Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Risk of hip fracture associated with hepatitis c virus infection and hepatitis C/human immunodeficiency virus coinfection

Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection has been associated with reduced bone mineral density, but its association with fracture rates is unknown, particularly in the setting of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) coinfection. Our aims were to determine whether persons with HCV infection alone are at increased risk for hip fracture, compared to uninfected individuals, and to examine whether the risk of hip fracture is higher among HCV/HIV‐coinfected persons, compared to those with HCV alone, those with HIV alone, and those uninfected with either virus. We conducted a cohort study in 36,950 HCV/HIV‐coinfected, 276,901 HCV‐monoinfected, 95,827 HIV‐monoinfected, and 3,110,904 HCV/HIV‐uninfected persons within the U.S. Medicaid populations of California, Florida, New York, Ohio, and Pennsylvania (1999‐2005). Incidence rates of hip fracture were lowest among uninfected persons (1.29 events/1,000 person‐years), increased with the presence of either HIV infection (1.95 events/1,000 person‐years) or HCV infection (2.69 events/1,000 person‐years), and were highest among HCV/HIV‐coinfected individuals (3.06 events/1,000 person‐years). HCV/HIV coinfection was associated with an increased relative hazard (adjusted hazard ratio [HR] [95% confidence interval; CI]) of hip fracture, compared to HCV‐monoinfected (HR, 1.38; 95% CI: 1.25‐1.53), HIV‐monoinfected (females: HR, 1.76; 95% CI: 1.44‐2.16; males: HR, 1.36; 95% CI: 1.20‐1.55), and HCV/HIV‐uninfected persons (females: HR, 2.65; 95% CI: 2.21‐3.17; males: HR, 2.20; 95% CI: 1.97‐2.47). HCV monoinfection was associated with an increased risk of hip fracture, compared to uninfected individuals, and the relative increase was highest in the youngest age groups (females, 18‐39 years: HR, 3.56; 95% CI: 2.93‐4.32; males, 18‐39 years: HR, 2.40; 95% CI: 2.02‐2.84). Conclusion: Among Medicaid enrollees, HCV/HIV coinfection was associated with increased rates of hip fracture, compared to HCV‐monoinfected, HIV‐monoinfected, and HCV/HIV‐uninfected persons. HCV‐monoinfected patients had an increased risk of hip fracture, compared to uninfected individuals. (HEPATOLOGY 2012;56:1688–1698)
Language Correlates of Disciplinary Literacy

Disciplinary literacy is defined here as the ability to engage in social, semiotic, and cognitive practices consistent with those of content experts. Characterizing literacy development as a process of braiding 3 language strands of everyday language, abstract language, and metaphoric language, this article describes the lexical and grammatical patterns typical of disciplinary texts in the subjects of language arts, science, mathematics, and history, showing how language is used in discipline-specific ways to present knowledge, construe value, and create specialized texts. It argues that literacy instruction in academic disciplines should move beyond the time-honored focus on basic skills (e.g., vocabulary, fluency), general cognitive strategies (e.g., predicting, inferencing), and generic learning strategies (e.g., highlighting, note taking) to embrace an emphasis on discipline-specific practices that promote simultaneous engagement with disciplinary language and disciplinary content.
Integrable G-strands on semisimple Lie groups

The present paper derives systems of partial differential equations that admit a quadratic zero curvature representation for an arbitrary real semisimple Lie algebra. It also determines the general form of Hamilton’s principles and Hamiltonians for these systems, and analyzes the linear stability of their equilibrium solutions in the examples of so(3)? > and sl(2,R)? >.
The Effect of Prescribed Rhythmical Movements on the Ability to Read Music at Sight

r v . HE ABILITY TO READ MUSIC llas long been recognized as a valuable tool by which students can broaden their musical experiences.l However, the musical experiences of many students have been severely limited because of an inability to read music at sight. Many music educators have expressed the belief that sightreading deficiencies are in large part due to difficulties witll rhythm patterns. Although supporting experimental research is lacking, two analytical studies do suggest that rhythm problems are prime determinants of sight-reading difficulties. A study that attempted to determine tlle relative difficulty of rllythmic and pitch elements in musir reading ancl the way in whicll they influence the duration of reading pauses concluded that "rhythmic factors constitute the limiting conditions for rate of reading or average pause duration whenever the rhythm is not extremely simple. This implies that increase in rate of reading depends upon improvernent in ability to grasp rhythmic figures. "2 Thomson's analysis of errors in sight-reading by violinists and clarinetists yielded essentially the sarne conclusion. "More than half of the errors made by performers -were errors in rhythm. This fact would seem to indicate that, in actual music reading, a major problem appears to exist in the playing of the correct rhythm pattern. "3 On the basis of this conclusion, he recornmended that more stress be placed on learning to play rhythms in order to read well at sight. In analyses such as Thomson's it is impossible to tell whether the errors in reading rhythms can be attributed to deficiencies in the reading of rhythm per se, or whether some of the errors might be the result of other technical difficulties in the exercises performed. Experienced music teachers realize that errors in the performance of rhythms are
Neurodegeneration in multiple sclerosis is a process separate from inflammation: No

My argument is that SPMS, characterised by steadily progressive, predictive disability, cerebral and spinal cord atrophy and neuroaxonal death is, purely and completely, a secondary effect of the preceding and ongoing inflammatory disease process. The disappearance of hand surgeons in rheumatology The management of rheumatoid arthritis, the corresponding disorder in rheumatology, has been revolutionised in the last ten years by the active management of the inflammatory process.1,2 Thus secondary contractures, joint ankylosis and the need for prosthetic joint surgery has diminished by early medical intervention and the concept of ‘treating to target’ in rheumatology. Rheumatologists have the advantage over neurologists is that their target is easily seen and palpable. It is also measurable with accessible biomarkers and radiological changes. Neurologists do not have these luxuries; their target is hidden, as discussed below. Multiple Sclerosis Journal
Nasal Airway Resistance and Olfactory Acuity following Transsphenoidal Pituitary Surgery

Rhinological problems after a transseptal transsphenoidal approach for pituitary tumors were prospectively investigated in 25 patients with special reference to nasal airway resistance and olfactory acuity. Five patients showed a significant increase in the unilateral and/or total nasal airway resistance. Endoscopic observation of the nasal cavity revealed the presence of crust formation, hypertrophy of the inferior turbinate, or synechiae. Three patients showed a significant deterioration in olfactory acuity. Coronal CT views with good visualization of the olfactory cleft were helpful in evaluating causes of hyposmia postoperatively.
MRI in multiple sclerosis: correlation with expanded disability status scale (EDSS)

Magnetic resonance (MR) imaging is very sensitive in showing disseminated MS lesions. Subclinical MR progression occurs frequently, explaining why MR is now used to monitor treatment, even without measurable consequences, of new MR lesions to the patient at this moment. In the light of this clinico-radiological paradox, the significance of MR in MS is discussed, particularly in relation with the expanded disability status scale (EDSS). Gadolinium-enhancing lesions correlate with the occurrence of relapses, CSF myelin breakdown products and, in patients with relapsingremitting disease, with higher EDSS. However, the predictive value of the frequency of enhancement for changes in EDSS is only weak. For conventional T2-weighted MR imaging, the cross-sectional correlation with EDSS varies between 0.15 and 0.60, and is limited mainly by the inherent lack of tissues specificity of T2-weighted images. Both T1 black holes and magnetisation transfer (MT) parameters show a better correlation with EDSS; it should be noted that lesions in which those abnormalities are found go through an initial phase of enhancement as well. For T1 black holes, a correlation up to 0.81 has been reported for SP patients. Post-mortem studies show that black holes and low MT ratios are in vivo markers of axonal loss. Preliminary data indicate that progressive atrophy also correlates with progression on the EDSS scale. More should be learned about the fate of new MR lesion with regards to development of axonal loss, which at present is difficult to predict in the enhancing stage. The existence of escape mechanisms, including remyelination, make a simple correlation with EDSS extremely unlikely, and perhaps not even desirable. Nevertheless, while the clinical effect of a given new lesion may be difficult to ascertain, the absence of (new) MR lesions is prognostically favourable, as will be the degree to which new lesions are prevented by treatment.
A General Framework of Wiretap Channel With Helping Interference and State Information

This paper considers a general framework of the wiretap channel with helping interference and state information (WT-HI-SI), where a transmitter-receiver pair wishes to keep the message secret from a passive eavesdropper in the presence of an interferer and a random state. The interferer is to help the legitimate transceivers to enhance their security level, and the state information is available at the transmitter, but not at the eavesdropper. For the discrete memoryless WT-HI-SI, an achievable scheme is proposed by combining the noise forward scheme and the double binning coding scheme. Some previously proposed schemes can be viewed as special cases of the proposed scheme. Then, the achievable scheme is applied to two special channels, the Gaussian WT-HI-SI and the Gaussian WT-HI, respectively. For the Gaussian WT-HI-SI, there exists an external random state noncausally available to the transmitter in advance. But for the Gaussian WT-HI, there does not exist any external random state. In this case, we propose a novel achievable scheme that requires the transmitter to artificially generate the random state whose power can be adjusted adaptively according to dynamic channel conditions. Both the analytic and numerical results are provided to demonstrate that the use of the state information can generally improve the secrecy performance. A more important contribution of this paper is that even for the scenario where no external state information is available to the transmitter, the proposed scheme with the artificial state can still achieve a strictly larger secrecy rate in comparison with existing interference assisted schemes.
Distinguishing direct from indirect roles for bicoid mRNA localization factors

Localization of bicoid mRNA to the anterior of the Drosophila oocyte is essential for patterning the anteroposterior body axis in the early embryo. bicoid mRNA localizes in a complex multistep process involving transacting factors, molecular motors and cytoskeletal components that remodel extensively during the lifetime of the mRNA. Genetic requirements for several localization factors, including Swallow and Staufen, are well established, but the precise roles of these factors and their relationship to bicoid mRNA transport particles remains unresolved. Here we use live cell imaging, super-resolution microscopy in fixed cells and immunoelectron microscopy on ultrathin frozen sections to study the distribution of Swallow, Staufen, actin and dynein relative to bicoid mRNA during late oogenesis. We show that Swallow and bicoid mRNA are transported independently and are not colocalized at their final destination. Furthermore, Swallow is not required for bicoid transport. Instead, Swallow localizes to the oocyte plasma membrane, in close proximity to actin filaments, and we present evidence that Swallow functions during the late phase of bicoid localization by regulating the actin cytoskeleton. In contrast, Staufen, dynein and bicoid mRNA form nonmembranous, electron dense particles at the oocyte anterior. Our results exclude a role for Swallow in linking bicoid mRNA to the dynein motor. Instead we propose a model for bicoid mRNA localization in which Swallow is transported independently by dynein and contributes indirectly to bicoid mRNA localization by organizing the cytoskeleton, whereas Staufen plays a direct role in dynein-dependent bicoid mRNA transport.
Economic dimensions of armed groups: profiling the financing, costs, and agendas and their implications for mediated engagements

Abstract This article introduces the various economic dimensions of armed groups and explores the implications of their engagement through mediation and dialogue. It looks specifically at the financing, operational costs, and economic agendas of armed groups and brings together examples from Angola, Kosovo, Sudan, Colombia, and other places. It emphasizes that information about available financing and operational costs is critical for assessing the financial and operational strength of an armed group. It also highlights the need to understand armed groups in the broader context of their evolution and the changes that organizational and territorial expansions require with regards to financing strategies. Overall, the economic dimensions of armed groups should be approached with an open mind so that issues such as financing, costs, and economic agendas can be perceived as opportunities, and not necessarily as a problem for peace.
Impact of a School-Based Hygiene Promotion and Sanitation Intervention on Pupil Hand Contamination in Western Kenya: A Cluster Randomized Trial

Handwashing with soap effectively reduces exposure to diarrhea-causing pathogens. Interventions to improve hygiene and sanitation conditions in schools within low-income countries have gained increased attention; however, their impact on schoolchildren's exposure to fecal pathogens has not been established. Our trial examined whether a school-based water, sanitation, and hygiene intervention reduced Escherichia coli contamination on pupils' hands in western Kenya. A hygiene promotion and water treatment intervention did not reduce risk of E. coli presence (relative risk [RR] = 0.92, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.54–1.56); the addition of new latrines to intervention schools significantly increased risk among girls (RR = 2.63, 95% CI = 1.29–5.34), with a non-significant increase among boys (RR = 1.36, 95% CI = 0.74–2.49). Efforts to increase usage of school latrines by constructing new facilities may pose a risk to children in the absence of sufficient hygiene behavior change, daily provision of soap and water, and anal cleansing materials.
Atmospheric Deposition Effects on Plankton Communities in the Eastern Mediterranean: A Mesocosm Experimental Approach

The effects of atmospheric deposition on plankton community structure were examined during a mesocosm experiment using water from the Cretan Sea (Eastern Mediterranean), an area with a high frequency of atmospheric aerosol deposition events. The experiment was carried out under spring-summer conditions (May 2012). The main objective was to study the changes induced from a single deposition event, on the autotrophic and heterotrophic surface microbial populations, from viruses to zooplankton. To this end, the effects of Saharan dust addition were compared to the effects of mixed aerosol deposition on the plankton community over 9 days. The effects of the dust addition seemed to propagate throughout the food-web, with changes observed in nearly all of the measured parameters up to copepods. The dust input stimulated increased productivity, both bacterial and primary. Picoplankton, both autotrophic and heterotrophic capitalized on the changes in nutrient availability and microzooplankton abundance also increased due to increased availability of prey. Five days after the simulated deposition, copepods also responded, with an increase in egg production. The results suggest that nutrients were transported up the food web through autotrophs that were favored by the Nitrogen supplied through both treatments. Although the effects of individual events are generally short lived, increased deposition frequency and magnitude of events is expected in the area, due to predicted reduction in rainfall and increase in temperature, which can lead to more persistent changes in plankton community structure. Here we demonstrate how a single dust deposition event leads to enhancement of phytoplankton and microzooplankton and can eventually, through copepods, transport more nutrients up the food web in the Eastern Mediterranean Sea.
The association between hepatitis C virus genotype and human immunodeficiency virus disease progression in a cohort of hemophilic men.

Patients coinfected with both hepatitis C virus (HCV) and the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) have more rapid progression of HCV infection; however, little is known about the effect of coinfection with HCV on the progression of HIV disease. This study assessed the association between infection with different HCV genotypes on progression to AIDS and death in a cohort of men with hemophilia. Patients infected with HCV type 1 experienced a more rapid progression to both AIDS (P = .009) and death (P = .007) than did those infected with other types. This effect was largely independent of age at seroconversion, hemophilia diagnosis, and changes in CD4 cell count over the follow-up period. These results suggest an association between HCV genotype and progression of HIV disease, which, if confirmed, could have important implications for the treatment and care of patients coinfected with both HIV and HCV.
Connotatively Inconsistent Test Items

An item is defined as connotatively consistent (CC) or connotatively inconsistent (CI) when its connotation agrees with or contradicts that shared by the majority of items on a test. This definition is more accurate than what have been referred to as negative versus positive items. The study examined the equivalence of CC and CI items using convenience samples of college students' responses to the Life Orientation Test (Scheier & Carver, 1985). Confirmatory factor analysis results showed that CC and CI items measured correlated but distinct traits. Practical and theoretical implications of these findings are discussed.
Effects of Mental Load and Fatigue on Steady-State Evoked Potential Based Brain Computer Interface Tasks: A Comparison of Periodic Flickering and Motion-Reversal Based Visual Attention

Steady-state visual evoked potentials (SSVEP) based paradigm is a conventional BCI method with the advantages of high information transfer rate, high tolerance to artifacts and the robust performance across users. But the occurrence of mental load and fatigue when users stare at flickering stimuli is a critical problem in implementation of SSVEP-based BCIs. Based on electroencephalography (EEG) power indices α, θ, θ + α, ratio index θ/α and response properties of amplitude and SNR, this study quantitatively evaluated the mental load and fatigue in both of conventional flickering and the novel motion-reversal visual attention tasks. Results over nine subjects revealed significant mental load alleviation in motion-reversal task rather than flickering task. The interaction between factors of “stimulation type” and “fatigue level” also illustrated the motion-reversal stimulation as a superior anti-fatigue solution for long-term BCI operation. Taken together, our work provided an objective method favorable for the design of more practically applicable steady-state evoked potential based BCIs.
Teacher training effects: Real or illusory?

Thirteen teachers from an elementary school in a rural community participated in a 16-week university extension course on behavioral approaches in the classroom. Training was conducted in five successive phases: (a) Information, (b) Instructions to Practice, (c) Guided Practice, (d) Coding Practice, (e) Performance Feedback. Reading assignments, activity assignments, and discussion took place throughout most of the course. Teacher behaviors were coded in the classroom during the course, and 5 months and 12 months after the course. Performance Feedback was reinstated after the 12-month follow-up observations. Significant increases in positive teacher behaviors and decreases in negative teacher behaviors were observed by the end of the course; however, these changes were not maintained during the follow-up observations or reinstatement of Performance Feedback. The implications of the findings for training are discussed.
Agentic and Communal Values: Their Scope and Measurement

Agency is the meta-concept associated with self-advancement in social hierarchies; communion is the partner concept associated with maintenance of positive relationships. Despite the wealth of data documenting the conceptual utility of agency and communion (A & C) as superordinate metaconcepts, no direct measures of global A & C value dimensions are currently available. The first part of this article presents structural analyses of data from 4 diverse data sets (3 archival and 1 new): Each included a broad inventory of values or life goals. All 4 data sets revealed higher order A & C dimensions that were either apparent or implicit. The second part details the development of the ACV, a 24-item questionnaire measuring global A and C values, and documents its psychometric properties. Four studies support their joint construct validity by positioning the value measures within a nomological network of interpersonal traits, self-favorability biases, ideology dimensions, gender, socio-sexuality, and religious attitudes. Potential applications of the new instrument are discussed.
Time in organizational research: Catching up on a long neglected topic in order to improve theory

Time should be an important aspect of organizational theory, but it has been neglected for decades. In this essay, I describe four different ways in which time can be conceptualized in organizational research. I give examples from recent theoretical work that include a temporal perspective. I also specify some directions about how future theory development and refinement should incorporate time.