Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
“Huzzah for my thing:” Evaluating a Pilot of a Mobile Service in Kenya

—Deploying and evaluating a new technology is a major challenge in ICTD research. Introducing new technologies can be hampered by a lack of cultural insight, poor or delayed feedback, and limited evaluation procedures, among other factors. This short paper offers a model for introducing technology in developing regions that mitigates these factors. We call these steps the “Huzzah method,” inspired by a quotation that rightly derides technology that is introduced from afar and poorly evaluated. The paper also includes selected portions from other work on Tangaza, whose design, implementation, and analysis followed the Huzzah method.
Food allergy: Is strict avoidance the only answer?

It is an immunological paradigm that avoidance of food allergen may reduce the risk or prevent immunological reactions and conversely that a greater exposure increases the magnitude of the immune response. Consequently, food allergen avoidance has been recommended to reduce the risk of sensitization in infants and to prevent clinical reactions in children with positive skin prick tests (SPT). In the latter setting, it is hoped that avoidance may either promote or at least not retard the development of tolerance. Animal studies, however, have demonstrated that tolerance to food allergens may be induced by either large (high zone tolerance) or small (low zone tolerance) doses, whereas doses in between may actually stimulate immune responses. In this review, we discuss whether strict allergen avoidance is always the most appropriate strategy for preventing or managing IgE‐mediated food allergy.
Factors predicting incorrect use of restraints by children travelling in cars: a cluster randomised observational study

Background The benefits of correctly using size-appropriate restraints for children travelling in cars are well established, and considerable research has focused on the determinants of appropriate restraint choice. There are few studies of the factors associated with incorrect use. Objective To determine predictors of incorrect restraint use by child occupants and how these differ from inappropriate use. Methods A stratified multistage cluster sample of child occupants aged 0–10 years in New South Wales, Australia was used. Observation of restraint type and inspection of correctness of use was performed on arrival at schools, childcare centres, and child health clinics. An interview was conducted with the driver. Logistic regression was performed to estimate the effects of parental, family, and other characteristics on the likelihood of moderate or serious incorrect restraint use for restraint classes (rear/forward facing, booster, and seatbelt). Results Significant factors varied depending on age and restraint class. Older child restraint users (OR per year of age 0.27, 95% CI 0.07 to 0.98) and seatbelt users (OR per year of age 0.54, 95% CI 0.45 to 0.64) were less likely to be incorrectly using their restraints than younger users. Child restraint and booster users from non-English speaking families were more likely to be incorrectly using their restraints. Having more children in the car appeared to reduce incorrect use for booster (OR 0.18, 95% CI 0.06 to 0.57) and seatbelt users (OR 0.39, 95% CI 0.16 to 0.93). Conclusions There is a need to reduce incorrect restraint use by both education and improved restraint design. Education aimed at reducing incorrect use may need to be targeted differently to appropriate use programmes, as the predictive factors differ.
Aortic and hepatic contrast medium enhancement at CT. Part II. Effect of reduced cardiac output in a porcine model.

PURPOSE To investigate how reduction in cardiac output affects the magnitude and timing of aortic and hepatic contrast medium enhancement during abdominal computed tomography (CT). MATERIALS AND METHODS Eight 20-30-kg pigs underwent CT before and after pharmacologic reduction of cardiac output (measured by means of thermodilution). Each CT study consisted of 53 dynamic images acquired every 5 seconds at a fixed level through the midliver after intravenous injection of contrast medium (concentration, 282 mg of iodine per milliliter; dose, 2 mL per kilogram of body weight; injection rate, 2 mL/sec). Curves of contrast medium enhancement versus time were measured. Changes in the magnitude and timing of aortic and hepatic enhancement were compared with the reduction in cardiac output. RESULTS With reduction in cardiac output, the time from the injection start to the arrival of the contrast medium bolus in the aorta (P < .01) and the times from injection completion to peak aortic (P < .01) and peak hepatic (P < .01) enhancement increased. As cardiac output decreased, peak aortic enhancement increased proportionally (P < .01). Peak hepatic enhancement increased only slightly and correlated weakly with the decrease in cardiac output (P = .07). CONCLUSION As cardiac output decreases, the times to the arrival of the contrast medium bolus in the aorta and to peak aortic and hepatic enhancement increase. Reduction in cardiac output results in a substantial increase in peak aortic enhancement but not in peak hepatic enhancement.
An Overview on Bioequivalence: Regulatory Consideration for Generic Drug Products

Generic pharmaceutical products need to con fi rm to the same standards of quality, ef fi cacy and safety as required of the originator’s (innovator) product. Speci fi cally, the Generic product should be therapeutically equivalent and interchangeable with the reference product. Testing the bioequivalence between a test product pharmaceutically equivalent or a pharmaceutical alternative and a suitable reference product in a pharmacokinetic study with a limited number of subjects is one way of demonstrating therapeutic equivalence. Generic drug applications are termed “abbreviated” because they are generally not required to include preclinical and clinical data to establish safety and effectiveness. This paper provides the information about important aspect involved in bioequivalence and Regulatory requirement for Bioequivalence study.
Bacteriocins as a natural antimicrobial agent in food preservation: a review.

Bacteriocins are ribosomally synthesized peptides or proteins with antimicrobial activity, produced by different groups of bacteria. Many lactic acid bacteria (LAB) produce bacteriocins with rather broad spectra of inhibition. Though these bacteriocins are produced by LAB found in numerous fermented and non-fermented foods, nisin is currently the only bacteriocin widely used as a food preservative. Several LAB bacteriocins offer potential applications in food preservation, and the use of bacteriocins in the food industry can help to reduce the addition of chemical preservatives as well as the intensity of heat treatments, resulting in foods which are more naturally preserved and richer in organoleptic and nutritional properties. This can be an alternative to satisfy the increasing consumers demands for safe, fresh-tasting, ready-to-eat, minimally-processed foods and also to develop “novel” food products (e.g. less acidic, or with a lower salt content).
The Phenotypes of Smooth Muscle Expressed in Human Atheroma a

In 1866 Langhans described a population of subendothelial cells which he regarded as fibroblasts or fibrocytes. ' Since then, these cells have been described as modified smooth muscle cells (see REF. 2), multifunctional mesenchymal cells,' differentiating or dedifferentiating smooth muscle cells,4 intermediate smooth muscle cells,5 or mesenchymal appearing.6 Ultrastructural studies indicated that these cells are smooth muscle of altered phenotypic and in recent years a wide variety of techniques has been used to demonstrate further structural and functional differences between medial smooth muscle cells and those in or around human atheromatous lesions (see TABLE I ) . Thus there is now overwhelming evidence that populations of smooth muscle cells in an atherosclerotic plaque (and involved in atherogenesis) express different phenotypes from those of the normal media. This article describes some of the different phenotypes expressed by smooth muscle cells in atheroma and discusses two experimental models in which many of these phenotypic populations can be reproduced.
Closing the Gap of Control Complexity in Borda Elections: Solving ten open cases

We consider the problem of control in elections where an election chair seeks to either make a designated candidate win, or prevent her from winning, via actions such as adding, deleting, or partitioning either candidates or voters. These scenarios have been studied for many voting systems and the related control problems have been classified in terms of their complexity. However, for one of the most prominent natural voting systems, the Borda Count, complexity results are known for only half of these cases. We settle the complexity for ten missing cases in the unique-winner model, leaving just one case open. We also show that Borda is vulnerable to control for this one open case in the nonunique-winner model. An interesting consequence is that Borda is vulnerable to another type of control in the nonunique-winner model, yet it is resistant to it in the unique-winner model. This is one of the few known cases where the complexity of control problems differs depending on the winner model chosen.
A Review on Potential Involvement of TRPV1 Channels in Ischemia–Reperfusion Injury

Besides functioning as thermosensors, transient receptor potential vanilloid 1 (TRPV1) channels play a pivotal role in ischemia–reperfusion injury. Transient receptor potential vanilloid 1 channel activation attenuates ischemia–reperfusion-induced injury in various organs including the heart, lungs, kidneys, and the brain. Transient receptor potential vanilloid 1 channels are expressed on the sensory neurons innervating the myocardium, ventricles of the heart, epicardial surface of the heart, endothelial cells, and the vascular smooth muscle cells. During ischemic conditions, activation of TRPV1 channels on the perivascular nerves stimulates the release of calcitonin gene-related peptide and substance P to produce cardioprotection. Furthermore, TRPV1 channel activation reduces the generation of free radicals and inflammatory cytokines, inhibits neutrophil infiltration, and enhances the production of anti-inflammatory cytokines to reduce ischemia–reperfusion-induced tissue injury. The present review describes the potential involvement of TRPV1 channels and the signaling cascade in attenuating ischemia–reperfusion injury in various organs.
Insomnia symptoms and cardiorespiratory fitness in healthy individuals: the Nord-Trøndelag Health Study (HUNT).

STUDY OBJECTIVES Previous studies have found an inverse association between insomnia and self-reported physical activity, but it is not clear whether insomnia is associated with cardiorespiratory fitness. Our aim was to investigate different insomnia symptoms in relation to the gold standard measure of cardiorespiratory fitness, i.e., peak oxygen uptake (VO(2peak)). DESIGN Cross-sectional population study. SETTING Nord-Trøndelag County, Norway. PARTICIPANTS The group comprised 3,489 men and women who were free from cardiovascular or pulmonary diseases, cancer, and sarcoidosis and who did not use antihypertensive medication. They were included in the fully adjusted model when assessing all insomnia symptoms simultaneously. INTERVENTIONS N/A. MEASUREMENTS AND RESULTS For insomnia, the participants reported how often they had experienced sleep problems during the past 3 months, including difficulties falling asleep at night, repeated awakenings during the night, early awakenings without being able to go back to sleep, and daytime sleepiness. Response options were "never/almost never," "sometimes" or "several times a wk. " To measure cardiorespiratory fitness, the participants were asked to walk or run on a treadmill with increasing speed and/or incline until exhaustion, and VO(2peak) was recorded. We found a modest inverse and graded association of the insomnia symptoms with VO(2peak). The association was independent of self-reported physical activity and was apparent for all insomnia symptoms except for early awakenings. We found a dose-response relation for a cumulative combination of insomnia symptoms and VO(2peak) for experiencing zero, one to two, or three to four symptoms (P for trend < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS We found a modest inverse association of insomnia with VO(2peak) independent of the conventional cardiovascular risk factors and self-reported physical activity.
An examination of the application of multi-layer neural networks to audio signal processing

A method is described for utilizing a multilayer neural network for audio signal processing. Normal finite and infinite impulse response (FIR and IIR) filters are of little use in separating the signal from noise because the cases considered are those where the noise source has statistical properties similar to the signal. Artificial neural systems (ANSs) offer potential alternatives to signal-processing and pattern-recognition techniques. ANSs were utilized using back propagation in an adaptive filter, and how single-layer and multilayer networks compare for adaptive filtering was explored. The experimental results indicate that the multilayer ANS did provide better performance
Contribution of birth defects and genetic diseases to pediatric hospitalizations. A population-based study.

OBJECTIVE To estimate the contribution of birth defects and genetic diseases to pediatric hospitalizations by use of population-based data. DESIGN Hospital discharges were categorized according to the diagnostic codes of The International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision, Clinical Modification. Hospitalizations that were related to birth defects and genetic diseases were compared with hospitalizations for other reasons, with respect to age, race/ethnicity, sex, length of stay, charges, source of payment, and mortality rate. Hospitalization rates and per capita charges were computed with the use of population estimates from 1990 census data. MATERIALS The 1991 population-based hospital discharge data from California and South Carolina. RESULTS Nearly 12% of pediatric hospitalizations in the 2 states combined were related to birth defects and genetic diseases. These children were, on average, about 3 years younger, stayed 3 days longer in a hospital, incurred 184% higher charges, and had a 4 1/2 times greater in-hospital mortality rate than children who were hospitalized for other reasons. The rate of hospitalizations that were related to birth defects and genetic diseases was 4 per 1000 children in both states, but these rates varied by age and race. CONCLUSION These population-based data are the first contemporary findings to show the substantial morbidity rate and hospitalization charges associated with birth defects and genetic diseases in the pediatric population. IMPLICATIONS This information is important for planning effective health care strategies, especially as the causes, treatments, and prevention of these disorders are being further elucidated by findings from human genome research and epidemiologic studies.
Comportamiento mecánico de la aleación W+1%Y2O3 en función de la atmósfera y la temperatura

Mediante ensayos de flexion en tres puntos se compara y evalua el comportamiento mecanico de la aleacion W- 1wt%Y2O3 con el W puro fabricados ambos mediante HIP. Se ha obtenido la tenacidad de fractura, la resistencia a flexion y el limite elastico en atmosfera oxidante y de vacio en un intervalo de temperaturas comprendido entre -196 oC, ensayos de inmersion en nitrogeno liquido, y 1200 oC. Previamente, se ha medido la densidad, la dureza mediante ensayos Vickers y el modulo de elasticidad dinamico de los materiales. Ademas, la dureza y el modulo de elasticidad se han comparado con los obtenidos mediante ensayos instrumentados de nanoindentacion. Finalmente se ha realizado un pequeno estudio de las superficies de fractura de las muestras ensayadas mediante microscopia electronica de barrido para poder relacionar el modo de rotura de los materiales y las propiedades mecanicas macroscopicas con los micromecanismos de fallo involucrados en funcion de la temperatura.
Direct and indirect healthcare costs of rheumatoid arthritis patients in Turkey.

OBJECTIVES To estimate the annual cost of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) in Turkey by obtaining real-world data directly from patients. METHODS In this cross-sectional study, RA patients from the rheumatology outpatient clinics of 10 university hospitals were interviewed with a standardised questionnaire on RA-related healthcare care costs. RESULTS The study included 689 RA patients (565 females) with a mean age of 51.2±13.2 years and mean disease duration of 9.4±7.8 years. The mean scores of the Routine Assessment of Patient Index Data 3 and the Health Assessment Questionnaire-Disability Index (5.08±2.34 and 1.08±0.68, respectively) indicated moderate disease activity and severity for the whole group. One-third of the patients were on biologic agents and 12% had co-morbid conditions. The mean number of annual outpatient visits was 11.7±9.6 per patient. Of the patients, 15% required hospitalisation and 4% underwent surgery. The mean annual direct cost was € 4,954 (median, € 1,805), whereas the mean annual indirect cost was € 2,802 (median, € 608). Pharmacy costs accounted for the highest expenditure (mean, € 2,777; median, € 791), followed by the RA-related consultations and expenses (mean, € 1,600; median, € 696). CONCLUSIONS RA has a substantial economic burden in Turkey, direct costs being higher than indirect costs. Although both direct and indirect costs are lower in Turkey than in Europe with respect to nominal Euro terms, they are higher from the perspectives of purchasing power parity and gross domestic product. Early diagnosis and treatment of RA may positively affect the national economy considering the positive correlation between health care utilisations and increased cost with disease severity.
The midterm elections--high stakes for health policy.

The stakes for health policy in the 2010 congressional elections are higher than they have ever been. The political parties are polarized. Policy divisions are deep. The challenges of implementingthe Affordable Care Act (ACA) are enormous. The outcome of the 2010 congressional elections may well determine whether this landmark legislation succeeds or fails. Whatever the electoral outcome, the political battle over health care reform will continue into the 2012 presidential elections and probably beyond. The evidence of party polarization is overwhelming (see table). 1 A majority of both parties ended up voting for the original Social Security Act, although Republicans had .
The Foundation of (Business) Ethics' Evolution

Business education and higher education, according to Brink and Smith (2012), is general face criticism on several fronts and are subject to increasing scrutiny. Pringle and Michel (2007, p. 202) advised that “state legislators, parents, taxpayers, and donors want universities to justify their investments by providing evidence of student learning”. This justification seems warranted given Arum and Roksa’s (2011) compelling evidence demonstrating that undergraduate students are learning little, partly, because of the lack of rigor at institutions of higher education. In addition, possessing an MBA degree and the mastery of MBA subject matter are uncorrelated with career success (Pfeffer & Fong, 2002). Business schools are at a crossroads and it is time to seriously rethink or redesign business education (Datar, Garvin, & Cullen, 2010). The Wall Street Journal reported that corporate recruiters are questioning the value of the undergraduate business degree and “they’re looking for candidates with a broader academic background” (Korn, 2012). The purpose of this chapter is to cover the foundation of (business) ethics and the meaning of business ethics. In so doing, this chapter will cover the topic of accreditation in higher educational institutions, and the teaching of business ethics courses in higher educational institutions. FOUNDATION OF BUSINESS EDUCATION AND ACCREDITATION IN HIGHER EDUCATION INSTITUTIONS
Expression of DNA repair and apoptosis genes in mitochondrial mutant and normal cells following exposure to ionizing radiation

In double‐strand DNA damage repair, nonhomologous end joining (NHEJ) is more error‐prone than homologous recombination repair (HRR), indicating that the relative prevalence of NHEJ may lead to more incorrect repair and thus to increases in chromosome damage. If DNA damage is extensive and cells are unable to repair that damage they typically undergo apoptosis. The mechanism(s) by which cells decide to switch from DNA repair to apoptosis is unknown. Since DNA repair and apoptosis are both energy‐demanding processes, the answer may involve ATP utilization. We used human mitochondrial mutant cell lines obtained from people with phenotypic manifestations of compromised ATP generation. We hypothesized that these cells may not have adequate capacity for dealing with the additional demands for ATP required for repairing DNA damage after genotoxic exposure, perhaps making the cells more prone to undergo apoptosis instead of initiating repair. This study describes changes in the expression of genes involved in NHEJ or HRR, as well as genes involved in apoptosis, in one normal and two mitochondrial mutant human cell lines following ionizing radiation exposure. Compared to normal cells, both mutant cell lines showed reduced expression of genes involved in NHEJ and HRR. Analysis of expression changes in genes involved in apoptosis revealed marked increases in expression in the mutants compared to normal cells. These results indicate that following ionizing radiation exposure, mitochondrial mutant cells have decreased levels of mRNA expression of DNA repair genes and increased expression levels of genes involved in apoptosis compared to normal cells. This study provides information that might be useful in characterizing energy dependent processes following exposure to stress or genotoxic agents. Environ. Mol. Mutagen. , 2011. © 2010 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Stress, Leukocyte Trafficking, and the Augmentation of Skin Immune Function

Abstract: Delayed type hypersensitivity (DTH) reactions represent cell‐mediated immune responses that exert important immunoprotective (resistance to viruses, bacteria, and fungi) or immunopathologic (allergic or autoimmune hypersensitivity) effects. We have used the skin DTH response as an in vivo model to study neuro‐endocrine‐immune interactions. We hypothesized that just as an acute stress response prepares the cardiovascular and musculoskeletal systems for fight or flight, it may also prepare the immune system for challenges (e.g., wounding) that may be imposed by a stressor (e.g., an aggressor). Studies showed that acute (2 hours) stress experienced before primary or secondary cutaneous antigen exposure induces significantly enhanced skin DTH. This enhancement involves innate as well as adaptive immune mechanisms. Adrenalectomy eliminates the stress‐induced enhancement of DTH. Acute administration of physiological concentrations of corticosterone and/or epinephrine to adrenalectomized animals enhances skin DTH. Compared with those in controls, DTH sites from acutely stressed or hormone‐injected animals show significantly greater erythema and induration, numbers of infiltrating leukocytes, and levels of cytokine gene expression. In contrast to acute stress, chronic stress is immunosuppressive. Chronic exposure to corticosterone or acute exposure to dexamethasone significantly suppresses skin DTH. These results suggest that during acute stress, endogenous stress hormones enhance skin immunity by increasing leukocyte trafficking and cytokine gene expression at the site of antigen entry. Elucidation of mechanisms mediating a stress‐induced enhancement of skin immune function is important because such immunoenhancement can have protective (wound healing, resistance to infection) or pathological (allergic or autoimmune hypersensitivity) consequences.