Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Influenza and the rates of hospitalization for respiratory disease among infants and young children.

BACKGROUND Young children may be at increased risk for serious complications from influenzavirus infection. However, in population-based studies it has been difficult to separate the effects of influenzavirus from those of respiratory syncytial virus. Respiratory syncytial virus often circulates with influenzaviruses and is the most frequent cause of hospitalization for lower respiratory tract infections in infants and young children. We studied the rates of hospitalization for acute respiratory-disease among infants and children during periods when the circulation of influenzaviruses predominated over the circulation of respiratory syncytial virus. METHODS For each season from October to May during the period from 1992 to 1997, we used local viral surveillance data to define periods in Washington State and northern California when the circulation of influenzaviruses predominated over that of respiratory syncytial virus. We calculated the rates of hospitalization for acute respiratory disease, excess rates attributable to influenzavirus, and incidence-rate ratios for all infants and children younger than 18 years of age who were enrolled in either the Kaiser Permanente Medical Care Program of Northern California or the Group Health Cooperative of Puget Sound. RESULTS The rates of hospitalization for acute respiratory disease among children who did not have conditions that put them at high risk for complications of influenza (e.g., asthma, cardiovascular diseases, or premature birth) and who were younger than two years of age were 231 per 100,000 person-months at Northern California Kaiser sites (from 1993 to 1997) and 193 per 100,000 person-months at Group Health Cooperative sites (from 1992 to 1997). These rates were approximately 12 times as high as the rates among children without high-risk conditions who were 5 to 17 years of age (19 per 100,000 person-months at Northern California Kaiser sites and 16 per 100,000 person-months at Group Health Cooperative sites) and approached the rates among children with chronic health conditions who were 5 to 17 years of age (386 per 100,000 person-months and 216 per 100,000 person-months, respectively). CONCLUSIONS Infants and young children without chronic or serious medical conditions are at increased risk for hospitalization during influenza seasons. Routine influenza vaccination should be considered in these children.
Resident macrophages (ramified microglia) of the adult brown Norway rat central nervous system are constitutively major histocompatibility complex class II positive

A flow cytometric phenotype for isolated adult central nervous system (CNS) ramified microglia was previously defined (CD45low CD11b/c+) in the Lewis strain rat, that clearly distinguished these cells from all blood-derived leucocytes, the latter being CD45high. Consistent with the reported lack of major histocompatibility complex (MHC) expression in the CNS, isolated microglia were mostly MHC class II-. Employing these phenotypic criteria, we now show that a proportion of microglia in Brown Norway (BN) strain rats are constitutively MHC class II+. In spinal cord, up to 25% of microglia are distinctly positive and most have some level of expression. In situ staining of MHC class II+ microglial cells in BN rats indicates that positive cells are typical of ramified microglia on the grounds of both morphological appearance and anatomical location. In Lewis (LEW) rats, the few MHC class II- expressing cells isolated from the normal CNS are CD45high blood- derived cells and not resident microglia. After infection of both LEW and BN rats with a neurotropic murine hepatitis virus (MHV-JHM), MHC class II was rapidly upregulated on microglia in the BN but not in the LEW strain. In the latter, inflammatory cells were the predominant MHC class II-expressing population. Nevertheless, most microglia in the LEW strain could, after some delay, be induced to express MHC class II after transfer of an experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE)- inducing encephalitogenic T cell line. Paradoxically, strains resistant to EAE (exemplified by the BN) contained more constitutive MHC class II- expressing microglia than susceptible ones, when a variety of strains were examined. The results clearly establish that the normal CNS may contain MHC class II-expressing cells that are a resident rather than a transient blood-derived population. It is significant that this expression is strain related, but there is no evidence that microglial cell constitutive MHC class II expression predisposes to EAE susceptibility.
Morphine enhances Tat-induced activation in murine microglia

There is increasing evidence that opiates accelerate the pathogenesis and progression of acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS), as well as the incidence of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) encephalitis (HIVE), a condition characterized by inflammation, leukocyte infiltration, and microglial activation. The mechanisms, by which the HIV-1 transactivating protein Tat and opioids exacerbate microglial activation, however, are not fully understood. In the current study, we explored the effects of morphine and HIV-1 Tat1–72 on the activation of mouse BV-2 microglial cells and primary mouse microglia. Both morphine and Tat exposure caused up-regulation of the chemokine receptor CCR5, an effect blocked by the opioid receptor antagonist naltrexone. Morphine in combination with Tat also induced morphological changes in the BV-2 microglia from a quiescent to an activated morphology, with a dramatic increase in the expression of the microglial activation marker CD11b, as compared with cells exposed to either agent alone. In addition, the mRNA expression of inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS), CD40 ligand, Interferon-gamma-inducible protein 10 (IP-10), and the proinflammatory cytokines tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNFα), interleukin (IL)-1β, and IL-6, which were elevated with Tat alone, were dramatically enhanced with Tat in the presence of morphine. In summary, these findings shed light on the cooperative effects of morphine and HIV-1 Tat on both microglial activation and HIV coreceptor up-regulation, effects that could result in exacerbated neuropathogenesis.
The Pygmalion Effect: An Agency Model with Reference Dependent Preferences

We attempt to formulate and explain two types of self-fulfilling prophecy, called the Pygmalion effect (if a supervisor thinks her subordinates will succeed, they are more likely to succeed) and the Galatea effect (if a person thinks he will succeed, he is more likely to succeed). To this purpose, we extend a simple agency model with moral hazard and limited liability by introducing a model of reference dependent preferences (RDP) by Koszegi and Rabin (2004). We show that the agent with high expectations about his performance can be induced to choose high effort with low-powered incentives. We then show that the principal’s expectation has an important role as an equilibrium selection device.
Understanding sport tourists' motives and perceptions of Sabah, Malaysia as a sport tourist destination.

With the focus on Mount Kinabalu as a sport tourism destination, the push and pull theory (Dann, 1981) was adopted as framework to examine the travel motivation of sport tourists visiting Sabah, Malaysia. The Leisure Motivation Scale (Beard & Ragheb, 1983) and semantic differential instrument by Attle (1996) were utilized to measure the push motives and pull factors. Analyses of data include descriptive statistics, t-test and logistic regression. A sample of 195 mountain climbers was selected with the majority comprising of international active sport tourists respondents (71.1%). Statistically, domestic active sport tourists at Mount Kinabalu were more significantly motivated by two out of four push motives namely; competence-mastery and social factors. With respect to the pull factors, analysis of result from the logistic regression shows there were few attributes which has been identified to be perceived differently by the domestic and international tourists. The findings of the study implied that: (1) market segmentations can be made according to the demographic and travel characteristics information as well as by their travel motivations among domestics and internationals sport tourists; (2) theoretical significance and practical marketing implications in addition with the recommendations for local tourism authority, destination managers and marketers are discussed.
Mining Centuries Old In situ Conserved Turkish Wheat Landraces for Grain Yield and Stripe Rust Resistance Genes

Wheat landraces in Turkey are an important genetic resource for wheat improvement. An exhaustive 5-year (2009–2014) effort made by the International Winter Wheat Improvement Programme (IWWIP), a cooperative program between the Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Livestock of Turkey, the International Center for Maize and Wheat Improvement (CIMMYT) and the International Center for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas (ICARDA), led to the collection and documentation of around 2000 landrace populations from 55 provinces throughout Turkey. This study reports the genetic characterization of a subset of bread wheat landraces collected in 2010 from 11 diverse provinces using genotyping-by-sequencing (GBS) technology. The potential of this collection to identify loci determining grain yield and stripe rust resistance via genome-wide association (GWA) analysis was explored. A high genetic diversity (diversity index = 0.260) and a moderate population structure based on highly inherited spike traits was revealed in the panel. The linkage disequilibrium decayed at 10 cM across the whole genome and was slower as compared to other landrace collections. In addition to previously reported QTL, GWA analysis also identified new candidate genomic regions for stripe rust resistance, grain yield, and spike productivity components. New candidate genomic regions reflect the potential of this landrace collection to further increase genetic diversity in elite germplasm.
Multiparametric Molecular Imaging Provides Mechanistic Insights into Sympathetic Innervation Impairment in the Viable Infarct Border Zone

Impaired catecholamine handling in the viable infarct border zone may play an important role in ventricular remodeling and lethal arrhythmia. We sought to get further biologic insights into cardiac sympathetic neuronal pathology after myocardial infarction, using multiple tomographic imaging techniques. Methods: In a porcine model of myocardial infarction (n = 13), PET and MR imaging were performed after 4–6 wk and integrated with electrophysiologic testing and postmortem histology. Results: PET with the physiologic neurotransmitter 11C-epinephrine, which is sensitive to metabolic degradation unless it is stored and protected in neuronal vesicles, identified a defect exceeding the perfusion defect (defined by 13N-ammonia; defect size in all animals, 42 ± 12 vs. 35% ± 12% of left ventricle, P < 0.001). In a subgroup of 7 animals, defect of the metabolically resistant catecholamine 11C-hydroxyephedrine was smaller than epinephrine (41 ± 8 vs. 47% ± 6% of left ventricle, P = 0.004), whereas defect of a third catecholamine, 11C-phenylephrine, which is sensitive to metabolic degradation, was similar to epinephrine (48 ± 6 vs. 47% ± 6%, P = 0.011 vs. perfusion defect). Histology confirmed the presence of nerve fibers in the infarct border zone. Tagged MR imaging identified impaired peak circumferential wall strain and wall thickening in myocardial segments with epinephrine/perfusion mismatch (n = 6). Confirmatory of prior work, inducible ventricular tachycardia was associated with a larger epinephrine/perfusion mismatch (n = 11). Conclusion: In the viable infarct border zone, neuronal vesicular catecholamine storage and protection from metabolic degradation are more severely altered than catecholamine uptake. This alteration may reflect an intermediate state between normal innervation and complete denervation in advanced disease.
Noncausal sampled signal reconstruction from noisy measurements: A system-theoretic approach

The paper studies the problem of reconstructing a not necessarily bandlimited analog signal from its noisy sampled measurements. Both A/D (analog-to-digital) and D/A (digital-to-analog) devices are treated as design parameters and no causality constraints are imposed on the reconstructor. We derive closed- form formulae for both L2middot and Linfinmiddot optimal reconstructors as well as expressions for the optimal achievable performance in both cases.
Ovarian cancer. Age contrasts in incidence, histology, disease stage at diagnosis, and mortality.

BACKGROUND Age comparisons for incidence, histology, disease stage at initial diagnosis, and mortality of more than 20,000 ovarian cancer patients diagnosed between 1973-1987 are the focus of this descriptive epidemiologic study. This paper highlights key issues and concerns regarding ovarian cancer in women 65 years and older as a frame of reference for the proceedings of the working conference, "Perspectives on Ovarian Cancer in Older-Aged Women," co-sponsored by the National Institute on Aging, National Cancer Institute, and American Cancer Society held at the National Institutes of Health, November, 1991. METHODS Data are from the National Cancer Institute's Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) Program and the National Center for Health Statistics. The SEER Program database represents approximately 9.6% of the U.S. population. RESULTS Ovarian cancer affects women in the age group 65 years and older more frequently than younger women. More than 48% of all ovarian cancers occur in women in this age group. Age-adjusted rates increase as age advances, peaking at 54.0 per 100,000 in the age group 75-79 years. Time trends also indicate increases in age-specific incidence rates. This malignancy takes its toll in mortality in women 65 years and older with 64% of all deaths due to this neoplasm (in 1989). Moreover, older women are more likely to be initially diagnosed with advanced disease. CONCLUSIONS Important questions about ovarian cancer in older-aged women need urgent attention from the research community. New strategies for diagnostic leads have to be developed for older women.
Quasilinear waves and trapping: Kerr-de Sitter space

In these notes, we will describe recent work on globally solving quasilinear wave equations in the presence of trapped rays, on Kerr-de Sitter space, and obtaining the asymptotic behavior of solutions. For the associated linear problem without trapping, one would consider a global, non-elliptic, Fredholm framework; in the presence of trapping the same framework is available for spaces of growing functions only. In order to solve the quasilinear problem we thus combine these frameworks with the normally hyperbolic trapping results of Dyatlov and a Nash-Moser iteration scheme. 1. The setup and the results Kerr-de Sitter space (M◦, g0) is a Lorentzian space-time of 1 + 3 dimensions, which solves Einstein’s equation with a cosmological constant. It models a rotating (with angular momentum a) black hole (‘Kerr’) of mass M• in a space-time with cosmological constant Λ (‘De Sitter’). In this talk, we will describe how to solve globally, and describe the asymptotic behavior of, certain quasilinear equations on M◦ of the form g(u,du) = f + q(u, du), where g(0, 0) = g0, for small data f . The key advance is overcoming the normally hyperbolic trapping by combining microlocal analysis and a Nash-Moser iteration. To our knowledge, this is the first global result for the forward problem for a quasilinear wave equation on either a Kerr or a Kerr-de Sitter background. We remark, however, that Dafermos, Holzegel and Rodnianski [10] have constructed backward solutions for Einstein’s equations on the Kerr background; for backward constructions the trapping does not cause difficulties. For concreteness, we state our results in the special case of Kerr-de Sitter space, but it is important to keep in mind that the setting is more general, for details see [30]. P.Hintz was supported in part by a Gerhard Casper Stanford Graduate Fellowship and by A.V. ’s National Science Foundation grants DMS-0801226, DMS-1068742 and DMS-1361432. A. Vasy was supported in part by National Science Foundation grants DMS-0801226, DMS-1068742 and DMS1361432.
Heptose I Glycan Substitutions on Neisseria gonorrhoeae Lipooligosaccharide Influence C4b-Binding Protein Binding and Serum Resistance

ABSTRACT Lipooligosaccharide (LOS) heptose (Hep) glycan substitutions influence gonococcal serum resistance. Several gonococcal strains bind the classical complement pathway inhibitor, C4b-binding protein (C4BP), via their porin (Por) molecule to escape complement-dependent killing by normal human serum (NHS). We show that the proximal glucose (Glc) on HepI is required for C4BP binding to Por1B-bearing gonococcal strains MS11 and 1291 but not to FA19 (Por1A). The presence of only the proximal Glc on HepI (lgtE mutant) permitted maximal C4BP binding to MS11 but not to 1291. Replacing 1291 lgtE Por with MS11 Por increased C4BP binding to levels that paralleled MS11 lgtE, suggesting that replacement of the Por1B molecule dictated the effects of HepI glycans on C4BP binding. The remainder of the strain background did not affect C4BP binding; replacing the Por of strain F62 with MS11 Por (F62 PorMS11) and truncating HepI mirrored the findings in the MS11 background. C4BP binding correlated with resistance to killing by NHS in most instances. F62 PorMS11 and its lgtE mutant were sensitive to NHS despite binding C4BP, secondary to kinetically overwhelming classical pathway activation and possibly increased alternative pathway activation (measured by factor Bb binding) by the F62 background. FA19 lgtF (HepI unsubstituted) resisted killing by only 10% NHS, not 50% NHS, despite binding levels of C4BP similar to those of FA19 and FA19 lgtE (both resistant to 50% serum), suggesting a role for the proximal Glc in serum resistance independently of C4BP binding. This study provides mechanistic insights into how HepI LOS substitutions affect the serum resistance of N. gonorrhoeae.
Early Evaluation of Intel Optane Non-Volatile Memory with HPC I/O Workloads

High performance computing (HPC) applications have a high requirement on storage speed and capacity. Non-volatile memory is a promising technology to replace traditional storage devices to improve HPC performance. Earlier in 2017, Intel and Micron released first NVM product -- Intel Optane SSDs. Optane is much faster and more durable than the traditional storage device. It creates a bridge to narrow the performance gap between DRAM and storage. But is the existing HPC I/O stack still suitable for new NVM devices like Intel Optane? How does HPC I/O workload perform with Intel Optane? In this paper, we analyze the performance of I/O intensive HPC applications with Optane as a block device and try to answer the above questions. We study the performance from three perspectives: (1) basic read and write bandwidth of Optane, (2) a performance comparison study between Optane and HDD, including checkpoint workload, MPI individual I/O vs. POSIX I/O, and MPI individual I/O vs. MPI collective I/O, and (3) the impact of Optane on the performance of a parallel file system, PVFS2.
ORIGINAL RESEARCH—ERECTILE DYSFUNCTION Severity of Erectile Dysfunction Could Predict Left Ventricular Diastolic Dysfunction in Patients without Overt Cardiac Complaint

Introduction. It has been repeatedly demonstrated that presence of erectile dysfunction (ED) may predate the occurrence of overt event of coronary artery disease. However, the association between severity of ED and left ventricular diastolic dysfunction (LVDD) was rarely reported. jsm_2350 2590.2597 Aim. The aim of this study was to assess the association between severity of ED and LVDD in patients without overt cardiac complaint. Main Outcome Measures. The International Index of Erectile Function (IIEF) was used to assess erectile function. Diastolic Doppler parameters measurements and tissue Doppler imaging were used to assess left ventricular diastolic function. Methods. A total of 230 male ED patients without overt cardiac complaint were enrolled in this study. Erectile function was assessed using the IIEF. Patients were also screened for socio demographic data and medical comor- bidities that included age, smoking, diabetes, hypertension, and dyslipidemia. All patients were referred to cardi- ologist for cardiac assessment. Left ventricular diastolic function that included diastolic Doppler parameters measurements and tissue Doppler imaging were also assessed. Results. Mean age standard deviation was 57.5 5.6 (range of 42-81). There were significant associations between the following risk factors: age, obesity, smoking, hypertension, dyslipidemia, and increased severity of ED (P < 0.05 for each). Of the patients, 77.4%, 74.8%, 80%, and 66.1% had abnormal transmitral E/A (E/A) ratio, deceleration time (DT), isovolumic relaxation time (IVRT), mitral E velocity/tissue Doppler imaging E velocity (E/Em) ratio, respectively. Only the means of IVRT and (E/Em) ratio had significant associations with increased severity of ED (P < 0.001 for each). There were significant associations between increased severity of ED and the following categorical echo parameters: grades 1 and 2 of E/A ratio, DT, IVRT, and grades 1, 2, and 3 of (E/Em) ratio (P < 0.05 for each). Conclusions. The current study clearly demonstrated that LVDD is prevalent among patients with ED-associated medical comorbidities without overt cardiac complaint. There were significant associations between increased severity of ED and presence of LVDD in those patients. El-Sakka AI, Morsy AM, and Fagih BI. Severity of erectile dysfunction could predict left ventricular diastolic dysfunction in patients without overt cardiac complaint. J Sex Med 2011;8:2590-2597.
Monotonicity and convergence results in order-preserving systems in the presence of symmetry

This paper deals with various applications of two basic theorems in order- preserving systems under a group action -- monotonicity theorem and convergence theorem. Among other things we show symmetry properties of stable solutions of semilinear elliptic equations and systems. Next we apply our theory to traveling waves and pseudo-traveling waves for a certain class of quasilinear diffusion equa- tions and systems, and show that stable traveling waves and pseudo-traveling waves have monotone profiles and, conversely, that monotone traveling waves and pseudo- traveling waves are stable with asymptotic phase. We also discuss pseudo-traveling waves for equations of surface motion.
Availability of Essential B-Group Vitamins to Lactobacillus plantarum in Green Olive Fermentation Brines

The availability throughout the traditional Spanish-style green olive fermentation of four vitamins that are essential for the growth of Lactobacillus plantarum was studied. It was found that nicotinic and pantothenic acids, biotin, and vitamin B(inf6) were available in the fermentation brines within the first few days of the process, and their levels throughout the fermentative process were well above those required by L. plantarum to grow at its maximum growth rate. In laboratory medium, various yeast strains isolated from the fermentations were found to produce these vitamins in amounts several times that required by L. plantarum. This finding suggests that some yeast species might play a role in encouraging the growth of L. plantarum in Spanish-style green olive fermentation.