Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Long-term follow-up of asymptomatic HIV-infected patients who discontinued antiretroviral therapy.

BACKGROUND Whether asymptomatic human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-infected patients can interrupt treatment remains unknown. METHODS We performed a prospective, observational study of 46 patients who started therapy with >300 CD4+ cells/mm3 and/or <70,0000 HIV-1 RNA copies/mL. Patients had been receiving highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) for at least 6 months. HAART was discontinued, and plasma HIV-1 RNA loads and CD4+ cell counts were determined at 4-month intervals. RESULTS At the time of HAART discontinuation, the median CD4+ cell count was 793 cells/mm3, and all patients had undetectable viral loads. A rapid decrease of 173 cells/mm3 in the median CD4+ cell count was observed during the first 4 months after HAART was stopped, followed by a slower decrease of 234 cells/mm3 between months 5 and 20. The decrease in the median CD4+ cell count early after HAART discontinuation was inversely correlated with the increase that occurred during receipt of therapy (r=-0.653) and with the count at the time of HAART discontinuation (r=-0.589). The decrease in the median CD4+ cell count after the fourth month without HAART was correlated with the nadir count before HAART initiation (r=-0.349) and the increase during treatment (r=-0.322). The median follow-up duration was 20 months. After 12, 24, and 36 months of observation, 33 patients (71.7%), 22 patients (47.8%), and 16 patients (34.7%), respectively, remained free of therapy. Adverse clinical events were not seen, and all patients who reinitiated HAART responded rapidly. CONCLUSION Selected asymptomatic HIV-infected patients can safely discontinue therapy for prolonged periods of time.
Sound transmission through plates perforated with two periodic subwavelength hole arrays

Theoretical results on sound transmission through plates perforated with compound periodic hole arrays are presented. Calculations are obtained by means of a model under the rigid-solid assumption, which is thoroughly derived. A complex interplay between resonant transmission peaks, resonance interference, and Wood anomaly minima is observed. At high frequencies the resonant peaks overcome the Wood anomaly dips, leading to a different behaviour when compared with simple hole arrays.
Reading With Central Scotomas: Is There a Binocular Gain?

Purpose. The purpose of this study was to compare reading performance under binocular versus monocular viewing conditions in patients with bilateral age-related macular degeneration (AMD). Methods. Twenty-two patients with AMD participated. Distance acuity, reading acuity, and contrast sensitivity were recorded binocularly and monocularly with the better eye. An infrared eye tracker recorded eye movements during reading. Reading speed and reading eye movement parameters, including number of fixations and regressions, fixation duration, and number of saccades to find the next line, were calculated for both viewing conditions. The difference between binocular and monocular performance (binocular gain) was computed. Regression analysis was used to determine whether intraocular differences in distance and reading acuity and contrast sensitivity were predictive of binocular gain. Results. Reading speed when using both eyes was highly correlated with the reading speed for the better eye. There was a small, but not significant, advantage of binocular viewing (6.9 words/minute, p = 0.33). No significant difference was detected in any eye movement parameters when comparing both eyes with the better eye. Although some patients showed either positive or negative binocular gain, the amount of gain was not predicted by intraocular differences in acuity or contrast sensitivity. Conclusions. Overall, there was no significant difference between binocular and monocular reading performance in patients with AMD.
DETERMINATION OF PLASTICIZER LEVELS IN SERUM OF HEMODIALYSIS PATIENTS

Serum DEHP levels were measured on 27 hemodialysis patients at various time intervals. The following results were obtained: 1) Predialysis levels of DEHP occurred in only one of 22 samples. 2) Postdialysis serum levels reached a mean of 751 nGm DEHP/ml serum. 3) Samples from patients with less than 50 hemodialysis treatments gave a mean of 558 nGm/ml, while those with more than 50 treatments gave a mean of 973 nGM/ml. These numbers were found to be significantly different at a 95% confidence level. 4) No difference in DEHP levels were found for males and females. 5) The appearance of DEHP during dialysis and its disappearance after dialysis were found to be biphasic. 6) No correlation was found between serum DEHP and triglyceride levels in postdialysis serum samples.
Feeding the Flock and the Family: Work and Family Challenges Facing Ordained Clergy Women

Abstract In this paper, we focus on the ministry, an occupation in which a juxtaposition of three salient structural characteristics poses special challenges for women in balancing their work and family roles. In our study of ordained clergy women, we examine the impact of itineracy (i.e., repeated relocation of the clergy required by the United Methodist Church) and of being female in a male-dominated profession, particularly one that has traditionally been structured as a “two-person career. ” The gendered demands of this occupation emerge as a central concern in our analysis, which is guided by the conceptual frameworks of Goffman (“gender display”), West and Zimmerman (“doing gender”) and DeVault (“feeding the family”). We argue that the challenges clergy women face — as well as the coping strategies they employ in addressing these challenges — center around the competing pressures from the workplace and the family to recreate their “femaleness. ”
An Unsupervised Graph Based Continuous Word Representation Method for Biomedical Text Mining

In biomedical text mining tasks, distributed word representation has succeeded in capturing semantic regularities, but most of them are shallow-window based models, which are not sufficient for expressing the meaning of words. To represent words using deeper information, we make explicit the semantic regularity to emerge in word relations, including dependency relations and context relations, and propose a novel architecture for computing continuous vector representation by leveraging those relations. The performance of our model is measured on word analogy task and Protein-Protein Interaction Extraction (PPIE) task. Experimental results show that our method performs overall better than other word representation models on word analogy task and have many advantages on biomedical text mining.
A Cell Culture Adapted HCV JFH1 Variant That Increases Viral Titers and Permits the Production of High Titer Infectious Chimeric Reporter Viruses

The unique properties of the hepatitis C virus (HCV) JFH1 isolate have made it possible to produce and study HCV in an infectious cell culture system. However, relatively low virus titers restrict some of the uses of this system and preparing infectious chimeric reporter viruses have been difficult. In this study, we report cell culture-adapted mutations in wild-type JFH1 yielding higher titers of infectious particles of both JFH1 and chimeric JFH1 viruses carrying reporter genes. Sequencing analyses determined that ten of the sixteen nonsynonymous mutations were in the NS5A region. Individual viruses harboring specific adaptive mutations were prepared and studied. The mutations in the NS5A region, which included all three domains, were most effective in increasing infectious virus production. Insertion of two reporter genes in JFH1 without the adaptive mutations ablated the production of infectious HCV particles. However, the introduction of specific adaptive mutations in the NS5A region permitted reporter genes, Renilla luciferase (Rluc) and EGFP, to be introduced into JHF1 to produce chimeric HCV-NS5A-EGFP and HCV-NS5A-Rluc reporter viruses at relatively high titers of infectious virus. The quantity of hyperphosphorylated NS5A (p58) was decreased in the adapted JFH1 compared wild type JFH1 and is likely be involved in increased production of infectious virus based on previous studies of p58. The JFH1-derived mutant viruses and chimeric reporter viruses described here provide new tools for studying HCV biology, identifying HCV antivirals, and enable new ways of engineering additional infectious chimeric viruses.
Gender Differences in Verbal Irony Use

Potential causes of gender differences in perceived and reported verbal irony use are investigated. The study first presented written scenarios of speakers with indeterminate gender who made sarcastic comments. These speakers are judged to be more likely male than female, by both male and female participants. In a separate task, male participants also report a greater likelihood of using verbal irony relative to female participants. The study then investigated potential explanations of this gender difference. The results revealed support for an explanation based on a match between the generally greater riskiness of males over females, and a relatively greater risk of miscomprehension of verbal irony, rather than an explanation that males use verbal irony because its pragmatic functions fit better with their discourse goals versus those reported by females. A discussion of other potential underpinnings to gender differences in verbal irony use and a call for further research are presented.
Correlazioni tra CBCL e variabili cliniche e socio-demografiche in bambini con Disturbi Pervasivi dello Sviluppo

It appears of particular interest to assess if there is a potential correlation between the emotional-behavioral profile highlighted by mothers and fathers in the CBCL and socio-demographic or clinical characteristics of their children. Fathers’ CBCL detected more often than mothers’ CBCL autistic typical behaviors and there is a tendency to a greater correlation of fathers’ opinion with scales compiled by doctors, in particular, with most subscales of ADI-R and CARS, showing a fathers’ perception of their children closer to that obtained by doctors during diagnostic observations.
Implication of macrophages in tumor rejection induced by CpG-oligodeoxynucleotides without antigen.

Phosphorothioate oligodeoxynucleotides containing CpG motifs (CpG-ODNs) display broad immunostimulating activity and have potential applications in cancer immunotherapy. To investigate the antitumor activity of CpG-ODNs and to study the role of macrophages and lymphocytes in tumor rejection, CpG-ODN's effects on 9 L glioma cells were assessed in Fisher rats, depleted or not in macrophages, in nude mice, and in SCID mice. In nondepleted rats, intratumoral injections with 100 microg of CpG-ODNs on days 5, 12, and 19, after s.c. 9 L cell inoculations, resulted in an 84% reduction of the tumor volumes, when compared with controls injected with saline (P < 0.0001). Whereas all control animals developed tumors, more than one-third of the treated rats remained tumor free. Rejection of established glioma induced a specific long-term immunity, as cured rats were protected against a subsequent 9 L injection, but not a RG2 cell inoculation, another syngenic glioma in Fischer rats. Macrophages played a critical role in the early phase of tumor rejection, because the CpG-ODN's effects were significantly decreased in the rats depleted in macrophages, and none of the macrophage-depleted rats treated with CpG-ODNs rejected the tumor. On the contrary, both nude and SCID mice, which have normal innate immunity, showed a significant decrease of tumor volume when treated with CpG-ODNs when compared with controls. T cells were however involved in a later phase of the tumor rejection, as all nude mice eventually developed tumors despite the initial tumor growth inhibition. Altogether, these data suggest that immunostimulatory CpG-ODNs induced tumor rejections through an early activation of innate immunity and priming of a specific immune response against glioma cells.
Identification of Novel Genetic Risk Loci in Maltese Dogs with Necrotizing Meningoencephalitis and Evidence of a Shared Genetic Risk across Toy Dog Breeds

Necrotizing meningoencephalitis (NME) affects toy and small breed dogs causing progressive, often fatal, inflammation and necrosis in the brain. Genetic risk loci for NME previously were identified in pug dogs, particularly associated with the dog leukocyte antigen (DLA) class II complex on chromosome 12, but have not been investigated in other susceptible breeds. We sought to evaluate Maltese and Chihuahua dogs, in addition to pug dogs, to identify novel or shared genetic risk factors for NME development. Genome-wide association testing of single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in Maltese dogs with NME identified 2 regions of genome-wide significance on chromosomes 4 (chr4:74522353T>A, p = 8.1×10−7) and 15 (chr15:53338796A>G, p = 1.5×10−7). Haplotype analysis and fine-mapping suggests that ILR7 and FBXW7, respectively, both important for regulation of immune system function, could be the underlying associated genes. Further evaluation of these regions and the previously identified DLA II locus across all three breeds, revealed an enrichment of nominal significant SNPs associated with chromosome 15 in pug dogs and DLA II in Maltese and Chihuahua dogs. Meta-analysis confirmed effect sizes the same direction in all three breeds for both the chromosome 15 and DLA II loci (p = 8.6×10–11 and p = 2.5×10−7, respectively). This suggests a shared genetic background exists between all breeds and confers susceptibility to NME, but effect sizes might be different among breeds. In conclusion, we identified the first genetic risk factors for NME development in the Maltese, chromosome 4 and chromosome 15, and provide evidence for a shared genetic risk between breeds associated with chromosome 15 and DLA II. Last, DLA II and IL7R both have been implicated in human inflammatory diseases of the central nervous system such as multiple sclerosis, suggesting that similar pharmacotherapeutic targets across species should be investigated.
The tendency to fall for distracting information while making judgments: development and validation of the Objective Heuristic Thinking Test

Despite much research on thinking biases such as the representativeness, availability, and anchoring heuristics, a psychometrically sound measurement instrument for assessing the degree of heuristic thinking is still missing. Therefore, it was the goal of this study to develop and validate a new test to assess the degree of heuristic thinking associated with three particular thinking heuristics (i.e., the representativeness, availability, and anchoring heuristics). The resulting Objective Heuristic Thinking Test (OHTT) was evaluated with regard to its internal consistency, factor structure, construct validity, and stability in an internet sample (N = 300) and an independent laboratory sample (N = 55). Exploratory factor analyses resulted in three latent factors that represented the three OHTT subscales (i.e., representativeness, availability, and anchoring factors). Results revealed a low to sufficient internal consistency for each of the three scales. Further analyses indicated convergent correlations of.
Comparative Analysis of Behavioral Models for Adaptive Learning in Changing Environments

Probabilistic models of decision making under various forms of uncertainty have been applied in recent years to numerous behavioral and model-based fMRI studies. These studies were highly successful in enabling a better understanding of behavior and delineating the functional properties of brain areas involved in decision making under uncertainty. However, as different studies considered different models of decision making under uncertainty, it is unclear which of these computational models provides the best account of the observed behavioral and neuroimaging data. This is an important issue, as not performing model comparison may tempt researchers to over-interpret results based on a single model. Here we describe how in practice one can compare different behavioral models and test the accuracy of model comparison and parameter estimation of Bayesian and maximum-likelihood based methods. We focus our analysis on two well-established hierarchical probabilistic models that aim at capturing the evolution of beliefs in changing environments: Hierarchical Gaussian Filters and Change Point Models. To our knowledge, these two, well-established models have never been compared on the same data. We demonstrate, using simulated behavioral experiments, that one can accurately disambiguate between these two models, and accurately infer free model parameters and hidden belief trajectories (e.g., posterior expectations, posterior uncertainties, and prediction errors) even when using noisy and highly correlated behavioral measurements. Importantly, we found several advantages of Bayesian inference and Bayesian model comparison compared to often-used Maximum-Likelihood schemes combined with the Bayesian Information Criterion. These results stress the relevance of Bayesian data analysis for model-based neuroimaging studies that investigate human decision making under uncertainty.
Teachers’ Sensemaking of Data and Implications for Equity

This article examines an understudied aspect of teachers’ sensemaking of student learning data: the way in which teachers explain the causes of the outcomes observed in data. Drawing on sensemaking and attribution theory and data collected in six middle schools, we find that while teachers most often attributed outcomes to their own instruction, they also frequently focused on supposedly stable student characteristics. By citing these characteristics as explanations for the results analyzed, teachers may have inhibited reflection on their practice and reinforced low expectations for English language learners (ELLs) and students in special education. These findings yield implications for (a) the effectiveness of data use reforms and (b) equity in the education of ELLs and students in special education.
Screening for Urinary Tract Infection with the Sysmex UF-1000i Urine Flow Cytometer

ABSTRACT The diagnosis of urinary tract infection (UTI) by urine culture is time-consuming and can produce up to 60 to 80% negative results. Fast screening methods that can reduce the necessity for urine cultures will have a large impact on overall turnaround time and laboratory economics. We have evaluated the detection of bacteria and leukocytes by a new urine analyzer, the UF-1000i, to identify negative urine samples that can be excluded from urine culture. In total, 1,577 urine samples were analyzed and compared to urine culture. Urine culture showed growth of ≥103 CFU/ml in 939 samples (60%). Receiver operating characteristics (ROC) curves and ROC decision plots were been prepared at three different gold standard definitions of a negative urine culture: no growth, growth of bacteria at <104 CFU/ml, and growth of bacteria at <105 CFU/ml. Also, the reduction in urine cultures and the percentage of false negatives were calculated. At the most stringent gold standard definition of no growth, a chosen sensitivity of 95% resulted in a cutoff value of 26 bacteria/μl, a specificity of 43% and a reduction in urine cultures of only 20%, of which 14% were false negatives. However, at a gold standard definition of <105 CFU/ml and a sensitivity of 95%, the UF-1000i cutoff value was 230 bacteria/μl, the specificity was 80%, and the reduction in urine cultures was 52%, of which 0.3% were false negatives. The applicability of the UF-1000i to screen for negative urine samples strongly depends on population characteristics and the definition of a negative urine culture. In our setting, however, the low workload savings and the high percentage of false-negative results do not warrant the UF-1000i to be used as a screening analyzer.
Seizure‐induced neurogenesis in the adult brain

It is well established that seizures increase adult neurogenesis in the subventricular and subgranular zones, the most neurogenic regions of the adult rodent and apparently human brain. However, the role of increased neurogenesis in these areas in seizure generation (ictogenesis) and epileptogenesis remains elusive. It is of utmost importance to explore how the cells that are born in response to epileptic seizures are functionally integrated into the existing neuronal networks, and how this integration would contribute to the excitability of this network. This will determine whether increased neurogenesis is beneficial or counteractive to ictogenesis and epileptogenesis. Some of the crucial factors affecting the functional integration of newborn cells seem to be excessive neuronal activity and/or inflammatory microenvironment, both associated with acute, as well as chronic, epileptic conditions. This review will focus on aspects of the functional integration of newborn cells in animal models of epilepsy with various degrees of seizure severity and associated microenvironmental alterations in the brain tissue.
Conciencia Fonológica en niños preescolares de 4 y 5 años

The aim of this study is to know the performance phonological awareness in preschool Chilean children. A metaphonological awareness test is applied to 60 children of four years old and 60 children of five years old who come from low socioeconomic income families. The results show that the preschool of 5 year-old a significantly major yield that the group of 4-year-old children in tasks of phonological awareness. So, the results indicate an increase in children’s syllable phonological awareness development according to chronological age. However, no evidence states a complete acquisition of syllable´s metaphonological knowledge at five years old.
Validity Evidence in Accommodations for English Language Learners and Students with Disabilities.

The five papers in this special issue of the Journal of Applied Testing Technology address fundamental issues of validity when tests are modified or accommodations are provided to English Language Learners (ELL) or students with disabilities. Three papers employed differential item functioning (DIF) and factor analysis and found the underlying constructs measured by tests do not change among these groups of students. Despite this strong finding, consistent and large score differences are present across groups. Such consistent and large score differentials among these groups on cognitive ability tests would be ideally contrasted with findings from alternative measures (e.g., portfolio's, performance assessments, and teachers' ratings). Two papers examine current methods used to identify and classify both ELL and students with disabilities, while other papers examine the performance of students with specific disabilities (e.g., deaf, mental retardation). The impact of modifications and accommodations on score comparability is discussed in relation to professional standards and current validity theory.