examined in detail, and two dynamic methods are proposed. These models classify countries as investable or speculative in the short term. In the first model, we used stock market values and macroeconomic variables with the Normalized Least Mean Square (NLMS) algorithm. Ratings for 15 countries are determined according to the short-term domestic currency. The results that we obtained from this model are fully consistent with those of Fitch. When we compared the results with Standard and Poorâ€™s, we obtained different results for Turkey and Portugal. In the second model, we used only stock market closing data from 40 composite indexes with the Artificial Neural Networks (ANNs). Ratings are determined according to short-term foreign currency. The results that we acquired from these two models are fully compliant with Standard and Poor's. However, when compared to the ratings of Fitch, the results differed in the case of Russia. It has been shown that contrary to standard approaches, high predictability is achievable for countries using short-term data. The suggested models are more objective and dynamic due to only short-term data being required. Â
Characterization of a Novel GTPase-activating Protein Associated with Focal Adhesions and the Actin Cytoskeleton*

In the present study we characterize a novel RhoGAP protein (RC-GAP72) that interacts with actin stress fibers, focal adhesions, and cell-cell adherens junctions via its 185-amino acid C-terminal region. Overexpression of RC-GAP72 in fibroblasts induces cell rounding with partial or complete disruption of actin stress fibers and formation of membrane ruffles, lamellipodia, and filopodia. RC-GAP72 mutant truncated downstream of the GTPase-activating protein (GAP) domain retains the ability to stimulate membrane protrusions but fails to affect stress fiber integrity or induce cell retraction. A mutant protein consisting of the C terminus of RC-GAP72 and lacking the GAP domain does not exert any visible effect on cellular morphology. Inactivation of the GAP domain by a point mutation does not abolish the effect of RC-GAP72 on actin stress fibers but moderates its capability to induce membrane protrusions. Our data imply that the cytoskeletal localization of RC-GAP72 and its interaction with GTPases are essential for its effect on the integrity of actin stress fibers, whereas the induction of lamellipodia and filopodia depends on the activity of the GAP domain irrespective of binding to the actin cytoskeleton. We propose that RC-GAP72 affects cellular morphology by targeting activated Cdc42 and Rac1 GTPases to specific subcellular sites, triggering local morphological changes. The overall physiological functions of RC-GAP72 are presently unknown, yet our data suggest that RC-GAP72 plays a role in regulating cell morphology and cytoskeletal organization.
Biomarker clustering to address correlations in proteomic data

Correlated variables have been shown to confound statistical analyses in microarray experiments. The same effect applies to an even greater degree in proteomics, especially with the use of MS for parallel measurements. Biological effects such as PTM, fragmentation, and multimer formation can produce strongly correlated variables. The problem is compounded in some types of MS by technical effects such as incomplete chromatographic separation, binding to multiple surfaces, or multiple ionizations. Existing methods for dimension reduction, notably principal components analysis and related techniques, are not always satisfactory because they produce data that often lack clear biological interpretation. We propose a preprocessing algorithm that clusters highly correlated features, using the Bayes information criterion to select an optimal number of clusters. Statistical analysis of clusters, instead of individual features, benefits from lower noise, and reduces the difficulties associated with strongly correlated data. This preprocessing increases the statistical power of analyses using false discovery rate on simulated data. Strong correlations are often present in real data, and we find that clustering improves biomarker discovery in clinical SELDI‐TOF‐MS datasets of plasma from patients with Kawasaki disease, and bone‐marrow cell extracts from patients with acute myeloid or acute lymphoblastic leukemia.
Myeloid-related Protein (MRP) 8 and MRP14, Calcium-binding Proteins of the S100 Family, Are Secreted by Activated Monocytes via a Novel, Tubulin-dependent Pathway*

Myeloid-related protein (MRP) 8 and MRP14, two members of the S100 family expressed in myelomonocytic cells, have been ascribed some extracellular functions, e.g. antimicrobial, cytostatic, and chemotactic activities. Since S100 proteins lack structural requirements for secretion via the classical endoplasmic reticulum/Golgi route, the process of secretion is unclear. We now demonstrate the specific, energy-dependent release of MRP8 and MRP14 by human monocytes after activation of protein kinase C. This secretory process is not blocked by inhibitors of vesicular traffic through the endoplasmic reticulum and Golgi, and comparative studies on tumor necrosis factor-α and interleukin-1β indicate that MRP8 and MRP14 follow neither the classical nor the interleukin-1-like alternative route of secretion. Inhibition by microtubule-depolymerizing agents revealed that MRP8/MRP14 secretion requires an intact tubulin network. Accordingly, upon initiation of MRP8/MRP14 secretion, immunofluorescence microscopy showed a co-localization of both proteins with tubulin filaments. Release of MRP8 and MRP14 is associated with down-regulation of their de novo synthesis, suggesting that extracellular signaling via MRP8/MRP14 is restricted to distinct differentiation stages of monocytes. Our data provide evidence that the S100 proteins MRP8 and MRP14 are secreted after activation of protein kinase C via a novel pathway requiring an intact microtubule network.
Determination of Biomass by Ultrasonic Measurements

The quantitative determination of biomass in a suspension by means of ultrasound velocity is a simple and on-line-applicable method. Such an ultrasonic sensor offers the advantage of being long-term stable, reliable, and sterilizable. In this paper we present sound velocity measurements made with different microorganisms. The experimental results which we have obtained with an impulse-echo method will be compared with theoretical predictions and discussed with respect to previous findings (Y. Ishimori, I. Karube, and S. Suzuki, Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 42:632-637, 1981).
»It’s the Economy, Stupid!«- Bemerkungen zum Abschneiden der AfD bei der Bundestagswahl 2017

In seinem Kommentar diskutiert Fritz Sollner, Technische Universitat Ilmenau, eine okonomische Erklarung fur die auffalligen Unterschiede zwischen alten und neuen Bundeslandern beim Stimmenanteil der AfD. Diese beruht auf den zu erwartenden negativen Verteilungswirkungen der Fluchtlingskrise und stellt einen Zusammenhang zwischen okonomischem Eigeninteresse, Einstellung zur Fluchtlingspolitik und Wahlverhalten her.
Identification of a regulatory protein required for pressure‐responsive gene expression in the deep‐sea bacterium Photobacterium species strain SS9

Here, we report the characterization of a gene necessary for hydrostatic pressure regulation of gene expression in the deep‐sea bacterium Photobacterium species strain SS9. The deduced amino acid sequence of the gene product shares extensive similarity to ToxR, a transmembrane DNA‐binding protein first discovered as a virulence determinant in the pathogenic bacterium Vibrio cholerae. Changes in hydrostatic pressure induce changes in both the abundance and the activity of the SS9 ToxR protein (or the activity of a ToxR‐regulated protein). As with other high‐pressure‐inducible phenomena observed in higher organisms, anaesthetics antagonize high‐pressure signalling mediated by ToxR. It is suggested that SS9 ToxR has evolved the ability to respond to pressure‐mediated alterations in membrane structure. V. cholerae and SS9 also share similarity in a ToxR‐regulated protein, indicating that part of the ToxR regulon is conserved in diverse members of the family Vibrionaceae. The SS9 ToxR system represents a useful model for studies of signal transduction and environmental adaptation in the largest portion of the biosphere, the deep sea.
Blocking Scn10a Channels in Heart Reduces Late Sodium Current and Is Antiarrhythmic

Rationale: Although the sodium channel locus SCN10A has been implicated by genome-wide association studies as a modulator of cardiac electrophysiology, the role of its gene product Nav1.8 as a modulator of cardiac ion currents is unknown. Objective: We determined the electrophysiological and pharmacological properties of Nav1.8 in heterologous cell systems and assessed the antiarrhythmic effect of Nav1.8 block on isolated mouse and rabbit ventricular cardiomyocytes. Methods and Results: We first demonstrated that Scn10a transcripts are identified in mouse heart and that the blocker A-803467 is highly specific for Nav1.8 current over that of Nav1.5, the canonical cardiac sodium channel encoded by SCN5A. We then showed that low concentrations of A-803467 selectively block “late” sodium current and shorten action potentials in mouse and rabbit cardiomyocytes. Exaggerated late sodium current is known to mediate arrhythmogenic early afterdepolarizations in heart, and these were similarly suppressed by low concentrations of A-803467. Conclusions: Scn10a expression contributes to late sodium current in heart and represents a new target for antiarrhythmic intervention.
Juxtaposed intra-EU youth mobility: motivations among returnees to Latvia

All across Europe, a high share of youth is involved in intra-EU mobility. This paper explores the existent juxtaposed motivational aspects for young return migrant groups within the EU. Diverse patterns of emigration and return motivations frame the issue of return and reveal existent trends. With this study, we explore the juxtaposed motives triggering return migrants’ initial emigration, as well as the main motives for return migration.Our study is based on quantitative analysis, using data from a panel survey of the Horizon2020 YMOBILITY project. Comparing first move and return motivations of Latvian and other intra-EU return migrants reveals specificities for each of the groups. In particular, the results corroborate motivations for departure – economics, self-development and various other factors for both Latvian and other intra-EU returnees; students form a specific subgroup of intra-EU returnees. The main turning points for both groups are achievement of migration goals and a multi-layered combination of factors; however, in the case of Latvian returnees, homesickness and nostalgia dominate in the decision to return.