Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
HIV and Africa's elderly: the problems and possibilities

Demographic changes and the increasing availability and coverage of antiretroviral therapy imply that the burden of HIV is shifting to older age groups in sub-Saharan Africa. However, very little is known about the burden of disease and the unique considerations required to adequately treat and retain older Africans. In this review, we summarize the epidemiological data on HIV prevalence among older Africans, and review progress and barriers to accessing treatment and care. The unique clinical considerations distinguishing the management of older HIV-infected Africans are summarized, with a focus on cardiovascular disease, neuropsychiatric conditions, oncologic illness, and musculoskeletal morbidity. The review concludes by suggesting opportunities for improving our knowledge about and management of HIV among older Africans, including prevention opportunities and potential technologies, including a polypill for reducing comorbidity in this under-recognized highly vulnerable group.
The Effects of Prevailing Wage Requirements on the Cost of Low-Income Housing

Recent California legislation extends the application of prevailing wage regulations to construction workers building subsidized low-income residential projects. Econometric evidence based on micro data covering 205 residential projects subsidized by the California Low Income Housing Tax Credit since 1996 and completed by mid-2002 demonstrates that construction costs increased substantially under prevailing wage requirements. Estimates of additional construction costs in the authors' most extensive models range from 9% to 37%. The analysis controls for variations in cost by geographical location and for differences in project characteristics, financing, and developer attributes. The authors estimate the effect of uniform imposition of these regulations on the number of new dwellings for low-income households produced under the tax credit program in California. Under reasonable assumptions, the mid-range estimate of the prospective decrease exceeds 3, 100 units per year.
Optical studies of nicotinic acetylcholine receptor subtypes in the guinea-pig enteric nervous system

SUMMARY Nicotinic transmission in the enteric nervous system (ENS) is extensive, but the role of individual nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (nAChR) subtypes in the functional connectivity of its plexuses has been elusive. Using monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) against neuronal α3-, α4-,α 3/α5-, β2-, β4- and α7-subunits, combined with radioimmunoassays and immunocytochemistry, we demonstrate that guinea-pig enteric ganglia contain all of these nAChR-subunits with the exception ofα 4, and so, differ from mammalian brain. This information alone, however, is insufficient to establish the functional role of the identified nAChR-subtypes within the enteric networks and, ultimately, their specific contributions to gastrointestinal physiology. We have used voltage-sensitive dyes and a high-speed CCD camera, in conjunction with specific antagonists to various nAChRs, to elucidate some of the distinct contributions of the individual subtypes to the behaviour of enteric networks. In the guinea-pig, the submucous plexus has the extraordinary advantage that it is virtually two-dimensional, permitting optical recording, with single cell resolution, of the electrical activity of all of its neurones. In this plexus, the block of α3β2-, α3β4- and/or α7-nAChRs always results in a decrease in the magnitude of the synaptic response. However, the magnitude of the fast excitatory post-synaptic potentials (epsps) evoked by electrical stimulation of a neighbouring ganglion varies from cell to cell, reflecting the differential expression of subunits already observed using mAbs, as well as the strengths of the activated synaptic inputs. At the same time, we observe that submucous neurones have a substantial mecamylamine (Mec)-insensitive (non-nicotinic) component to their fast epsps, which may point to the presence of purinergic or serotonergic fast epsps in this system. In the myenteric plexus, on the other hand, the antagonist-induced changes in the evoked synaptic response vary depending upon the location of the stimulating electrode with respect to the ganglion under study. The range of activity patterns that follows sequential pharmacological elimination of individual subtypes suggests that nAChRs may be capable of regulating the activity of both excitatory and inhibitory pathways, in a manner similar to that described in the central nervous system.
Imaging structural and functional connectivity: towards a unified definition of human brain organization?

Purpose of reviewDiffusion tractography and functional/effective connectivity MRI provide a better understanding of the structural and functional human brain connectivity. This review will underline the major recent methodological developments and their exceptional respective contributions to physiological and pathophysiological studies in vivo. We will also emphasize the benefits provided by computational models of complex networks such as graph theory. Recent findingsImaging structural and functional brain connectivity has revealed the complex brain organization into large-scale networks. Such an organization not only permits the complex information segregation and integration during high cognitive processes but also determines the clinical consequences of alterations encountered in development, ageing, or neurological diseases. Recently, it has also been demonstrated that human brain networks shared topological properties with the so-called ‘small-world’ mathematical model, allowing a maximal efficiency with a minimal energy and wiring cost. SummarySeparately, magnetic resonance tractography and functional MRI connectivity have both brought new insights into brain organization and the impact of injuries. The small-world topology of structural and functional human brain networks offers a common framework to merge structural and functional imaging as well as dynamical data from electrophysiology that might allow a comprehensive definition of the brain organization and plasticity.
Challenges in Computer Architecture Evaluation

IONS AND METHODOLOGY Computer architecture’s heavy emphasis on simulation effectively discourages the research community from exploring other useful and possibly more informative modeling techniques. The few published papers using and proposing analytic models have not stimulated significant follow-up efforts. Stories abound of such papers receiving knee-jerk negative rejections from program committees and other researchers. Among the NSF workshop participants, however, even skeptics admit that analytic models have a place and that some aspects of the research community’s hostility are cause for concern. August 2003 33 Nonscientific workloads have become at least as important as scientific workloads in multiprocessor systems.
Evaluation of atmospheric nitrogen inputs into marine ecosystems of the North Sea and Baltic Sea – part A: validation and time scales of nutrient accumulation

Abstract. The North Sea and the Baltic Sea are impacted by several anthropogenic activities, which put pressure onto the marine ecosystem. One of these pressures is the input of nitrogen compounds, which act as nutrients for phytoplankton growth and induce eutrophication. Atmospheric deposition is a relevant contributor to the marine nitrogen budget, making up 20 % to 40 % of the nitrogen input of the North Sea and Baltic Sea. But the concentrations of dissolved and particulate nitrogen in the sea are not only determined by the input, but also by the residence time of nitrogen in the system before it is removed by biogeochemical processes or physical advection. Our study aims to estimate the contribution of atmospherically deposited nitrogen to the nitrogen pools of North Sea and Baltic Sea. The contribution of atmospheric nitrogen deposition to dissolved inorganic nitrogen and to particulate organic nitrogen in the surface water was evaluated for both Seas in this study showing the relevance of deposition. Both seas differ significantly with respect to the residence time of water and nutrients. Hence, both water bodies were compared with respect to the accumulation of atmospheric nitrogen. Model simulations with the coupled physical biogeochemical model HBM-ERGOM were performed for this purpose. The fate of atmospheric nitrogen deposition was traced in the marine ecosystem. The model-predicted relevant nutrient concentrations in the surface layer compared well to measurements. Nutrient and oxygen concentrations in deep parts of the Baltic Sea were not properly reproduced but did not impact the simulation quality of surface layer concentrations. The denitrification in the Wadden Sea was underestimated by the model. Tagged dissolved inorganic nitrogen (DIN) with nitrogen from atmospheric deposition reaches a steady-state in the southern North Sea after two years of simulation. This is consistent with the published residence time of nutrients in this region. In contrast, in the Baltic Sea region, the atmospheric nitrogen shares increased year-by-year reaching a steady-state not before the fifth year. This is also consistent with published studies on the residence time of riverine nitrogen in the Baltic Sea. Atmospheric nitrogen shares were evaluated in detail in the second part of this study.
Passive Nonlinear Pulse Shaping in Normally Dispersive Fiber Systems

We propose a novel approach to characterize the parabolically-shaped pulses that can be generated from more conventional pulses via nonlinear propagation in cascaded sections of commercially available normally dispersive (ND) fibers. The impact of the initial pulse chirp on the passive pulse reshaping is examined. We furthermore demonstrate that the combination of pulse pre-chirping and propagation in a single ND fiber yields a simple, passive method for generating various temporal waveforms of practical interest.
Developmental profile of speech-language and communicative functions in an individual with the Preserved Speech Variant of Rett syndrome

Abstract Objective: We assessed various aspects of speech-language and communicative functions of an individual with the preserved speech variant of Rett syndrome (RTT) to describe her developmental profile over a period of 11 years. Methods: For this study, we incorporated the following data resources and methods to assess speech-language and communicative functions during pre-, peri- and post-regressional development: retrospective video analyses, medical history data, parental checklists and diaries, standardized tests on vocabulary and grammar, spontaneous speech samples and picture stories to elicit narrative competences. Results: Despite achieving speech-language milestones, atypical behaviours were present at all times. We observed a unique developmental speech-language trajectory (including the RTT typical regression) affecting all linguistic and socio-communicative sub-domains in the receptive as well as the expressive modality. Conclusion: Future research should take into consideration a potentially considerable discordance between formal and functional language use by interpreting communicative acts on a more cautionary note.
An Analysis of the Openness of the Web2.0 Service Network Based on Two Sets of Indices for Measuring the Impact of Service Ownership

One of the important characteristics of Web2.0 is the collaboration between Web2.0 service providers. They allow users (i.e., providers, developers, consumers) to combine their services. The prerequisite for this collaboration is openness of the Web2.0 service system. Although the Web2.0 technology allows the linking of different heterogeneous Web2.0 services freely, it is only assumed that the Web2.0 system is socially open as well. Until now, it has not been studied whether it is socially open and, if so, to what degree. In this paper, we address this shortcoming by creating and analyzing the Web2.0 service network. The nodes of this network are Web2.0 services and links represent the existence of mashups. In order to measure how much the Web2.0 service network is socially open, we use six openness indices, which are based on Krackhardt and Stern''s EI-Index. Our results show that the Web2.0 is not fully socially open. The reason is that users of Web2.0 services do not leverage the openness provided by the technology. Instead, they prefer using Web2.0 services of those providers that they already know, i.e. the ownership of the service impacts the users'' choices.
American Society of Clinical Oncology/College of American Pathologists guideline recommendations for immunohistochemical testing of estrogen and progesterone receptors in breast cancer.

PURPOSE To develop a guideline to improve the accuracy of immunohistochemical (IHC) estrogen receptor (ER) and progesterone receptor (PgR) testing in breast cancer and the utility of these receptors as predictive markers. METHODS The American Society of Clinical Oncology and the College of American Pathologists convened an international Expert Panel that conducted a systematic review and evaluation of the literature in partnership with Cancer Care Ontario and developed recommendations for optimal IHC ER/PgR testing performance. RESULTS Up to 20% of current IHC determinations of ER and PgR testing worldwide may be inaccurate (false negative or false positive). Most of the issues with testing have occurred because of variation in preanalytic variables, thresholds for positivity, and interpretation criteria. RECOMMENDATIONS The Panel recommends that ER and PgR status be determined on all invasive breast cancers and breast cancer recurrences. A testing algorithm that relies on accurate, reproducible assay performance is proposed. Elements to reliably reduce assay variation are specified. It is recommended that ER and PgR assays be considered positive if there are at least 1% positive tumor nuclei in the sample on testing in the presence of expected reactivity of internal (normal epithelial elements) and external controls. The absence of benefit from endocrine therapy for women with ER-negative invasive breast cancers has been confirmed in large overviews of randomized clinical trials.
Vitamin D as supplementary treatment for tuberculosis: a double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled trial.

RATIONALE Vitamin D has been shown to be involved in the host immune response toward Mycobacterium tuberculosis. OBJECTIVES To test whether vitamin D supplementation of patients with tuberculosis (TB) improved clinical outcome and reduced mortality. METHODS We conducted a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial in TB clinics at a demographic surveillance site in Guinea-Bissau. We included 365 adult patients with TB starting antituberculosis treatment; 281 completed the 12-month follow-up. The intervention was 100,000 IU of cholecalciferol or placebo at inclusion and again 5 and 8 months after the start of treatment. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS The primary outcome was reduction in a clinical severity score (TBscore) for all patients with pulmonary TB. The secondary outcome was 12-month mortality. No serious adverse effects were reported; mild hypercalcemia was rare and present in both arms. Reduction in TBscore and sputum smear conversion rates did not differ among patients treated with vitamin D or placebo. Overall mortality was 15% (54 of 365) at 1 year of follow-up and similar in both arms (30 of 187 for vitamin D treated and 24 of 178 for placebo; relative risk, 1.19 [0.58-1.95]). HIV infection was seen in 36% (131 of 359): 21% (76 of 359) HIV-1, 10% (36 of 359) HIV-2, and 5% (19 of 357) HIV-1+2. CONCLUSIONS Vitamin D does not improve clinical outcome among patients with TB and the trial showed no overall effect on mortality in patients with TB; it is possible that the dose used was insufficient. Clinical trial registered with www.controlled-trials.com/isrctn (ISRCTN35212132).
Evidence of a Massive Black Hole Companion in the Massive Eclipsing Binary V Puppis

Up to now, most stellar-mass black holes have been discovered in X-ray-emitting binaries, in which the black holes are formed through a common-envelope evolution. Here we give evidence for the presence of a massive black hole candidate as a tertiary companion in the massive eclipsing binary V Puppis. We found that the orbital period of this short-period binary (P = 1.45 days) shows a periodic variation while it undergoes a long-term increase. The cyclic period oscillation can be interpreted by the light-travel time effect via the presence of a third body with a mass of no less than 10.4 M☉. However, no spectral lines of the third body were discovered, which indicates that it is a massive black hole candidate. The black hole candidate may correspond to the weak X-ray source close to V Pup, discovered by the Uhuru, Copernicus, and ROSAT satellites, produced by accreting materials from the massive binary via a stellar wind. The circumstellar matter with many heavy elements around this binary may have been formed by the supernova explosion of the progenitor of the massive black hole. All of the observations suggest that a massive black hole is orbiting the massive close binary V Pup with a period of 5.47 yr. Meanwhile, we found that the central close binary is undergoing a slow mass transfer from the secondary to the primary star on a nuclear timescale of the secondary component, revealing that the system has passed through a rapid mass transfer stage.
On the Capacity of Relaying With Finite Blocklength

In this paper, relaying performance is studied under the finite-blocklength regime. The overall error probability of relaying is derived. Moreover, we investigate the blocklength-limited capacity (BL-capacity) of relaying. We prove that the BL-capacity of relaying is quasiconcave in the overall error probability. Therefore, the BL-capacity has a global maximum value, which can be achieved by choosing an appropriate error probability. Through numerical investigations, we validate our analytical model and compare the performance of relaying under the finite-blocklength regime versus the Shannon capacity regime.
Biogeochemistry of beetle-killed forests: Explaining a weak nitrate response

A current pine beetle infestation has caused extensive mortality of lodgepole pine (Pinus contorta) in forests of Colorado and Wyoming; it is part of an unprecedented multispecies beetle outbreak extending from Mexico to Canada. In United States and European watersheds, where atmospheric deposition of inorganic N is moderate to low (<10 kg⋅ha⋅y), disturbance of forests by timber harvest or violent storms causes an increase in stream nitrate concentration that typically is close to 400% of predisturbance concentrations. In contrast, no significant increase in streamwater nitrate concentrations has occurred following extensive tree mortality caused by the mountain pine beetle in Colorado. A model of nitrate release from Colorado watersheds calibrated with field data indicates that stimulation of nitrate uptake by vegetation components unaffected by beetles accounts for significant nitrate retention in beetle-infested watersheds. The combination of low atmospheric N deposition (<10 kg⋅ha⋅y), tree mortality spread over multiple years, and high compensatory capacity associated with undisturbed residual vegetation and soils explains the ability of these beetle-infested watersheds to retain nitrate despite catastrophic mortality of the dominant canopy tree species.
Attribute-Based and Value-Based Clustering: An Evaluation

In most research on concept acquisition from corpora, concepts are modeled as vectors of relations extracted from syntactic structures. In the case of modifiers, these relations often specify values of attributes, as in (attr red); this is unlike what typically proposed in theories of knowledge representation, where concepts are typically defined in terms of their attributes (e.g., color). We compared models of concepts based on values with models based on attributes, using lexical clustering as the basis for comparison. We find that attribute-based models work better than value-based ones, and result in shorter descriptions; but that mixed models including both the best attributes and the best values work best of all.
Intracellular movement of cell surface receptors after endocytosis: resialylation of asialo-transferrin receptor in human erythroleukemia cells

The intracellular movement of cell surface transferrin receptor (TfR) after internalization was studied in K562 cultured human erythroleukemia cells. The sialic acid residues of the TfR glycoprotein were used to monitor transport to the Golgi complex, the site of sialyltransferases. Surface-labeled cells were treated with neuraminidase, and readdition of sialic acid residues, monitored by isoelectric focusing of immunoprecipitated TfR, was used to assess the movement of receptor to sialyltransferase-containing compartments. Asialo-TfR was resialylated by the cells with a half-time of 2-3 h. Resialylation occurred in an intracellular organelle, since it was inhibited by treatments that allow internalization of surface components but block transfer out of the endosomal compartment. Moreover, roughly half of the resialylated molecules were cleaved when cells were retreated with neuraminidase after culturing, indicating that this fraction of the molecules had returned to the cell surface. These results suggest that TfR is transported from the cell surface to the Golgi complex, the intracellular site of sialyltransferases, and then returns to the cell surface. This pathway, which has not been previously described for a cell surface receptor, may be different from the route followed by TfR in iron uptake, since reported rates of transferrin uptake and release are significantly more rapid than the resialylation of asialo-TfR.
Sites of Successful Ventricular Fibrillation Ablation in Bileaflet Mitral Valve Prolapse Syndrome

Background—Although the vast majority of mitral valve prolapse (MVP) is benign, a small subset of patients, predominantly women, with bileaflet prolapse, complex ventricular ectopy (VE), and abnormal T waves comprise the recently described bileaflet MVP syndrome. We compared findings on electrophysiological study in bileaflet MVP syndrome patients with and without cardiac arrest to identify factors that may predispose to malignant ventricular arrhythmia. Methods and Results—Fourteen consecutive bileaflet MVP syndrome patients (n=13 women; median [limits], age at index ablation, 33.8 [21.0–58.7] years; ejection fraction, 60% [45%–67%]; all ⩽ moderate mitral regurgitation; n=6 with previous cardiac arrest and implantable cardioverter defibrillator shocks for ventricular fibrillation; and n=8 without implantable cardioverter defibrillator although with symptomatic complex VE) were included. The 2 groups had similar baseline echocardiographic and electrocardiographic characteristics. All patients had at least 1 left ventricular papillary or fascicular VE focus. Purkinje origin VE was identified as the ventricular fibrillation trigger in 6 of 6 cardiac arrest patients (4 from papillary muscle) and Purkinje origin of dominant VE was seen in 5 of 8 (3 from papillary muscle) nonarrest patients. Acute success was seen in 17 of 19 procedures, and a ventricular fibrillation storm occurred within 24 hours of ablation in a single patient. Repeat ablation for recurrent symptomatic arrhythmia was performed in 6 patients. At 478 (39–2099) days of follow-up, 2 cardiac arrest patients received appropriate shocks. Symptoms from VE were reduced in 12 of 14. Conclusions—Bileaflet MVP syndrome is characterized by fascicular and papillary muscle VE that triggers ventricular fibrillation. Ablation of clinically dominant VE foci improves symptoms and reduces appropriate implantable cardioverter defibrillator shocks.