Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Risk of AIDS-defining cancers among HIV-1-infected patients in France between 1992 and 2009: results from the FHDH-ANRS CO4 cohort.

BACKGROUND We examined trends in the incidence of the 3 AIDS-defining cancers (ADCs; Kaposi sarcoma [KS], non-Hodgkin lymphoma [NHL], and cervical cancer) among human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-infected patients relative to the general population between 1992 and 2009 in France, focusing on age at ADC diagnosis and on patients with controlled viral load and restored immunity on combination antiretroviral therapy (cART). METHODS Age- and sex-standardized incidence rates were estimated in patients enrolled in the French hospital database on HIV, and in the general population in France during 4 calendar periods (1992-1996, 1997-2000, 2001-2004, and 2005-2009). Standardized incidence ratios (SIRs) were calculated for all periods and separately for patients on cART, with CD4 counts ≥500 cells/µL for at least 2 years and viral load ≤500 copies/mL. RESULTS Although the incidence of ADCs fell significantly across the calendar periods, the risk remained constantly higher in HIV-infected patients than in the general population. In patients with restored immunity, the relative risk remained significantly elevated for KS (SIR = 35.4; 95% confidence interval [CI], 18.3-61.9), and was similar to that of the general population for NHL (SIR = 1.0; 95% CI, .4-1.8). ADCs were diagnosed at a younger age in HIV-infected patients, with a particularly marked difference for NHL (-11.3 years, P < .0001). CONCLUSIONS The incidence of all ADCs continued to fall, including cervical cancer, in the cART period, but the risk remained higher than in the general population in 2005-2009. In patients with stably restored immunity, KS remained significantly more frequent than in the general population.
The influence of dental operating microscope in locating the mesiolingual canal orifice.

OBJECTIVE The purpose of this study was to evaluate the influence of using the dental operating microscope (DOM) for detection of the mesiolingual (ML) canal orifice in extracted maxillary molars compared with unaided vision (no loupes or headlamps). STUDY DESIGN Using a clinical simulation model system, we mounted 39 maxillary molars in a dentoform and placed them into a mannequin. After rubber dam placement and preparation of standard access, 2 attempts were made to locate the ML canal with unaided vision. Then the teeth were examined by using a DOM. Finally, all teeth were sectioned, stained, and evaluated with the DOM for actual presence of an ML canal. RESULTS ML canal orifices were detected in 20 of the teeth with a sharp explorer and mirror. In the remaining teeth, 12 ML canal orifice were located by using the DOM. Qualitative nonparametric comparisons were used. CONCLUSIONS The results of this study indicate that the DOM provides increased opportunity for the dentist to detect canal orifices.
A Low-Inference Indicator of Lesson Organization.

This article reviews research on a low-inference variable related to lesson organization, referred to as kinetic structure or commonality. Kinetic structure significantly affects student achievement as well as student perception of lesson effective ness. Teachers vary greatly in terms of the degrees of kinetic structure their lessons contain. Training programs have been developed to help teachers increase the kinetic structure of their lessons, but such programs have been found to be quite time consuming. Other results concerning kinetic structures are also discussed. A LOW—INFERENCE INDICATOR OF LESSON ORGANIZATION Research on teaching effectiveness indicates that the organization of lessons is an important variable. Bruner (1962,1964) referred to organization in terms of meaning ful relationships among ideas or concepts. He noted that major concepts in a subject matter area can be used to subsume related concepts. Ausubel (1960,1963) related organization to the use of advance organizers that introduce subsuming concepts involving the subject matter. Taba (1962) discussed organization as the relationship between general goals and specific objec tives as well as the interaction between the content and the learning experiences. Skinner (1953) viewed organi zation in terms of a sequence or chain of stimuli, where each stimulus arouses a response and also reinforces the response that preceded the stimulus. Gagne (1970) studied organization as it relates to hierarchical ar rangements of knowledge. Similarly, Bloom (1976) examined learning tasks according to whether they are related sequentially to other learning tasks. Bellack, Kliebard, Hyman, and Smith (1966) studied lesson organization as a series of pedagogical moves that affect subsequent teacher-student interactions. While all of the above research has contributed to the development of the variable investigated in this paper, the work of Deese (1962) has a direct bearing on this variable. Deese examined word associations in terms of whether one concept elicits another concept. For ex ample, the concept "piano" may elicit the association of the concept "symphony" and vice versa. Deese also studied concepts in terms of the word associations they have in common. For example, word associations for "piano" might be "note," "song," and "music. " These same associations might also be made for "symphony. " Deese noted that such concept associations exist in highly organized networks of communication, and he stated that concepts that are associated should appear in communication together (or contiguously).
Funciones ejecutivas en adultos mayores alfabetizados y no alfabetizados

The study of cognitive functions in ageing, especially the executive functions in illiterate populations have not received the necessary attention. Studies show a significant increase of risk to develop cognitive impairment or dementia in populations with low level of education and/or illiterate. This increase of cases would be associated with the low capacity of brain and cognition to cope with neurodegenerative processes and which would be mediated by formal educational process. The aim of the study is compare the performance in executive functions in literate and illiterates. A total of 156 older adults were divided into four groups according to educational level: illiterates; subjects with basic and high school and subjects with university degree with the frontal assessment battery (FAB). Our results show significant differences between literates and illiterates in those variables mediated by verbal aspects and inhibitory control mechanisms. We also note that illiterate subjects and with basic school level are significantly different from subjects with higher school level and with university education. These first approximations show us the importance that formal schooling has on brain and functional architecture and opens up a line of promising research that analyzes the role of the executive function in normal and pathological cognitive ageing.
MicroRNAs and the sex specific development of the neonatal brain: A point of vulnerability to the programming effects of prenatal stress

Epidemiological studies have linked prenatal stress to increases in the incidence of neurodevelopmental disorders, including schizophrenia and autism spectrum disorders, associations that are often sex-dependent. In addition, biological sex is a strong predictor of many aspects of these disorders, including incidence, presentation, and therapeutic outcomes. While many factors contribute to these effects, sex-specific responses to fetal antecedents during key developmental windows are likely involved. The male brain is organized in a sex specific manner by a surge of testes-synthesized testosterone during the perinatal period. In appropriate cell populations this testosterone is converted to estrogen by a neuronal-specific aromatase where it acts through estrogen receptors to masculinize the neural substrate. While the primary effector, estrogen, is shared, the cellular processes responsible for this divergent development vary widely across brain regions. miRNAs, with their ability to regulate the expression of hundreds of genes, may be an exciting and novel regulatory mechanism poised to translate this estrogen signal into brain region-specific responses. The work in this dissertation identifies sexual differentiation of the brain as a point of sex-specific vulnerability to the multigenerational programming effects of early prenatal stress. Paternal (F1) prenatal stress exposure attenuates the perinatal testosterone surge, leading to dysmasculinized physiology, including increased stress sensitivity, in second-generation (F2) male offspring. Further, we reveal a novel role for the miRNA environment in programming the neurodevelopmental effects of paternal stress exposure and, more generally, in organizing the sexually dimorphic brain. Finally, we empirically map miRNA recognition elements across the transcriptome of the neonatal hypothalamus by Argonaute HITS-CLIP, and identify a network of genes targeted by organizational estrogen with functional relevance to sexual differentiation of the brain. Together these findings point to a developmental window of susceptibility during which the programming effects of early prenatal stress exposure may manifest. As such, identifying sex-specific developmental processes affected during this window, such as the dynamic changes in the miRNA environment we have highlighted, may lead to novel therapeutic targets or biomarkers predictive for neurodevelopmental disorders. Degree Type Dissertation Degree Name Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) Graduate Group Pharmacology First Advisor Tracy L. Bale
Cytotoxic, antiviral (in‐vitro and in‐vivo), immunomodulatory activity and influence on mitotic divisions of three taxol derivatives: 10‐deacetyl‐baccatin III, methyl (N‐benzoyl‐(2‘R,3’S)‐3‘‐phenylisoserinate) and N‐benzoyl‐(2’R,3‘S)‐3’‐phenylisoserine

The aim of this study was to evaluate cytotoxic, antiviral (in‐vitro and in‐vivo) and immunomodulatory activity, as well as the influence on mitotic division, of three taxol derivatives representing modified parts of its molecule: 10‐deacetyl‐baccatin III, methyl (N‐benzoyl‐(2′R,3′S)‐3′‐phenylisoserinate) and N‐benzoyl‐(2′R,3′S)‐3′‐phenylisoserine. The cytotoxicity of the compounds, assessed by the formazane method, was relatively low, with a 50% cytotoxic concentration (CC50) > 500 μg mL−1. Moreover, all tested compounds inhibited Herpes simplex type 1 virus (HSV‐1) replication in non‐cytotoxic concentrations in‐vitro. Selectivity indices were in the range 9.5–46.7. Anti‐HSV‐1 activity of the compounds may be associated with their influence on mitotic division. All of the compounds decreased the number of cell divisions. Mitotic indices ranged from 40/1000 (4.0%) to 62/1000 (6.2%). One compound, 10‐deacetyl‐baccatin III, influenced the growth of tumours induced in mice by infection with Moloney murine sarcoma virus. The effect of the tested compounds on T lymphocyte proliferation was evaluated by measurement of the activity of tritiated thymidine incorporated into DNA of dividing cells. One compound, methyl (N‐benzoyl‐(2′R,3′S)‐3′‐phenylisoserinate), inhibited T lymphocyte proliferation. This paper demonstrates that modified parts of the taxol molecule possess various types of biological activity in‐vitro and in‐vivo. Further experiments, focused on revealing their mechanisms of action, are necessary.
Sex, Love and Money in Cambodia: Professional Girlfriends and Transactional Relationships

1. Professional Girlfriends and Transactional Sex 2. Methods, Ethics and Intimate Ethnography 3. Sex, Work and Agency 4. Politics, History and the Sexual Landscape 5. Sexuality, Subculture and Alternative Kinship 6. Constructions of Love and the Materiality of Everyday Sex 7. Moving Beyond Sex Work
Multisource classification of remotely sensed data: fusion of Landsat TM and SAR images

Proposes a new method for statistical classification of multisource data. The method is suited for land-use classification based on the fusion of remotely sensed images of the same scene captured at different dates from multiple sources. It incorporates a priori information about the likelihood of changes between the acquisition of the different images to be fused. A framework for the fusion of remotely sensed data based on a Bayesian formulation is presented. First, a simple fusion model is given, and then the basic model is extended to take into account the temporal attribute if the different data sources are acquired at different dates. The performance of the model is evaluated by fusing Landsat TM images and ERS-1-SAR images for land-use classification. The fusion model gives significant improvements in the classification error rates compared to the conventional single-source classifiers. >
Are you your father's child? Social identity influences of father absence in a South African setting

This study explored social identity influences of father absence on black South African young adults, including use of paternal surname. Informants were six young women and men between 21 and 35 years of age from a historically disadvantaged South African township. Data were collected through one-on-one in-depth interviews, and analyzed using thematic content analysis. Father absence was associated with lower self perceptions and non-use of paternal surname with diminished sense of identity. Use of maternal surname sufficed as an identity for some. Patriarchal norms explained children's perceived and experienced social identities in a historically disadvantaged black community.
Terrain sketching

Procedural methods for terrain synthesis are capable of creating realistic depictions of heightfield terrains with little user intervention. However, users often do wish to intervene in controlling the placement and shape of landforms, but without sacrificing realism. In this paper, we present a sketching interface to procedural terrain generation. This system enables users to draw the silhouette, spine and bounding curves of both extruding (hills and mountains) and embedding landforms (river courses and canyons). Terrain is interactively generated to match the sketched constraints using multiresolution surface deformation. In addition, the wavelet noise characteristics of silhouette strokes are propagated to the surrounding terrain. With terrain sketching users can interactively create or modify landscapes incorporating varied and complex land-forms.
Optimal thresholds for intrusion detection systems

In recent years, we have seen a number of successful attacks against high-profile targets, some of which have even caused severe physical damage. These examples have shown us that resourceful and determined attackers can penetrate virtually any system, even those that are secured by the "air-gap. " Consequently, in order to minimize the impact of stealthy attacks, defenders have to focus not only on strengthening the first lines of defense but also on deploying effective intrusion-detection systems. Intrusion-detection systems can play a key role in protecting sensitive computer systems since they give defenders a chance to detect and mitigate attacks before they could cause substantial losses. However, an over-sensitive intrusion-detection system, which produces a large number of false alarms, imposes prohibitively high operational costs on a defender since alarms need to be manually investigated. Thus, defenders have to strike the right balance between maximizing security and minimizing costs. Optimizing the sensitivity of intrusion detection systems is especially challenging in the case when multiple inter-dependent computer systems have to be defended against a strategic attacker, who can target computer systems in order to maximize losses and minimize the probability of detection. We model this scenario as an attacker-defender security game and study the problem of finding optimal intrusion detection thresholds.
Habituation of vestibular responses: An overview

An historical survey of vestibular habituation experiments has been undertaken. Methodological problems are presented briefly, and the influence of arousal on vestibular responses is detailed. Data obtained from animals and from man are treated separately. At least for man, the term habituation may be better defined by a dynamic change in the form of vestibular responses than by a simple response reduction.
Online workspaces for annotation and discussion of documents

Pink is a system that supports threaded discussions about artifacts (such as source code or security bulletins) by making it easy for users to refer to and annotate parts of the artifacts. Pink supports multiple types of artifacts and annotation patterns while maintaining appropriate separation of content and view through a three-tier architecture. This system is implemented as server-side scripts and operates with any standard WWW browser.
Regulatory T Cells Are Not Predictive of Outcomes in a Nonhuman Primate Model of Vascularized Composite Allotransplantation

Background T regulatory cells (Tregs) have been associated with prolonged allograft survival and tolerance across a wide variety of species and organ types. We used our nonhuman primate model of facial vascularized composite allotransplantation (VCA) to study the association of Tregs with graft outcomes. Methods We quantified Tregs in peripheral blood and allograft biopsies from nonhuman primates after heterotopic partial facial segment allotransplantation from major histocompatibility complex class I–mismatched donors using flow cytometry and immunohistochemistry. Immunosuppression consisted of tacrolimus and mycophenolate mofetil without induction or depletional therapies. Circulating and graft skin Treg values were compared with graft outcomes and with histologic grade from concurrent biopsies. Results Treg proportion in peripheral blood ranged from 0.156% to 9.00% with a mean of 3.34%±0.22%. FoxP3 staining was observed in 3 of 29 graft biopsies. Median circulating Treg value did not predict time to Banff grade II rejection (hazard ratio, 0.9; confidence interval, 0.4–2.2) or graft loss (hazard ratio, 0.5; confidence interval, 0.01–5.3). Animals that experienced rejection did not have significantly different peripheral blood or graft skin Treg values from those that did not. Biopsy specimens with grade I or II rejection were more likely to contain Tregs (25% vs. 0%; P=0.044) despite no difference in concurrent circulating Tregs (3.56% vs. 3.36%; P=0.704). Conclusions These findings in a clinically relevant model suggest that Tregs may have limited prognostic value with standard immunosuppressive protocols used in VCA. Further studies are necessary to determine the specific role of Tregs in VCA and any role of Treg monitoring in clinical practice.
Automatic detection of ST-T complex changes on the ECG using filtered RMS difference series: application to ambulatory ischemia monitoring

A new detector is presented which finds changes in the repolarization phase (ST-T complex) of the cardiac cycle. It operates by applying a detection algorithm to the filtered root mean square (rms) series of differences between the beat segment (ST segment or ST-T complex) and an average pattern segment. The detector has been validated using the European ST-T database, which contains ST-T complex episodes manually annotated by cardiologists, resulting in sensitivity/positive predictivity of 85/86%, and 85/76%, for ST segment deviations and ST-T complex changes, respectively. The proposed detector has a performance similar to those which have a more complicated structure. The detector has the advantage of finding both ST segment deviations and entire ST-T complex changes thereby providing a wider characterization of the potential ischemic events. A post-processing stage, based on a cross-correlation analysis for the episodes in the rms series, is presented. With this stage subclinical events with repetitive pattern were found in around 20% of the recordings and improved the performance to 90/85%, and 89/76%, for ST segment and ST-T complex changes, respectively.
Visinets: A Web-Based Pathway Modeling and Dynamic Visualization Tool

In this report we describe a novel graphically oriented method for pathway modeling and a software package that allows for both modeling and visualization of biological networks in a user-friendly format. The Visinets mathematical approach is based on causal mapping (CMAP) that has been fully integrated with graphical interface. Such integration allows for fully graphical and interactive process of modeling, from building the network to simulation of the finished model. To test the performance of Visinets software we have applied it to: a) create executable EGFR-MAPK pathway model using an intuitive graphical way of modeling based on biological data, and b) translate existing ordinary differential equation (ODE) based insulin signaling model into CMAP formalism and compare the results. Our testing fully confirmed the potential of the CMAP method for broad application for pathway modeling and visualization and, additionally, showed significant advantage in computational efficiency. Furthermore, we showed that Visinets web-based graphical platform, along with standardized method of pathway analysis, may offer a novel and attractive alternative for dynamic simulation in real time for broader use in biomedical research. Since Visinets uses graphical elements with mathematical formulas hidden from the users, we believe that this tool may be particularly suited for those who are new to pathway modeling and without the in-depth modeling skills often required when using other software packages.
Triple-deck analysis of transonic high Reynolds number flow through slender channels

In this work, laminar transonic weakly three-dimensional flows at high Reynolds numbers in slender channels, as found in microsupersonic nozzles and turbomachines of micro-electro-mechanical systems, are considered. The channel height is taken so small that the viscous wall layers forming at the channel walls start to interact strongly rather than weakly with the inviscid core flow and, therefore, the classical boundary layer approach fails. The resulting viscous–inviscid interaction problem is formulated using matched asymptotic expansions and found to be governed by a triple-deck structure. As a consequence, the properties of the predominantly inviscid core region and the viscous wall layers have to be calculated simultaneously in the interaction region. Weakly three-dimensional effects caused by surface roughness, upstream propagating flow perturbations, boundary layer separation as well as bifurcating solutions are discussed. Representative results for subsonic as well as supersonic conditions are presented, and the importance of these flow phenomena in technical applications as, for example, a means to reduce shock losses through the use of deformed geometry is addressed.
Minimal model of spiky oscillations in NF-κB signaling

The NF-κB signaling system is involved in a variety of cellular processes including immune response, inflammation, and apoptosis. Recent experiments have found oscillations in the nuclear-cytoplasmic translocation of the NF-κB transcription factor [Hoffmann, A. , et al. (2002) Science 298, 1241–1245; Nelson, D. E. , et al. (2004) Science 306, 704–708. ] How the cell uses the oscillations to differentiate input conditions and send specific signals to downstream genes is an open problem. We shed light on this issue by examining the small core network driving the oscillations, which we show is designed to produce periodic spikes in nuclear NF-κB concentration. The presence of oscillations is extremely robust to variation of parameters, depending mainly on the saturation of the active degradation rate of IκB, an inhibitor of NF-κB. The oscillations can be used to regulate downstream genes in a variety of ways. In particular, we show that genes to whose operator sites NF-κB binds and dissociates fast can respond very sensitively to changes in the input signal, with effective Hill coefficients of >20.