Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Gender, culture and harm: an exploratory study of female heroin users of Vietnamese ethnicity

Previous quantitative cross sectional studies of ethnic Vietnamese drug users in Melbourne have been overwhelmingly drawn from samples of men. In this qualitative investigation, 24 women aged between 18 and 33 years were interviewed. This exploratory study sought: to identify issues surrounding heroin initiation and drug use career; to examine relationships with family and primary sex partners; and to reveal participants' attitudes to drug treatment. Data reveal that for the women in this study the initiation and continued use of heroin was heavily influenced by men, especially their primary sex partners. The women interviewed reported strategies to minimise their risk taking including enrolling in pharmacotherapy treatment programmes, but they remained particularly vulnerable – especially to blood borne viruses – through both injecting and sexual risk behaviour. The data suggest that interventions which focus on the gendered nature of injecting practices within personal relationships may go some way to both reducing harm and increasing control for the women involved.
Tax system and economic growth, Empirical study: Case of Morocco

This article aims to test the impact of the tax system on economic growth in Morocco. Firstly, we analyze the interaction relationship between changes in tax revenues and GDP. Secondly, we test empirically the impact of taxation by an econometric model of economic growth. In the model, two variables are adopted to represent the effect of taxation: Tax-To-GDP Ratio and tax reform effect.
[Results of anterior shoulder decompression surgery according to Neer for shoulder impingement syndrome; little effect on fitness for work].

OBJECTIVE To evaluate the effect of surgical treatment of the impingement syndrome of the shoulder on the fitness for work. DESIGN Retrospective. SETTING Academic Hospital Groningen, department of Orthopaedics, the Netherlands. PATIENTS AND METHODS A group of 31 patients who had undergone an anterior shoulder decompression between 1 January 1984 and 31 December 1993 because of shoulder symptoms due to impingement lasting more than one year, were subjected in January 1996 to a study of the effect of the treatment on the pain, fitness for work and participation in the labour process. The results were measured using an objectivated score list for pain and function and with a comparison of the labour situations before and after the operation as described by the patients. RESULTS End results as measured with the score list were fair to good in 97 patients (74%). The numbers of those completely fit for work before operation and at follow-up were identical, viz. 45 out of 131 (34%). Thirty-four patients (26%) had other jobs or adjusted activities and 37 (28%) were completely unfit for work (together 71 patients: 54%); 15 patients (11%) had stopped working for reasons of age. The probability to be definitely rejected for work after the operation was increased significantly by a job causing shoulder overstrain and by having been on sick leave with pay prior to the operation. CONCLUSION Although the objective results were reasonably good, the percentage of those completely fit for work was not changed appreciably by the surgical treatment.
Competing Rather than Collaborating: Egyptian Nongovernmental Organizations in Turbulence

This article examines how the Egyptian government produced a legal, regulatory, and operational environment designed to “divide and throttle” the country’s NGO sector. We identify a two-pronged government strategy toward the NGO sector – namely, flooding the field and bureaucratic overload – the effect of which was to fragment and weaken the sector and prevent it from forming an effective oppositional bloc. We furthermore argue that this government strategy promoted competition rather than cooperation among NGOs. Organizations espoused competing strategic visions for the sector that divided organizations into camps of “charity,” “development,” and “advocacy. ” The ultimate consequence of this competition was a sector of NGOs that, instead of valuing pluralism and building upon diverse comparative advantages to create sector-wide strength, belittled each other and failed to coalesce. Egypt’s NGO sector became a tool of the state rather than a force for collective empowerment or a voice for societal change.
Comparative chemistry of aqueous humor in posterior and anterior chambers of rabbit eye, its physiologic significance.

THE PURPOSE of this investigation was to determine the concentrations of most of those constituents of the aqueous humor of the posterior chamber, relative to those in the plasma and the aqueous humor of the anterior chamber, that contribute appreciably to the osmotic pressure of this fluid. Knowledge of the comparative concentrations of these constituents in the three fluids makes it possible to draw further inferences concerning the mechanism by which the aqueous humor is formed. Little is known concerning the nature of the aqueous humor of the posterior chamber. Coincidental to an investigation on another subject, I found that the osmotic pressures of the aqueous humor in the two chambers are the same1; this indicates that the total concentrations of dissolved substances are also very nearly the same. However, the aqueous humor of the posterior chamber was shown to contain about one and a half times as much
The diverse expression of immunity in humans at distinct states of Onchocerca volvulus infection

This study examined the development and persistence of immunity in humans presenting defined states of Onchocerca volvulus infection, i.e. in exposed endemic control individuals without microfilaridermia and clinical disease, in patients with patent or post‐patent onchocerciasis, and in patients concurrently infected with Mansonella perstans. Onchocerca volvulus antigen (OvAg)‐specific cellular reactivity was significantly diminished in microfilariae (mf)‐positive patients, while the highest reactivity was measured in exposed but mf‐negative endemic controls, those being free of any clinical signs of onchocercal disease. In patients who became post‐patent, responses to OvAg were significantly augmented, but did not approach entirely the magnitude observed in endemic controls. In onchocerciasis patients with concurrent mansonelliasis, cellular unresponsiveness to OvAg persisted, even when mf of O. volvulus were eliminated permanently by repeated ivermectin therapy. Cells from mf‐positive onchocerciasis patients produced significantly less interferon‐γ (IFN‐γ) (P<0·01) and interleukin‐5 (IL‐5) (P<0·05) in response to OvAg than those taken from endemic controls or post‐patent individuals in whom IFN‐γ and IL‐5 production was similarly high. In contrast, both OvAg‐driven as well as spontaneous IL‐10 secretion was higher in mf‐positive patients than in endemic controls or post‐patent cases. In all individuals examined, serological recognition of OvAg by immunoglobulins was dominated by IgG4; in mf‐positive patients OvAg of 205 000–12 000 molecular weight (MW) were strongly bound. In post‐patent individuals, and similarly in endemic controls, OvAg recognition by IgG4 varied from intense (with numerous antigens being recognized) to weak or absent antigen binding. Significantly elevated OvAg‐specific IgG isotypes were measured in mf‐positive onchocerciasis patients in comparison with endemic controls or post‐patent individuals (with the exception of IgG3). IgG1, IgG2 and IgE were higher, but IgG4 was lower in endemic controls compared with post‐patent onchocerciasis patients. The ratios of IgG4/IgG1 differed (P<0·001) between endemic controls and mf‐positive or post‐patent onchocerciasis patients, with IgG4/IgG1 ratios of R<3·0 being characteristic for endemic controls and post‐patent O. volvulus infection. In conclusion, this cross‐sectional immunoepidemiological investigation showed that distinct states of O. volvulus infection correlate with a particular cellular and humoral immune response. The mf‐free condition appeared to be associated with a vigorous parasite‐specific cellular reactivity and a particular cytokine production profile, while concurrent M. perstans infection depressed OvAg‐specific cellular responsiveness. Antibody responses, in all likelihood, reflected the intensity and state of infection, and not the degree of acquired immunity protective against parasite aggregation.
Control of an Electronically-Coupled Distributed Resource Unit Subsequent to an Islanding Event

This paper presents a new control strategy for islanded (autonomous) operation of an electronically coupled distributed generation (DG) unit and its local load. The DG unit utilizes a voltage-sourced converter (VSC) as the coupling medium. In a grid-connected mode, based on the conventional dq-current control strategy, the VSC controls real- and reactive-power components of the DG unit. Subsequent to an islanding detection and confirmation, the dq-current controller is disabled and the proposed controller is activated. The proposed controller utilizes (1) an internal oscillator for frequency control and (2) a voltage feedback signal to regulate the island voltage. Despite uncertainty of load parameters, the proposed controller guarantees robust stability and prespecified performance criteria (e.g., fast transient response and zero steady-state error). The performance of the proposed controller, based on time-domain simulation studies in the PSCAD/EMTDC software environment, is also presented.
Analysis of the spermine synthase gene region in Fugu rubripes, Tetraodon fluviatilis, and Danio rerio.

A prerequisite to understanding the evolution of the human X chromosome is the analysis of synteny of X-linked genes in different species. We have focused on the spermine synthase gene in human Xp22. 1. We show that whereas the human gene spans a genomic region of 54 kb, the Fugu rubripes gene is encompassed in a 4.7-kb region. However, we could not find conserved synteny between this region of human Xp22 and the equivalent F. rubripes region. A cosmid clone containing the F. rubripes gene does not contain other X-linked genes. Instead we identified homologs of human genes that are autosomally localized: the ryanodine receptor type I (RYRI), which is implicated in malignant hyperthermia and central core disease, and the HE6 gene. Comparison of the F. rubripes, Tetraodon fluviatilis, mouse, human, and Danio rerio 5'UTRs of spermine synthase highlights conserved sequences potentially involved in regulation. Interestingly, pseudogenes of this gene that are present in the human and mouse genomes seem to be absent in the compact F. rubripes genome. Analysis of a D. rerio PAC clone containing spermine synthase shows an intermediate genomic size in this fish. Sequence analysis of this PAC clone did not reveal other known genes: neither the RYRI gene, nor the HE6 gene, nor other human Xp22 genes were identified.
Second primary malignancies in retinoblastoma patients treated with intra-arterial chemotherapy: the first 10 years

Background/Aims Survivors of retinoblastoma carry a lifetime risk of secondary malignancies. It is well established that external beam radiation increases this risk; however, the risk with ophthalmic artery chemosurgery (OAC) remains unknown. We report on 10 years of experience with OAC and the rate of second primary malignancy (SPM) development. Methods This is a single-centre retrospective review approved by the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center Institutional Review Board of all patients who received OAC over a 10-year period, from May 2006 to November 2016. The second tumour incidence and survival in patients with germline disease (bilateral and unilateral with family history or confirmed germline mutation) was estimated using the Kaplan-Meier method. Patients who received external beam radiotherapy were excluded from analyses. Results Two hundred and thirty-three patients with heritable retinoblastoma who received OAC were analysed. Nineteen patients were excluded for having received external beam radiation. The Kaplan-Meier estimate of the likelihood for SPM development was 2.7% at 5 years (95% CI 0 to 25). All of the SPMs were pineoblastomas and all patients had bilateral disease in this cohort. Conclusions In our 10-year experience, we have found that SPM development in patients with germline retinoblastoma treated with OAC alone is comparable to previously published rates. In the first 10 years, OAC did not increase the known incidence of SPMs. This cohort will continue to be followed to establish the rate of development with extended follow-up.
Group cognitive-behavioural therapy for schizophrenia

Background The efficacy of cognitive–behavioural therapy for schizophrenia is established, but there is less evidence for a group format. Aims To evaluate the effectiveness of group cognitive – behavioural therapy for schizophrenia. Method In all, 113 people with persistent positive symptoms of schizophrenia were assigned to receive group cognitive – behavioural therapy or treatment as usual. The primary outcome was positive symptom improvement on the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scales. Secondary outcome measures included symptoms, functioning, relapses, hopelessness and self-esteem. Results There were no significant differences between the cognitive-behavioural therapy and treatment as usual on measures of symptoms or functioning or relapse, but group cognitive – behavioural therapy treatment resulted in reductions in feelings of hopelessness and in low self-esteem. Conclusions Although group cognitive – behavioural therapy may not be the optimum treatment method for reducing hallucinations and delusions, it may have important benefits, including feeling less negative about oneself and less hopeless for the future.
Random mating in a natural population of the malaria parasite Plasmodium falciparum

SUMMARY The genetic structure of a population of the malaria parasite Plasmodium falciparum has been examined in a village in Tanzania. Seventeen alleles of the merozoite surface protein MSP-1 and 23 of MSP-2 were detected by the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) among the blood parasites of the inhabitants. Most infections contained mixtures of genetically distinct parasite clones. PCR was then used to examine individual P. falciparum oocysts, the products of fertilization events, in wild-caught mosquitoes. Forty-five out of 71 oocysts were heterozygous for one or both genes, showing that crossing between clones was taking place frequently, following uptake of mixtures of gametocytes by the mosquitoes. The frequency of heterozygous forms showed that random mating events probably occurred within mosquito bloodmeals between gametes belonging to different parasite clones.
Cross-language differences in informational masking of speech by speech: English versus Mandarin Chinese.

PURPOSE The purpose of the study was to determine why perceived spatial separation provides a greater release from informational masking in Chinese than English when target sentences in each of the languages are masked by other talkers speaking the same language. METHOD Monolingual speakers of English and Mandarin Chinese listened to semantically anomalous sentences in their own language when 1 of 3 maskers was present (speech-spectrum noise, a 2-talker speech masker in the same language, and a 2-talker speech masker in the other language). RESULTS Both groups benefitted equally from spatial separation when the maskers were speech-spectrum noise or cross-language. Chinese listeners benefitted less from spatial separation than did English listeners when a same-language masker was used. Performance was scored in terms of the number of target words correctly identified; because Chinese target words were composed of 2 "stand-alone" morphemes, the authors also scored Chinese target words as correct when either of the morphemes was correctly identified. When this was done, Chinese and English listeners benefitted equally from spatial separation in all conditions. CONCLUSION These results support a model in which release from informational masking in both monolingual English and Chinese listeners occurs because spatial separation facilitates morpheme access in both languages.
Interactive collaboration in distance learning based on remote control of server session

This paper is devoted to description of environment for distance lessons, suitable for both remote lectures and hand-on trainings for mastering of particular software products. Proposed solution is based on interception of student's remote session on the server by teacher having administrator's rights. As a result we have managed to create a virtual computer with two sets of controls - two keyboards, two mice, two screens. One control set is located on the teacher's side and the other - on the student's side. That gives the ability to teacher and student to share the same instance of software product under study.
Clonal nature of Salmonella typhi and its genetic relatedness to other salmonellae as shown by multilocus enzyme electrophoresis, and proposal of Salmonella bongori comb. nov

Crude cell extracts of 26 isolates of Salmonella serotype typhi (S. typhi) and 48 other Salmonella isolates representing 28 serotypes and seven DNA hybridization subgroups were analyzed for electrophoretic variants of 24 metabolic enzymes by starch gel electrophoresis. All strains of S. typhi had identical isoenzyme patterns, indicating that they were a single clone. All of the enzymes detected in the remaining strains were polymorphic, and the degree of genetic variation was quite high. The average number of alleles per enzyme locus was 4.7, and the mean genetic diversity per locus was 0.556. Thirty-two distinct allele profiles, or electrophoretic types (ETs), were found in these 48 strains of Salmonella serotypes other than S. typhi. Analysis of the genetic relationships of the ETs to each other showed that, with one exception, the ETs formed subgroups that were consistent with the subgroupings based on DNA hybridization studies. ET profiles were not always linked to specific serologic patterns. These data show that multilocus enzyme electrophoresis has a potential application in epidemiologic and taxonomic studies of salmonellae, although it is not differential for S. typhi. We also propose a new species, Salmonella bongori comb. nov., a new combination base on the elevation of Salmonella choleraesuis subsp. bongori to the level of species.
[Clinical analysis of acute cerebral infarction by Dengzhanhua injection and Xiongqin injection combined with Xuesaitong treatment].

OBJECTIVE To study the clinical effect of Dengzhanhua injection and Xiongqin injection combined with Xuesaitong to treat the elderly patients with acute cerebral infarction. METHODS From March 2012 to March 2013,140 patients with acute cerebral infarction elderly patients were treated, as research subjects were randomly divided into two groups, the observation group and the control group,70 cases in each group. The control group were treated using Xuesaitong;The observation group using Dengzhanhua injection and Xiongqin injection combined with Xuesaitong. The changes of cerebral blood flow,plasma viscosity and platelet adhesion rate were com- pared before and after the treatment; Nerve function and living abilities of the two groups were recorded and compared; Cure rate of the two groups were compared. RESULTS The cerebral blood flow,plasma viscosity and platelet adhesion rate had improved to some extent af- ter treatment both of the two groups, the degree of improvement in the observation group was significantly better than the control group (P <0. 01) ;Nerve function and living abilities of the observation group was significantly better than the control group(P <0. 05) ;Cure rate in the observation group was significantly higher than the control group(P <0. 01). CONCLUSION Using Dengzhanhua injection and Xiongqin injection combined with Xuesaitong to treat elderly patients with acute cerebral infarction has significantly high curative rate, which can significantly improve patients' cerebral blood flow,plasma viscosity,platelet adhesion rate,nerve function and life skills.
Clonal persistence of B lymphocytes in normal mice is determined by variable region‐dependent selection

Many adult splenic B cells die within 1 week in the spleen of adoptive adult recipient mice; in contrast, the cellular environment of newborn recipients allows for their expansion and persistence for several weeks. In the present study, we show that the local environment of adult peritoneal cavity also allows adult splenic B cells to persist for over 2 weeks after intraperitoneal transfer. In order to determine whether the persistence of donor B cells in newborn hosts and in the peritoneum of adult recipients results from a selection process involving the clonal specificities expressed, the variation in time of VH gene family repertoires of donor B cells was analyzed in the hosts. At different times after the transfer of splenic cells from lipopolysaccharide (LPS)‐reactive mice into LPS‐non responder histocompatible recipients, mRNA colony blot assays were performed. The results show that among the donor adult LPS‐reactive B cells, the VH genes are differently used by the expanding or persisting B cells, in both kinds of recipients. Thus, cells expressing J558 or VH11 gene families are, in particular, positively selected, while those expressing D‐proximal or J606 and 36‐30 VH gene families are less selected. These findings demonstrate that the propensity of B cells to persist and expand is determined by their selection through their immunoglobulin variable regions, rather than by genetic properties linked to particular B cell subsets.
Africa’s economic regionalism: is there any other obstacle?

Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to extend the gravity model to examine the role of infrastructure (including human capital (HC)), macroeconomic policies, the institutional quality and the colonial regimes on intra-African trade during the period 1990-2013. The results show that the basic gravity variables have substantial influence on the bilateral trade in the continent. Most interestingly, whilst internal conflicts appear to have harmful and significant impacts on the flow of such trade, HC, the flow of foreign direct investment (FDI) and the British colonial regime appear as encouraging factors. The results of the study imply that devoting more resources to HC and creating a favourable investment environment should come as a top priority in current efforts to facilitate Africa’s economic regionalism. Design/methodology/approach - The paper employs Tobit technique on a semi-log extended form for the gravity model. Findings - The results show that the basic gravity variables have substantial influence on the bilateral trade in the continent. Most interestingly, whilst internal conflicts appear to have harmful and significant impacts on the flow of such trade; HC, the flow of FDI and the British colonial regime come out as encouraging factors. Originality/value - The results provided can be useful to design policies oriented to facilities intra-trade between African economies. So far, this is the first study that incorporates the soft type of infrastructures, colonization and institutional quality in the investigation of the factors that can influence intra-Africa trade.