Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
T Cell Activation Markers and African Mitochondrial DNA Haplogroups among Non-Hispanic Black Participants in AIDS Clinical Trials Group Study 384

Introduction Mitochondrial function influences T cell dynamics and is affected by mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) variation. We previously reported an association between African mtDNA haplogroup L2 and less robust CD4 cell recovery on antiretroviral therapy (ART) in non-Hispanic black ACTG 384 subjects. We explored whether additional T cell parameters in this cohort differed by mtDNA haplogroup. Methods ACTG 384 randomized ART-naïve subjects to two different nucleoside regimens with efavirenz, nelfinavir, or both. CD4 and CD8 memory and activation markers were available at baseline and week 48 on most subjects. mtDNA sequencing was performed on whole blood DNA, and haplogroups were determined. We studied non-Hispanic black subjects with HIV RNA <400 copies/mL at week 48. Analyses included Wilcoxon ranksum test and linear regression. Results Data from 104 subjects were included. Major African mtDNA haplogroups included L1 (N = 25), L2 (N = 31), and L3 (N = 32). Baseline age, HIV RNA, and CD4 cells did not differ between L2 and non-L2 haplogroups. Compared to non-L2 haplogroups, L2 subjects had lower baseline activated CD4 cells (median 12% vs. 17%; p = 0.03) and tended toward lower activated CD8 cells (41% vs. 47%; p = 0.06). At 48 weeks of ART, L2 subjects had smaller decreases in activated CD4 cells (−4% vs. −11%; p = 0.01), and smaller CD4 cell increases (+95 vs. +178; p = 0.002). In models adjusting for baseline age, CD4 cells, HIV RNA, and naïve-to-memory CD4 cell ratio, haplogroup L2 was associated with lower baseline (p = 0.04) and 48-week change in (p = 0.01) activated CD4 cells. Conclusions Among ART-naïve non-Hispanic blacks, mtDNA haplogroup L2 was associated with baseline and 48-week change in T cell activation, and poorer CD4 cell recovery. These data suggest mtDNA variation may influence CD4 T cell dynamics by modulating T cell activation. Further study is needed to replicate these associations and identify mechanisms.
The Quill Distributed Analytics Library and Platform Microsoft Research Technical Report MSR-TR-2016-25

This technical report introduces Quill (stands for a quadrillion tuples per day), a library and distributed platform for relational and temporal analytics over large datasets in the cloud. Quill exposes a new abstraction for parallel datasets and computation, called ShardedStreamable. This abstraction provides the ability to express efficient distributed physical query plans that are transferable, i.e., movable from offline to real-time and vice versa. ShardedStreamable decouples incremental query logic specification, a small but rich set of data movement operations, and keying; this allows Quill to express a broad space of plans with complex querying functionality, while leveraging existing temporal libraries such as Trill. Quill’s layered architecture provides a careful separation of responsibilities with independently useful components, while retaining high performance. We built Quill for the cloud, with a master-less design where a language-integrated client library directly communicates and coordinates with cloud workers using off-the-shelf distributed cloud components such as queues. Experiments on up to 400 cloud machines, and on datasets up to 1TB, find Quill to incur low overheads and outperform SparkSQL by up to orders-of-magnitude for temporal and 6× for relational queries, while supporting a rich space of transferable, programmable, and expressive distributed physical query plans.
Studies on Properties of Ants System

Ants System is one bionic algorithm developed in recent years, lacking rigorous theoretical instructions. In this paper, studies on the properties of Ants System are made and several parameters concerned, include: ant initial number m、transfer control parameter q0、importance of visibility β and stigmergy decay parameter , are analyzed, which is of reference significance.
The Effect of Regional Fiscal Policy on Regional Economic Growth (Study case: Provinces in Kalimantan, Indonesia)

This research paper is looking for the effect of regional fiscal policy implementation on regional economic growth in provinces in Kalimantan Island over the period when fiscal decentralization started in Indonesia, 2001 – 2011 by using panel data estimation from 4 provinces (West Kalimantan, Central Kalimantan, South Kalimantan, and East Kalimantan). The measurement of fiscal decentralization is used to analyse are Autonomy Indicator, Revenue Indicator, and Expenditure Indicator. Moreover, to see the effect of fiscal decentralization on economic growth is used control variables to support that, such as Population, Initial GDRP, Employment, and Investment. The paper concludes with there is positive relationship between fiscal decentralization and local economic growth in provinces in Kalimantan. The result shows that increase in fiscal decentralization will increase local economic growth, and other variables too except population.
CTLA-4 Gene Polymorphism and the Risk of Systemic Lupus Erythematosus in the Chinese Population

Several variants of CTLA-4 have been reported to be associated with susceptibility systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE); however, findings have been inconsistent across different populations. Using a case-control study design, we have investigated the role of CTLA-4 polymorphism at positions −1661 and −1722 on SLE susceptibility in our Chinese SLE population in central China's Hubei province. Samples were collected from 148 SLE patients and 170 healthy controls. Polymerase chain reaction restriction fragments length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) was used to analyze the genotypes of the two sites. Statistically significant difference was observed in genotypes for −1722, but not for −1661. The frequency of the T allele on the −1722 SNP was significantly increased in SLE patients: 57.8% versus 40.6% in controls (P < 0.001, OR = 2.002). While the detected C allele frequency in the controls was significantly elevated in comparison to that in the SLE patients (59.4% versus 42.2%). On the contrary, no association was found between SLE and CTLA-4 polymorphism at position −1661.
Effects of müller glia on cell survival and neuritogenesis in adult porcine retina in vitro.

PURPOSE To examine the effects of glia-derived and brain-derived neurotrophic factors on survival and morphology of cultured retinal ganglion cells (RGCs) from adult porcine retina. METHODS Adult porcine retinas were dissociated and cultured in different conditions: (1) on laminin- and poly-D-lysine-coated coverslips in chemically defined medium (CDM); (2) on laminin- and poly-D-lysine-coated coverslips in CDM supplemented with brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF); (3) in confluent monolayer cultures of retinal Müller glia (RMG) in CDM; (4) in 1-day cultures of RMG in CDM; (5) in fixed RMG cultures in CDM; and (6) in laminin-poly-D-lysine substrate in conditioned medium obtained from RMG. RGCs were classified on the basis of the size, number of neurites, and length of the neurites, and the survival of the RGCs was assayed after each treatment. RESULTS Confluent RMG substrates and RMG-conditioned medium significantly increased the survival of cultured porcine RGCs. Moreover, these two conditions increased the size of the RGCs and enhanced growth and elongation of the neurite. Addition of BDNF to the culture medium or use of 1-day cultured RMG as a substrate did not modify survival but increased the size, neurite number, and neurite length in the RCGs. CONCLUSIONS These findings demonstrate that factor(s) secreted by RMG exert beneficial effects on survival of adult RGCs and neurite regeneration in vitro and may constitute effective agent(s) for neuroprotection of RGC.
Asymmetry of Reputation Loss and Recovery under Endogenous Partnerships: Theory and Evidence

This paper is inspired by real-world phenomena that firms lose customers based on imprecise information and take a long time to recover. If consumers are playing an ordinary repeated game with fixed partners, there is no clear reason why recovery slowly happens. However, if consumers are playing an endogenously repeated game, a class of simple efficient equilibria exhibits the asymmetry of fast loss of customers after a bad signal and slow recovery. Exit is systematic but formation of a new partnership is random. We also give empirical evidence of our equilibria at an individual-firm level.
Hydrodynamical simulations of Galactic fountains I: evolution of single fountains

The ejection of the gas out of the disk in late-type galaxies is related to star formation and is due mainly to Type II supernovae. In this paper we studied in detail the development of the Galactic fountains in order to understand their dynamical evolution and their influence in the redistribution of the freshly delivered metals over the disk. To this aim, we performed a number of 3D hydrodynamical radiative cooling simulations of the gas in the Milky Way where the whole Galaxy structure, the Galactic differential rotation and the supernovae explosions generated by a single OB association are considered. A typical fountain powered by 100 Type II supernovae may eject material up to ∼ 2 kpc which than collapses back mostly in form of dense, cold clouds and filaments. The majority of the gas lifted up by the fountains falls back on the disk remaining within a radial distance ∆R = 0.5 kpc from the place where the fountain originated. This localized circulation of disk gas does not influence the radial chemical gradients on large scale, as required by the chemical models of the Milky Way which reproduce the metallicity distribution without invoking large fluxes of metals. Simulations of multiple fountains fuelled by Type II supernovae of different OB associations will be presented in a companion paper.
C-peptide as a Therapy for Kidney Disease: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

C-peptide has intrinsic biological activity and may be renoprotective. We conducted a systematic review to determine whether C-peptide had a beneficial effect on renal outcomes. MEDLINE, EMBASE, and the Cochrane Central Databases were searched for human and animal studies in which C-peptide was administered and renal endpoints were subsequently measured. We identified 4 human trials involving 74 patients as well as 18 animal studies involving 35 separate experiments with a total of 641 animals. In humans, the renal effects of exogenously delivered C-peptide were only studied in type 1 diabetics with either normal renal function or incipient nephropathy. Pooled analysis showed no difference in GFR (mean difference, -1.36 mL/min/1.73 m2, p = 0.72) in patients receiving C-peptide compared to a control group, but two studies reported a reduction in glomerular hyperfiltration (p<0.05). Reduction in albuminuria was also reported in the C-peptide group (p<0.05). In diabetic rodent models, C-peptide led to a reduction in GFR (mean difference, -0.62 mL/min, p<0.00001) reflecting a partial reduction in glomerular hyperfiltration. C-peptide also reduced proteinuria (mean difference, -186.25 mg/day, p = 0.05), glomerular volume (p<0.00001), and mesangial matrix area (p<0.00001) in diabetic animals without affecting blood pressure or plasma glucose. Most studies were relatively short-term in duration, ranging from 1 hour to 3 months. Human studies of sufficient sample size and duration are needed to determine if the beneficial effects of C-peptide seen in animal models translate into improved long-term clinical outcomes for patients with chronic kidney disease. (PROSPERO CRD42014007472)
Measurements of volatile organic compounds at a suburban ground site (T1) in Mexico City during the MILAGRO 2006 campaign: measurement comparison, emission ratios, and source attribution

Abstract. Volatile organic compound (VOC) mixing ratios were measured with two different instruments at the T1 ground site in Mexico City during the Megacity Initiative: Local and Global Research Observations (MILAGRO) campaign in March of 2006. A gas chromatograph with flame ionization detector (GC-FID) quantified 18 light alkanes, alkenes and acetylene while a proton-transfer-reaction ion-trap mass spectrometer (PIT-MS) quantified 12 VOC species including oxygenated VOCs (OVOCs) and aromatics. A GC separation system was used in conjunction with the PIT-MS (GC-PIT-MS) to evaluate PIT-MS measurements and to aid in the identification of unknown VOCs. The VOC measurements are also compared to simultaneous canister samples and to two independent proton-transfer-reaction mass spectrometers (PTR-MS) deployed on a mobile and an airborne platform during MILAGRO. VOC diurnal cycles demonstrate the large influence of vehicle traffic and liquid propane gas (LPG) emissions during the night and photochemical processing during the afternoon. Emission ratios for VOCs and OVOCs relative to CO are derived from early-morning measurements. Average emission ratios for non-oxygenated species relative to CO are on average a factor of ~2 higher than measured for US cities. Emission ratios for OVOCs are estimated and compared to literature values the northeastern US and to tunnel studies in California. Positive matrix factorization analysis (PMF) is used to provide insight into VOC sources and processing. Three PMF factors were distinguished by the analysis including the emissions from vehicles, the use of liquid propane gas and the production of secondary VOCs + long-lived species. Emission ratios to CO calculated from the results of PMF analysis are compared to emission ratios calculated directly from measurements. The total PIT-MS signal is summed to estimate the fraction of identified versus unidentified VOC species.
Trade diversification: Drivers and impacts

Policy interest in export diversification is not new but, for over two decades, it was mired in an ideologically loaded debate about the role of the State. Old-time industrial policy having died of its own excesses, the debate over what, if anything, the government should do to promote export growth was contained within the fringe of the economics profession. Mainstream economists were happy to believe that whatever market failures were out there, government failures were worse, and that anyway most governments in developing countries lacked the means to do anything. But by an ironic twist of history, years of (Washington-consensus inspired) fiscal and monetary discipline have put a number of developing-country governments back in a position to do something for export promotion, having recovered room to manoeuvre in terms of both external balance and budget position. So the question is back. With limited guidance from theory, the economics profession’s answer to the return of the industrial-policy debate has been to go back to descriptive statistics (as opposed to the investigation of causal chains). The result is a wealth of new stylized facts. For instance, surprising patterns of export entrepreneurship have emerged from the use of increasingly disaggregated data. One area where theory has proved useful is in the exploration of the linkages between productivity and trade. So-called “new-new” trade models (featuring firm heterogeneity) have highlighted complex relationships between trade diversification and productivity, with causation running one way at the firm level and the other way around (or both ways) at the aggregate level. Even at the aggregate level, new issues have appeared. First, Imbs and Wacziarg (2003) uncovered a curious pattern of diversification and re-concentration in production, prompting researchers to explore whether the same was true of trade. Second, a wave of recent empirical work has questioned traditional views on the “natural-re-
Tacit knowledge as a multilayer phenomenon: the “onion” model

Purpose This paper aims to clarify the term “tacit knowledge” and suggests the “onion model” as a way to explore conceptually linked layers of tacit knowledge. The model allows the application of different methodologies to elicit tacit knowledge in each layer, the ability to infer tacit knowledge in other layers from tacit knowledge gained in another layer and the exploration of the dynamics of tacit knowledge among the various layers presented in the model. Conceptual and practical advantages compared to prior works on tacit knowledge are discussed. Design/methodology/approach The main theoretical and methodological dilemmas discussed in the literature regarding tacit knowledge are reviewed. The “onion model” presented in this paper suggests an approach and methodologies that address the issues raised in the literature. The different layers of the model are demonstrated by prior research studies. Findings The “onion model” discussed in this study points to various layers of tacit knowledge and the links among them, allowing a research-based approach, as well as various practices. Research limitations/implications This paper discusses different layers of tacit knowledge relying on previous works that have dealt with these layers independently. The model as a whole and the dynamics among the layers are yet to be empirically investigated. Practical implications The “onion model” provides a conceptual framework that can be used for research and diagnosis aimed at exploring tacit knowledge that can serve individual and organizational development. Originality/value The approach discussed in this paper addresses some major problems discussed in the literature on tacit knowledge.
THE EFFECT OF TEACHERS’ DIRECT AND INDIRECT FEEDBACK ON STUDENT’ S WRITING ABILITY

This study is intended to find out any difference in effectiveness between direct and indirect feedback on students’ writing ability. The design was Quasi-Experiment. The population consisted of the students of the X class of Senior High School 4, Rejang Lebong, Curup, Indonesia. The samples comprised 32 students in group 1 and 32 Students in group 2. The instrument was a writing test. In the data analysis, the researcher used the normality, homogeneity, and t-test.These were calculated and analyzed by using SPSS 20. The tests consisted of pre-test and post-test. In post-test, there was no significant difference between groups on all aspect. There were two results of this study. Firstly, in the post test there was a difference of mean score between experiment group 1 and experiment group 2. In general ability, in group 1 increased by 15.59. Meanwhile, the group 2 increased by 2.60. This indicated that there was an effect of indirect feedback on students’ writing ability. From t-test calculation, t-count was 3.274 which t-table was 1.670. It showed that t obtained was bigger than t-table (3.274 > 1.670). H0 was rejected and H1 was accepted. In other words, the indirect feedback technique was effective on students’ wri ting ability. Based on the data analysis, the indirect feedback technique was positively effective in increasing on students’ writing ability, on general writing ability. There were also significant differences between both groups in the writing ability aspects such as organization, language use and vocabulary.
HOSPITALIZATION TIME AFTER OPEN APPENDECTOMY BY THREE DIFFERENT SURGICAL TECHNIQUES

Background The choice of surgical technique to approach the appendicular stump depends mostly on skill and personal preference of the surgeon or on the protocol used in the service, and the influence of this choice in hospitalization time is not evaluated. Aim To evaluate the relation between surgical technique and postoperative hospitalization time in patients presenting with acute appendicitis. Methods Retrospective analysis of 180 patients who underwent open appendectomy. These where divided into three groups according to surgical technique: conventional appendectomy (simple ligation of the stump), tobacco pouch suture and Parker-Kerr suture. Data where crossed with hospitalization time (until three days, from four to six days and over seven days). Results A hundred and eighty patients with age from 15 to 85 years where included. From these, 95 underwent conventional technique, had an average hospitalization time of 3,9 days and seven had complications (surgical site infection, seroma, suture dehiscence and evisceration). In 67 patients, tobacco pouch suture was chosen and had average hospitalization time of 3,7 days and two complications (infection and seroma). In 18 Parker-Kerr suture was made, with average hospitalization time of 2,6 days, with no complication. Contingency coefficient between the variables hospitalization time and technique was 0,255 and Cramér's V was 0,186. Conclusion There was tendency to larger hospitalization time and larger number of complications in conventional appendectomy, whereas in patients where Parker-Kerr suture was performed, hospitalization time was significantly smaller.
Adult consequences of growth failure in early childhood123

Background: Growth failure is associated with adverse consequences, but studies need to control adequately for confounding. Objective: We related height-for-age z scores (HAZs) and stunting at age 24 mo to adult human capital, marriage, fertility, health, and economic outcomes. Design: In 2002–2004, we collected data from 1338 Guatemalan adults (aged 25–42 y) who were studied as children in 1969–1977. We used instrumental variable regression to correct for estimation bias and adjusted for potentially confounding factors. Results: A 1-SD increase in HAZ was associated with more schooling (0.78 grades) and higher test scores for reading and nonverbal cognitive skills (0.28 and 0.25 SDs, respectively), characteristics of marriage partners (1.39 y older, 1.02 grade more schooling, and 1.01 cm taller) and, for women, a higher age at first birth (0.77 y) and fewer number of pregnancies and children (0.63 and 0.43, respectively). A 1-SD increase in HAZ was associated with increased household per capita expenditure (21%) and a lower probability of living in poverty (10 percentage points). Conversely, being stunted at 2 y was associated with less schooling, a lower test performance, a lower household per capita expenditure, and an increased probability of living in poverty. For women, stunting was associated with a lower age at first birth and higher number of pregnancies and children. There was little relation between either HAZ or stunting and adult health. Conclusion: Growth failure in early life has profound adverse consequences over the life course on human, social, and economic capital.
The neuroscience of social understanding

How do we understand and engage with the purposeful, emotional and mental activities of other people and how does this knowledge develop? What can recent work on mirror neurons in monkeys and human beings teach us about how the brain supports social understanding? According to Intentional Relations Theory (Barresi and Moore 1996), the understanding of the self-other equivalence requires concurrent knowledge of mind from both a first- and a third-person point of view and that any mental concept must directly match and link these two ways of knowing it. In this chapter we will argue that Intentional Relations Theory is consistent with and can help interpret recent neurophysiological findings on “mirror neurons” that fire equivalently for intentional relations (i.e., object-directed actions, emotions, and mental activities) of self and other.