Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Cohort effects on sexual behavior and risk of acquisition of sexually transmitted infections and HIV in a South African HIV prevention trial

Introduction: As we approach the fourth decade with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), a plethora of prevention interventions have been tried; however, prevention of new infections among women remain poorly understood and current behavioral change interventions are simply not working. Material and methods: We investigate whether women’s sexual behavior risks vary by age cohort, and the effect of this on HIV and sexually transmitted infections (STI) incidence of women enrolled in the South African Carraguard HIV prevention trial, using Cox proportional hazard models. Results: Relative to women born in the 1960s or earlier, HIV incidence was approximately twice as high compared to women born in the 1970s (adjusted hazard rate [aHR]: 1.91; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.04-3.48; p < 0.001). Women in the youngest 1980s cohort had the highest risk of HIV infection (aHR: 3.77; 95% CI: 2.25-6.32; p < 0.001). Similarly, women in the 1980s relative to the oldest (≤ 1960s) cohort had significantly higher hazards of acquiring STIs (aHR: 1.51; 95% CI: 1.16-1.96; p = 0.002), had a higher frequency of partner changes, higher coital frequency, higher proportion having had sex for money, to have an older partner, and less likely to have a circumcised partner. Conclusions: Our findings show HIV and STIs incidence remains highest amongst younger compared to older age cohorts, despite decades of STI/HIV risk-reduction interventions. Research is urgently needed to understand why after so many decades of socio-behavioral interventions little appears to have changed in the behavior of young women; instead, there appears to even be a glamorization of risky behaviors such as having older male sexual partners commonly called ‘blessers’. HIV AIDS Rev 2018; 17, 3: 181-188 DOI: https://doi.org/10.5114/hivar.2018. 78490
Baseline Inequalities: Social Skills at Preschool Entry Moderate Math Development

ABSTRACT Low-income children often enter kindergarten behind higher-income peers in math; gaps also exist in social-emotional aspects of school readiness, fueling interest in cross-domain relations and whether – and which – social skills matter for promoting early math skills. With a sample (N = 76) of mostly low-income, minority preschool children, we investigated the extent to which children’s adaptive social problem-solving skills at preschool entry vary and whether these differences moderate early math skill development during the preschool year. Using longitudinal modeling, results show that children begin preschool with varying adaptive social problem-solving skills; these variations are associated with differences in the rates at which children learn early math skills, controlling for baseline language and age. Findings illustrate an increase in the math gap associated with differences in baseline adaptive social problem-solving skills, suggesting that low-income children with more adaptive social problem-solving skills – already present at preschool entry – learn early math skills faster compared to peers with fewer adaptive social problem-solving skills. Results can guide preschool curricula in programs serving low-income children.
Chemical disease relation extraction task using genetic algorithm with two novelvoting methods for classifier subset selection

Biomedical relation extraction is an important preliminary step for knowledge discovery in the biomedical domain. This paper proposes a multiple classifier system MCS for the extraction of chemical-induced disease relations. A genetic algorithm GA is employed to select classifier ensembles from a pool of base classifiers. Moreover, the voting method used for combining the members of each of the ensembles is also selected during evolution in the GA framework. The performances of the MCSs are determined by the algorithms used for selecting the classifiers, the diversity among the selected classifiers, and the voting method used in the classifier combination. The base classifiers are represented in the form of chromosomes, where each chromosome contains all information on the ensemble it represents: the subset of classifiers voting and the voting method. The chromosomes are evolved using a variety of genetic selection, mating, and mutation techniques in order to find an optimal solution. The aim of the proposed system is to select the subset of classifiers with diverse abilities while maximizing the strengths of the best classifiers in the classifier ensemble for a given voting method. Two main contributions of this work are the evolution of the voting bit as part of the GA and the novel approach of using two different decision-making under uncertainty techniques as voting methods. Furthermore, two different selection algorithms and crossover operators are employed as ways of increasing variations during evolution. We validated our proposed method on nine different experimental settings and they produced good results comparable to the state-of-the-art systems, thereby justifying our approach.
Serological diagnostic kit of SARS-CoV-2 antibodies using CHO-expressed full-length SARS-CoV-2 S1 proteins

WHO has declared COVID-19 a pandemic with more than 300,000 confirmed cases and more than 14,000 deaths. There is urgent need for accurate and rapid diagnostic kits. Here we report the development and validation of a COVID-19/SARS-CoV-2 S1 serology ELISA kit for the detection of total anti-virus antibody (IgG+IgM) titers in sera from either the general population or patients suspected to be infected. For indirect ELISA, CHO-expressed recombinant full length SARS-CoV-2-S1 protein with 6*His tag was used as the coating antigen to capture the SARS-CoV-2-S1 antibodies specifically. The specificity of the ELISA kit was determined to be 97.5%, as examined against total 412 normal human sera including 257 samples collected prior to the outbreak and 155 collected during the outbreak. The sensitivity of the ELISA kit was determined to be 97.5% by testing against 69 samples from hospitalized and/or recovered COVID-19 patients. The overall accuracy rate reached 97.3%. Most importantly, in one case study, the ELISA test kit was able to identify an infected person who had previously been quarantined for 14 days after coming into contact with a confirmed COVID-19 patient, and discharged after testing negative twice by nucleic acid test. With the assays developed here, we can screen millions of medical staffs in the hospitals and people in residential complex, schools, public transportations, and business parks in the epidemic centers of the outbreaks to fish out the "innocent viral spreaders", and help to stop the further spreading of the virus.
Biomarker Significance of Serum CXCL8, CXCL10 and CXCL16 in Breast Tumors of Iraqi Patients

قيمت الاهمية الواسم-حياتية لثلاث من الحركيات الكيميائية (CXCL8 وCXCL10 وCXCL16) في مصول 45 من مريضات سرطان الثدي و28 من مريضات ورم الثدي الحميد و20 من نساء السيطرة. واعتمدت المرحلة السريرية وتعبير الورم لمستقبلات Estrogen وProgesterone وعامل النمو الشري HER-2 في هذا التقييم. اظهرت النتائج زيادة معنوية في متوسط CXCL8 وCXCL10 وCXCL16 لمريضات سرطان الثدي ومريضات ورم الثدي الحميد مقارنة بالسيطرة (CXCL8: 47.3 و25.7 مقابل 15.0؛ CXCL10: 37.6 و30.7 مقابل 13.1؛ CXCL16: 27.9 و25.2 مقابل 19.2 بيكوغرام/مل، على التوالي). وكانت زيادة مستوى CXCL8 وCXCL16 اكثر وضوحا في المريضات ثلاثية-سالبة التعبير والموجبة للمستقبل HER-2، على التوالي. اظهر تحليل الانحدار اللوجستي الثنائي اهمية CXCL8 كعامل تنبؤي لسرطان الثدي وان ذلك اكثر وصفا في المريضات ثلاثية سالبة التعبير. وفضلا عن ذلك فقد اظهر تحليل خصائص المستقبل التشغيلية باحتلال CXCL8 مساحة تحت المنحنى قدرها 0.988 في مريضات سرطان الثدي. يمكن الاستنتاج بان CXCL8 ذو اهمية لواسم - حياتي لسرطان الثدي خصوصا عند الاخذ بنظر الاعتبار تعبير الورم لمستقبلات Estrogen وProgesterone وعامل النمو الشري HER-2. وفي هذا الصدد، فان الدراسة تقترح الاهمية التنبؤية للحركي الكيميائي-8 في تطور سرطان الثدي لدى المريضات ثلاثية سالبة التعبير.
Crack-Based Complementary Nanoelectromechanical Switches for Reconfigurable Computing

Reconfigurable computing (RC) enables hardware to operatewith the flexibility of software. This is achieved by programming the interconnections between logic blocks. In this study,we exploited crack-based complementary nanoelectromechanical (CNEM) switches to construct energy-efficient and high-density RC. Our proposed device integrates the advantages of ferroelectric and NEM switch, such as nonvolatility, a quasi-zero OFF-state leakage current and a low operating voltage. Complementary switching enables our device to operate asa CMOS inverter in a very simple manner. Thus, this device can readily implement programmable routings. The voltage required to maintain the routings is not needed, leading to significant saving in static and dynamic power consumption. In addition, the fundamental AND, OR and NOT logic gates can be condensed into a single CNEM switch device to implementthe reconfigurable logics, thereby reducing chip area and energy dissipation. We believe that our device paves the way for development of energy-efficient electronics.
Externalities in International Tax Enforcement: Theory and Evidence

We show that the fiscal authorities of high-tax countries can lack the incentives to combat profit shifting to tax havens. Instead, they have incentives to focus their enforcement efforts on relocating profits booked by multinationals in other high-tax countries, crowding out the enforcement on transactions that shift profits to tax havens, and reducing the global tax payments of multinational companies. The predictions of our model are motivated and supported by the analysis of two new datasets: the universe of transfer price corrections conducted by the Danish tax authority, and new cross-country data on international tax enforcement. (JEL E62, F23, H25, H26, H87, K34)
Screening for Depression, Anxiety and Stress upon Informal Primary Caregivers of Patients Suffering from Common Mental Disorders

WHO defines health as ‘a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely an absence of disease or infirmity. ’ Common mental disorders comprise depression, anxiety, post-traumatic stress, panic attack and obsessive-compulsive disorders. The study was a hospital-based cross-sectional study. The units of the study were informal primary caregivers coming along with the patients (treatment naïve) for the first time to the psychiatry OPD of Guru Teg Bahadur Hospital, New Delhi. Sample size of the study was 226. Those caregivers who were themselves suffering from physical or mental illness and those patients who were suffering from mental retardation, schizophrenia, substance abuse and alcohol dependence were not involved. Study tools used were sociodemographic profile of the patient and caregiver and DASS (depression, anxiety and stress scale). Around 2/3 rd of the caregivers were suffering from some levels of depression, with 1/5 th in extremely severe depression level. 2/3 rd of the caregivers were suffering from some levels of anxiety, with 1/3 rd in extremely severe anxiety levels. Less than half of the caregivers were having some levels of stress, with 16% in extremely severe stress levels.
Application of Whale Optimization Algorithm to Inverse Scattering of an Imperfect Conductor with Corners

In this paper, the whale optimization algorithm (WOA) is applied to the inverse scattering of an imperfect conductor with corners. The WOA is a new metaheuristic optimization algorithm. It mimics the hunting behavior of humpback whales. The inspiration results from the fact that a whale recognizes the location of a prey (i.e., optimal solution) by swimming around the prey within a shrinking circle and along a spiral-shaped path simultaneously. Initially, the inverse scattering is first transformed into a nonlinear optimization problem. The transformation is based on the moment method solution for scattering integral equations. To treat a target with corners and implement the WOA inverse scattering, the cubic spline interpolation is utilized for modelling the target shape function. Numerical simulation shows that the inverse scattering by WOA not only is accurate but also converges fast.
Does Participation in Global Value Chains Increase Productivity? An Analysis of Trade in Value Added Data

This paper examines the impact of global value chain (GVC) participation in productivity by considering both backward and forward participation. Conducting a panel estimation covering 47 countries and 13 manufacturing sectors for the period of 1995 to 2011, we found that both backward and forward GVC participation contribute to an increase in the productivity of the countries involved in GVCs. In particular, benefits in the form of improved productivity are larger in cases where developing countries procure intermediate goods from developed countries, or backward participation. Our analysis indicates the importance of GVC participation for improving productivity. We argue that, in order for a country to increase GVC participation, an open, free, and transparent trade and foreign direct investment environment (which is provided by regional trade agreements); well-developed soft infrastructure (e.g. educational and legal systems); hard infrastructure (e.g. transportation and communication systems); and the availability of capable human resources are important.
Thermotropism by primary roots of maize

Sensing in the roots of higher plants has long been recognized to be restricted mainly to gravitropism and thigmotropism. However, root responses to temperature gradients have not been extensively studied. We have designed experiments under controlled conditions to test if and how root direction of maize can be altered by thermal gradients perpendicular to the gravity vector. Primary roots of maize grown on agar plates exhibit positive thermotropism (curvature toward the warmer temperature) when exposed to gradients of 0.5 to 4.2{degree}C cm{sup {minus}1}. The extent of thermotropism depends on the temperature gradient and the temperature at which the root is placed within the gradient. The curvature cannot be accounted for by differential growth as a direct effect of temperature on each side of the root.
The Prevalence of Hepatitis B and D Viruses and Evaluating YMDD Mutation in HBV-Suspected Patients in Qom Province, Iran

Background: Hepatitis B virus (HBV) and hepatitis D virus (HDV) infections are known as major health concerns world-wide. Nucleoside analogs (NAs) are widely used in anti-HBV therapy. However, HBV resistance to Nas may result in disease recurrence. Objectives: The present study aimed to evaluate the prevalence of HBV and HDV infections, and to investigate the presence of YMDD motif in HBV-infected patients. Methods: In this cross-sectional study, a total of 1600 blood specimens were collected from HBV-suspected patients, who referred to diagnostic centers in Qom Province, Iran from July 2018 to March 2019 before and after lamivudine therapy. The presence of HBV in the specimens was investigated using ELISA and nested PCR assays. Also, HDV and YMDD motif were detected in HBV-infected patients using the PCR technique. In order to confirm the presence of HDAg gene of HDV, the PCR products of some HBV/HDV-positive specimens were subjected to direct sequencing. Results: The number of HBsAg positive patients was 180 (11.25%) (P < 0.05) according to ELISA and nested PCR assays; these patients were in the age range of 32 - 38 years. Also, 11 (6.1%) patients were infected with HBV/HDV. The frequency of lamivudine resistance mutation in the YMDD region was 28 (15.5%) among chronic HBV patients. The constructed phylogenetic trees for HDAg gene of HDV showed that most HBV/HDV isolates had similar sequences to the Iranian isolates. Conclusions: The present results showed that it is important to increase our knowledge about the frequency of chronic HBV and HDV infections. Also, development of new antiviral medications is important for prevention and prompt and appropriate treatment.
OCT as a diagnostic tool in X-linked retinoschisis

Article History: Received 2, May, 2015 Received in revised form 10, May, 2015 Accepted 4, June, 2015 Published online 28, June, 2015 Spectral domain optical coherence tomography was used to image the maculae of patient who had the diagnosis of X-linked retinoschisis maculopathy. here we present a case of 10year old boy with DOV in both eye and retinoschisis changes on ophthalmocopy and OCT imaging. same changes present to his brother also with suspected positive history to maternal grandfather at M.G. M. Medical college &MYH Hospital Indore, India.
Plasma Emission Induced by Electron Cyclotron Maser Instability in Solar Plasmas with a Large Ratio of Plasma Frequency to Gyrofrequency

In plasmas with a large ratio of plasma frequency to gyrofrequency (ωpe/Ωce), energetic electrons characterized by can excite electron cyclotron maser instability (ECMI), generating waves of upper hybrid (UH), Z, and W modes. It has been presumed that these ECMI waves can somehow convert to escaping X–O modes as fundamental (F) or harmonic (H) plasma emission. Here we perform a fully kinetic, electromagnetic particle-in-cell simulation to investigate the proposed radiation process. ECMI is driven by energetic electrons with a Dory–Guest–Harris distribution representative of a double-sided loss cone, and ωpe/Ωce is set to be 10. We find that the electrostatic UH mode is the fastest-growing mode. Around the time when its energy starts to decline, the W mode grows to be dominant. During this stage, we observe significant F and H plasma emission. The F emission is in the O mode with a bandwidth around 0.1–0.2 Ωce, and the H emission is contributed by both X and O modes with a narrower bandwidth. We suggest that the O–F emission is caused by coalescence of almost counterpropagating Z and W modes, while the H emission arises from coalescence of an almost counterpropagating UH mode at relatively large wave number. Thus the plasma emission investigated here is induced by a combination of wave growth due to ECMI and further nonlinear wave-coupling processes. The result is relevant to understanding solar radio bursts as well as other astronomical radio sources that are excited by energetic electrons trapped within certain magnetic structures.
State –People Interaction in West Bengal: A Comparative Study of Selected Urban Centres

This research paper explores the attitudes and perceptions of urban dwellers towards their local municipal governance to seek possible answers to the research question: ‘how much do political attitudes developed at the local level impact upon the system of urban governance? ’ I use the context of my empirical research of eight selected towns, namely, Asansol, Balurghat, Bolpur, Burdwan, Kalimpong, Kalna, Siliguri and Tarakeswar of West Bengal. The study was conducted during 2017-2018. I found that a strong relationship does not exist between citizens’ attitudes towards their local government and the public policies of these administrations. There are gaps in satisfaction in political efficiency, accountability and satisfaction as evident from the study. I conclude that the levels in the quality and quantity of urban services can be raised only by increasing the levels of interaction between city dwellers and their elected representatives. This paper is based on the empirical survey done with the help of both qualitative and quantitative methods. The data used in this paper are collected from both the primary and the secondary sources. Key Wards: perception, attitude, political efficiency, accountability, satisfaction.
Diagnosis and Management of Fetal Mummification in a Bitch – A Case Report

Death of the fetus after ossification of fetal bones generally leads to fetal mummification if there is no bacterial infection concurrent with or causing death of the fetus (Noakes, 1986). Fetal mummification is a common problem in polytocous and rare in monotocous animals (Perumal and Srivatsava, 2011). In dogs, embryonic and fetal death can occur due to abnormalities in development or chromosome, infectious agents, maternal endocrine disorders, contraceptive drugs, torsion of uterus and dystocia. These conditions may alter the environment of uterus and lead to fetal death and subsequent mummification (Planellas et al., 2012). Fetal mummification occurs in last stage of gestation after ossification of the bones. As it is a sterile condition, future fertility of animal will not be affected.
Visible-light photocatalysts: Prospects and challenges

In this research update, we discuss the visible-light photocatalysis. Due to the potential of utilizing freely available solar energy for environmental remediation and fuel generation, this topic has been of increasing interest. Huge amount of work has been done in developing a large variety of photocatalyst materials, and advances have been made in understanding the process. Nevertheless, substantial challenges remain. Some of those challenges could possibly be solved by developing better materials, but in many cases, the biggest problem is whether photocatalysis could be scaled up to an industrial process that would be cost-competitive to existing technologies. Here, we discuss different types of visible-light photocatalysts and their applications and outline various challenges that need to be addressed in the development of practically relevant materials and systems.
Macular thickness in healthy controls and diabetics without diabetic macular edema

Aim of the Study: This study aims to evaluate the thickness of the macula in patients with diabetes but without diabetic macular edema (DME) using optical coherence tomography (OCT) and compare these findings with measurements from normal controls which may be useful for early detection of macular thickening. Patients and Methods: Two hundred subjects were included and divided into 4 equal groups: normal controls, diabetics without diabetic retinopathy (DR), diabetics with NPDR and without DME, and diabetics with PDR and without DME. Full ophthalmological evaluation was done and the fast macular OCT scan was done that divides the macula into 9 sectors. The mean ± standard deviation of macular thicknesses by area were analyzed and compared. Results: A central subfield (CS) was statistically significantly thicker in normal controls compared to diabetics with no DR with no significant difference in other sectors. Furthermore, all of the inner sectors (IS, IN, IT, II) and the ON sector were significantly thicker in normal compared to diabetics with nonproliferative DR (NPDR) group with no significant difference in other sectors. Furthermore, between all sectors except IS and IT on comparing normal versus diabetics with PDR, between nasal sectors (IN and ON) but not in other sectors on comparing diabetics with no DR versus diabetics with NPDR, between all sectors except IS on comparing diabetics with no DR versus diabetics with PDR, and between all sectors on comparing diabetics with NPDR versus diabetics with PDR. Conclusion: This study found that the fovea and perifoveal subfields of the ETDRS grid tended to be thinner in diabetics without DR than in healthy controls and still thinner in eyes with DR, but thicker in eyes with PDR than in healthy controls thus confirming that the loss of neural tissue begins in the early stages of diabetes. As diabetes develops, neurodegeneration may be masked by changes in vascular permeability that cause thickening of the retinal layers.
Platelet-Rich fibrin: A “wonder material” in advanced surgical dentistry

One of the promising innovations in the field of surgical dentistry is the use of platelet-rich fibrin (PRF), alone or as an additive with other biomaterials. It accelerates the healing mechanism of the tissue and reduces the inflammation. The following article summarizes the role of PRF in the process of healing, its advantages, disadvantages, and clinical implications including advanced surgical dentistry.