Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Better Antiretroviral Therapy Outcomes at Primary Healthcare Facilities: An Evaluation of Three Tiers of ART Services in Four South African Provinces

Background There are conflicting reports of antiretroviral therapy (ART) effectiveness comparisons between primary healthcare (PHC) facilities and hospitals in low-income settings. This comparison has not been evaluated on a broad scale in South Africa. Methodology/Principal Findings A retrospective cohort study was conducted including ART-naïve adults from 59 facilities in four provinces in South Africa, enrolled between 2004 and 2007. Kaplan-Meier estimates, competing-risks Cox regression, generalised estimating equation population-averaged models and logistic regression were used to compare death, loss to follow-up (LTFU) and virological suppression (VS) between PHC, district and regional hospitals. 29 203 adults from 47 PHC facilities, nine district hospitals and three regional hospitals were included. Patients at PHC facilities had more advanced WHO stage disease when starting ART. Retention in care was 80.1% (95% CI: 79.3%–80.8%), 71.5% (95% CI: 69.1%–73.8%) and 68.7% (95% CI: 67.0%–69.7%) at PHC, district and regional hospitals respectively, after 24 months of treatment (P<0.0001). In adjusted regression analyses, LTFU was independently increased at regional hospitals (aHR 2.19; 95% CI: 1.94−2.47) and mortality was independently elevated at district hospitals (aHR 1.60; 95% CI: 1.30−1.99) compared to PHC facilities after 12 months of ART. District and regional hospital patients had independently reduced probabilities of VS, aOR 0.76 (95% CI: 0.59−0.97) and 0.64 (95% CI: 0.56−0.75) respectively compared to PHC facilities over 24 months of treatment. Conclusions/Significance ART outcomes were superior at PHC facilities, despite PHC patients having more advanced clinical stage disease when starting ART, suggesting that ART can be adequately provided at this level and supporting the South African government's call for rapid up-scaling of ART at the primary level of care. Further prospective research is required to determine the degree to which outcome differences are attributable to either facility level characteristics or patient co-morbidity at hospital level.
A Comparison of Specific Absorption Rates in SAM Phantom and Child Head Models at 835 and 1900 MHz

The specific absorption rates (SARs) in 7-year-old Korean, and 5- and 9-year-old European child head models were evaluated and compared with those of the specific anthropomorphic mannequin (SAM) phantom for mobile phone exposure at 835 and 1900 MHz. Compression of the pinnae was also considered for the 5- and 7-year-old child models during the evaluation. The cheek and tilt positions occurring when the earpiece of the phone is placed at the ear entrance canal (EEC) were analyzed against the same positions occurring when the earpiece is placed at the ear reference point (ERP). SAR variations were investigated for different skin and fat properties, as well as for different internal fat and muscle morphologies in the tissue area near the phone. A basic phone model with a monopole antenna was used for SAR calculation at each frequency. A phone model with a planar inverted F antenna was also used for verification, since the SAR results in the child models were higher than those in the SAM phantom at 1900 MHz. The spatial peak 10-g SAR values in all tissue including the pinnae and head-only were normalized to a forward power of 1 W at the feedpoint of the phone. Our results can be summarized as follows. First, a compressed pinna did not show significant changes in SAR values at 835 MHz; however, at 1900 MHz, there was an average 25% increase in spatial peak 10-g SARs for pinna-excluded tissue and a 29% increase for pinna-included tissue. Second, a phone earpiece placed at the EEC provided higher SARs in many cases compared to placement at the ERP. Third, the peak 10-g SAR was found to be very sensitive to the fat and muscle structure under the skin when touched by the mobile phone; a muscle-dominant internal head structure led to a higher peak 10-g SAR. Finally, the SAM phantom does not seem to provide a conservative estimation of child head exposure at 1900 MHz; 45% (pinna-excluded: IEEE Std C95.1) and 75% (pinna-included: ICNIRP guidelines) of the 40 total cases we reviewed showed higher SAR results than the SAM phantom.
Making nondeterminism unambiguous

We show that in the context of nonuniform complexity, nondeterministic logarithmic space bounded computation can be made unambiguous. An analogous result holds for the class of problems reducible to context-free languages. In terms of complexity classes, this can be stated as: NL/poly=UL/poly LogCFL/poly=UAuxPDA(log n, n/sup O(1)/)/poly.
Analysis of animal accelerometer data using hidden Markov models

Use of accelerometers is now widespread within animal biologging as they provide a means of measuring an animal's activity in a meaningful and quantitative way where direct observation is not possible. In sequential acceleration data, there is a natural dependence between observations of behaviour, a fact that has been largely ignored in most analyses. Analyses of acceleration data where serial dependence has been explicitly modelled have largely relied on hidden Markov models (HMMs). Depending on the aim of an analysis, an HMM can be used for state prediction or to make inferences about drivers of behaviour. For state prediction, a supervised learning approach can be applied. That is, an HMM is trained to classify unlabelled acceleration data into a finite set of pre‐specified categories. An unsupervised learning approach can be used to infer new aspects of animal behaviour when biologically meaningful response variables are used, with the caveat that the states may not map to specific behaviours. We provide the details necessary to implement and assess an HMM in both the supervised and unsupervised learning context and discuss the data requirements of each case. We outline two applications to marine and aerial systems (shark and eagle) taking the unsupervised learning approach, which is more readily applicable to animal activity measured in the field. HMMs were used to infer the effects of temporal, atmospheric and tidal inputs on animal behaviour. Animal accelerometer data allow ecologists to identify important correlates and drivers of animal activity (and hence behaviour). The HMM framework is well suited to deal with the main features commonly observed in accelerometer data and can easily be extended to suit a wide range of types of animal activity data. The ability to combine direct observations of animal activity with statistical models, which account for the features of accelerometer data, offers a new way to quantify animal behaviour and energetic expenditure and to deepen our insights into individual behaviour as a constituent of populations and ecosystems.
A Nationwide 2010–2012 Analysis of U.S. Health Care Utilization in Inflammatory Bowel Diseases

Background:Implementation of the 2010 Affordable Care Act (ACA) calls for a collaborative effort to transform the U.S. health care system toward patient-centered and value-based care. To identify how specialty care can be improved, we mapped current U.S. health care utilization in patients with inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD) using a national insurance claims database. Methods:We performed a cross-sectional study analyzing U.S. health care utilization in 964,633 patients with IBD between 2010 and 2012 using insurance claims data, including pharmacy and medical claims. Frequency of IBD-related care utilization (medication, tests, and treatments) and their charges were evaluated. Subsequently, outcomes were put into the framework of current U.S. guidelines to identify areas of improvement. Results:A disproportionate usage of aminosalicylates in Crohn's disease (42%), frequent corticosteroid use (46%, with 9% long-term users), and low rates of corticosteroid-sparing drugs (thiopurines 15%; methotrexate 2.7%) were observed. Markers for inflammatory activity, such as C-reactive protein or fecal calprotectin were not commonly used (8.8% and 0.13%, respectively). Although infrequently used (11%), anti-TNF antibody therapy represents a major part of observed IBD charges. Conclusions:This analysis shows 2010–2012 utilization and medication patterns of IBD health care in the United States and suggests that improvement can be obtained through enhanced guidelines adherence.
Synthesis and optical limiting studies of Au-doped TiO2 nanoparticles

A series of Au-doped TiO 2 nanoparticles with different Au concentrations were prepared by the sol–gel method using titanium (IV) isopropoxide and tetrachloroaurate (III) trihydrate as precursors. The framework substitution of Au in TiO 2 nanoparticles was established by x-ray diffraction (XRD) and Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) techniques. X-ray diffraction (XRD) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) image results confirmed the anatase phase and nanocrystalline nature of TiO 2–Au. The optical properties revealed an extended tailing of the absorption edge toward the visible region upon Au doping. The incorporation of Au in TiO 2 was also confirmed by fluorescence quenching. The increase in Au doping enhanced the ‘red-shift’ in the UV-Vis absorption spectra. The spectral and nonlinear optical properties were studied using fluence-dependent transmittance measurements in order to reveal the optical limiting mechanism. The nonlinear optical response and optical limiting effects of TiO 2–Au nanocomposites dispersed in ethylene glycol were studied at 532 nm using 5 ns Nd:YAG laser pulses. Effective three-photon absorption mechanisms play a major role for good optical limiting characteristics in these nanoparticles and it is seen that the optical nonlinearity enhances with lower threshold as the volume fraction of the Au concentration increased.
From Genetics to Functional Genomics: Improvement in Drought Signaling and Tolerance in Wheat

Drought being a yield limiting factor has become a major threat to international food security. It is a complex trait and drought tolerance response is carried out by various genes, transcription factors (TFs), microRNAs (miRNAs), hormones, proteins, co-factors, ions, and metabolites. This complexity has limited the development of wheat cultivars for drought tolerance by classical breeding. However, attempts have been made to fill the lost genetic diversity by crossing wheat with wild wheat relatives. In recent years, several molecular markers including single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and quantitative trait loci (QTLs) associated with genes for drought signaling pathways have been reported. Screening of large wheat collections by marker assisted selection (MAS) and transformation of wheat with different genes/TFs has improved drought signaling pathways and tolerance. Several miRNAs also provide drought tolerance to wheat by regulating various TFs/genes. Emergence of OMICS techniques including transcriptomics, proteomics, metabolomics, and ionomics has helped to identify and characterize the genes, proteins, metabolites, and ions involved in drought signaling pathways. Together, all these efforts helped in understanding the complex drought tolerance mechanism. Here, we have reviewed the advances in wide hybridization, MAS, QTL mapping, miRNAs, transgenic technique, genome editing system, and above mentioned functional genomics tools for identification and utility of signaling molecules for improvement in wheat drought tolerance.
INTERACTION OF CHOLERA TOXIN AND TOXIN DERIVATIVES WITH LYMPHOCYTES

The interaction of cholera toxin and a number of toxin derivatives, containing different proportions of light and heavy toxin-composing subunits (L and H), with mouse lymphocytes was studied. Experiments with [125I]toxin showed that a single cell can rapidly, within minutes, bind up to 40,000 molecules of toxin, the association constant was estimated to 7 ± 4 x 108 liters/mol, and binding was found to be very similar at 37°C and 5°C. Immunofluorescence studies revealed that the toxin attachment is located on the cell surface, and that purified L subunit but not H subunit binds to the cells. A natural cholera toxoid, built up by aggregated L subunits, showed almost identical binding properties as toxin to the cells. Pure GM1 ganglioside, the proposed membrane receptor structure for toxin, prevented entirely the cellular binding of both toxin and toxoid. Cholera toxin in concentrations down to approximately 5 x 10–11 mol/liter (corresponding to 10 bound molecules/cell) inhibited thymus cells from being stimulated to DNA synthesis by concanavalin A (con A), and spleen cells from such stimulation by phytohemagglutinin. The GM1 ganglioside but not a series of other pure structurally related gangliosides and neutral glycosphingolipids neutralized this toxin activity. Toxin derivatives which, in similarity with toxin, possessed H as well as L subunits but in other proportions, were potent inhibitors of con A-induced thymocyte stimulation, whereas the natural toxoid (aggregated L subunits), purified toxin L subunit and purified toxin H subunit were up to 300-fold less active on a weight basis. The capacity of cholera proteins to inhibit con A-induced thymocyte stimulation correlated well with their activity in the rabbit intradermal toxicity assay. The inhibitory action of cholera toxin on con A-induced thymocyte stimulation did not depend on decreased cell viability from the toxin treatment, nor was it caused by a reaction between toxin and con A. [125I]con A bound equally well to the cells when toxin was present as when it was absent, which proves that the toxin did not compete for cellular con A receptors. Nor did the toxin seem to disturb the general mobility of membrane receptors or their ability to accumulate in caps. It is concluded that the L type of subunit confers rapid and firm binding of cholera toxin to lymphocyte membranes, probably to GM1 ganglioside receptors. For biologic activity the additional presence of H subunit is important. One manifestation of toxin action on lymphocytes is inhibition of lectin-induced DNA synthesis; probably this effect relates to the ability of cholera toxin to raise the levels of intracellular cyclic 3'5'-adenosine monophosphate.
Parallel and I/O efficient set covering algorithms

This paper presents the design, analysis, and implementation of parallel and sequential I/O-efficient algorithms for set cover, tying together the line of work on parallel set cover and the line of work on efficient set cover algorithms for large, disk-resident instances. Our contributions are twofold: First, we design and analyze a parallel cache-oblivious set-cover algorithm that offers essentially the same approximation guarantees as the standard greedy algorithm, which has the optimal approximation. Our algorithm is the first efficient external-memory or cache-oblivious algorithm for when neither the sets nor the elements fit in memory, leading to I/O cost (cache complexity) equivalent to sorting in the Cache Oblivious or Parallel Cache Oblivious models. The algorithm also implies elow cache misses on parallel hierarchical memories (again, equivalent to sorting). Second, building on this theory, we engineer variants of the theoretical algorithm optimized for different hardware setups. We provide experimental evaluation showing substantial speedups over existing algorithms without compromising the solution's quality.
Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids Attenuate Diet Induced Obesity and Insulin Resistance, Modulating Mitochondrial Respiratory Uncoupling in Rat Skeletal Muscle

Objectives Omega (ω)-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) are dietary compounds able to attenuate insulin resistance. Anyway, the precise actions of ω-3PUFAs in skeletal muscle are overlooked. We hypothesized that PUFAs, modulating mitochondrial function and efficiency, would ameliorate pro-inflammatory and pro-oxidant signs of nutritionally induced obesity. Study Design To this aim, rats were fed a control diet (CD) or isocaloric high fat diets containing either ω-3 PUFA (FD) or lard (LD) for 6 weeks. Results FD rats showed lower weight, lipid gain and energy efficiency compared to LD-fed animals, showing higher energy expenditure and O2 consumption/CO2 production. Serum lipid profile and pro-inflammatory parameters in FD-fed animals were reduced compared to LD. Accordingly, FD rats exhibited a higher glucose tolerance revealed by an improved glucose and insulin tolerance tests compared to LD, accompanied by a restoration of insulin signalling in skeletal muscle. PUFAs increased lipid oxidation and reduced energy efficiency in subsarcolemmal mitochondria, and increase AMPK activation, reducing both endoplasmic reticulum and oxidative stress. Increased mitochondrial respiration was related to an increased mitochondriogenesis in FD skeletal muscle, as shown by the increase in PGC1-α and -β. Conclusions our data strengthened the association of high dietary ω3-PUFA intake with reduced mitochondrial energy efficiency in the skeletal muscle.
The Role of Globalization in New Product Development

Research has long emphasized the importance of the development of new products for global markets. However, despite the increasing interest of firms in developing such products, we do not know empirically how such development impacts the performance of new product development (NPD) programs. Addressing this research gap in the literature, this study proposes and tests a series of hypotheses about the relationship between the development of new products with a global market focus and the performance of NPD programs, and investigates various organizational, procedural, and operational conditions that may moderate this relationship. The results of an empirical study indicate that the development of new products with a global market focus was positively related to the financial performance of NPD programs, and this relationship was stronger when firms used a cross-functional organizational structure in NPD and an NPD process. In addition, these results suggest that such development was positively related to the rate of new product introduction, and this relationship was stronger when firms used an NPD process. Finally, contrary to our theoretical expectations, these relationships were not moderated by firms' engagement in the fuzzy front-end NPD activities.
Does climate control valley fever incidence in California

Does Climate Control Valley Fever Incidence in California? Charlie Zender 1 , Jorge Talamantes 2 , and Sam Behseta 3 Department of Earth System Science, University of California, Irvine Department of Physics and Geology, California State University, Bakersfield Department of Mathmatics, California State University, Bakersfield Contributions from: F. Beltran (CSUB), E. Chaput (KCDPH), K. Emery (KCDPH), T. Larwood, R. Reynolds (USGS), S. Sebesta (CDHS), U. Urbina (CSUB) Presented to: American Meteorological Society 2007 Annual Meeting, San Antonio TX (Web: http://dust.ess.uci.edu/smn/smn ccd ams 200701.pdf)
The Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor Increases Cytokine Production and Cutaneous Inflammation in Response to Ultraviolet Irradiation

The epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) is activated in cutaneous keratinocytes upon ultraviolet (UV) exposure and has been implicated in ultraviolet-(UV-)induced inflammation and skin tumorigenesis. Egfr mutant mice and EGFR inhibitors were used to investigate the hypothesis that EGFR activation augments inflammation following UV irradiation. Topical treatment of mouse skin with the EGFR inhibitor AG1478 before UV exposure suppressed UV-induced erythema, edema, mast cell infiltration, and neutrophil infiltration. Genetic ablation of Egfr and EGFR inhibition by AG1478 also suppressed the increase in the proinflammatory cytokines tumor necrosis factor α (TNF-α), interleukin-1α, KC (murine IL-8), and cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) after UV exposure of cultured keratinocytes. Finally, genetic ablation of inhibition of EGFR in cultured keratinocytes decreased p38 activation after UV, while inhibition of p38 kinase reduced COX-2 expression after UV. These data demonstrate that EGFR regulates multiple aspects of UV-induced inflammation and suggest activation of p38 kinase leading to increased COX-2 and cytokine expression as one mechanism through which it acts.
Age and Petrogenesis of the Lower Cretaceous North Coast Schist of Tobago, a Fragment of the Proto–Greater Antilles Inter-American Arc System

The North Coast Schist of Tobago is part of the leading edge of the Caribbean Plate, which has been in oblique collision with northern South America for much of the Cenozoic. The North Coast Schist is dominated by two volcanic “formations” metamorphosed under greenschist-facies conditions during later deformation. The Parlatuvier Formation mostly consists of mafic to intermediate tuffs and tuff breccias with a U-Pb zircon ID-TIMS age of Ma. Trace element data and radiogenic isotopes reveal that the Parlatuvier Formation is derived from a heterogeneous subduction-modified, locally incompatible trace element–enriched, mantle source with some rocks containing the highest 176Hf/177Hf ratios found in the offshore Caribbean. The Mount Dillon Formation comprises silicified tuffs and tuff breccias that are derived from a more isotopically enriched mantle source with a significant slab fluid-related component. A thin belt of amphibolite-facies dynamothermally metamorphosed metavolcanic rocks lies in contact with a younger island arc pluton. Some of these amphibolites have an isotopically similar source to the Parlatuvier Formation but lack a clear subduction-related component. The age, geochemical heterogeneity, and proximal nature of eruption confirm that the North Coast Schist lay within an east-dipping proto–Greater Antilles arc. We propose that the arc system at the time of North Coast Schist magmatism was actively rifting, possibly during development of a back-arc basin. This arc system shut down during the Cretaceous, making way for southwest-dipping Greater Antilles subduction and relative eastward motion of the Caribbean Plate.
Cytokine analysis of human renal allograft aspiration biopsy cultures supernatants predicts acute rejection.

BACKGROUND A Th1 response is said to be associated with transplant rejection and Th2 with tolerance, although this is not agreed by all. Cytokines evaluation in peripheral blood and urine in kidney transplants produces variable results. We hypothesized that measurement of major cytokines involved in Th1/Th2 paradigm on transplant renal-infiltrating cells could bring valuable scientific and clinical information. METHODS Fifty-six adult cadaver kidney transplants were subdivided into 21 stable patients (group A), 22 suffering acute rejection (group B), 10 with chronic rejection (group C) and three with CMV disease (group D). Fine-needle aspiration biopsies were cultured and their supernatants analysed for IL-2, IL-4, IL-10 and IFN-gamma. RESULTS Group A produced small amounts of both IL-2 and IL-10 while group B synthetized significantly higher IL-2 and significantly lower IL-10 amounts than group A. Group B produced significantly more IL-2 than A on day 7 post-transplantation, several days before rejection supervened. Group C produced IL-10 and very low amount of IL-2. Group D produced both IL-2 and IL-10. We did not find any IL-4, and IFN-gamma was present in a few samples. For IL-2, sensitivity, specificity, negative and positive predictive values for acute rejection were 100, 87.2, 94.7 and 83.3%, respectively. CONCLUSIONS Cytokine analysis in fine-needle aspiration biopsy cultures supernatants is a very useful immunological screening method for kidney transplants. IL-2 synthesis on day 7 post-transplantation reliably predicted the risk of impending acute rejection during the first weeks. The cytokine pattern suggests that acute rejection is associated with Th1, stable patients with Th0/Th2, and chronic rejection with Th2 patterns.