Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Expanding the antimalarial toolkit: Targeting host–parasite interactions

Recent successes in malaria control are threatened by drug-resistant Plasmodium parasites and insecticide-resistant Anopheles mosquitoes, and first generation vaccines offer only partial protection. New research approaches have highlighted host as well as parasite molecules or pathways that could be targeted for interventions. In this study, we discuss host–parasite interactions at the different stages of the Plasmodium life cycle within the mammalian host and the potential for therapeutics that prevent parasite migration, invasion, intracellular growth, or egress from host cells, as well as parasite-induced pathology.
A Novel Six-Level Inverter Topology for Medium-Voltage Applications

In this paper, a novel topology of six-level inverters for a medium-voltage high-power applications is proposed, which consists of inner flying-capacitor inverter (FCI) units and outer two-level inverter units. The proposed topology can reduce the number of devices, components, and isolated sources compared with the existing ones in the case of the same number of output voltage steps, which result in a reduction of the size and weight of the inverters. Also, the total power loss of the proposed topology is lower than that of the diode-clamped inverter (DCI) and FCI. Besides, the estimated cost of the proposed topology is about 60.5% and 81.3% compared with the DCI and FCI, respectively. In addition, the modulation technique and the control strategy for the dc-link capacitor and flying-capacitor voltages are developed for the proposed topology. The effectiveness of the proposed six-level inverter for the medium-voltage applications has been verified by simulation results. Also, the feasibility of the proposed inverter has been proved by experimental results for the prototype at the laboratory.
Varicella Zoster Virus (VZV) and Herpes Simplex Virus (HSV) in Solid Organ Transplant Patients

Varicella zoster virus (VZV) and the two herpes simplex viruses (HSV) are human α‐herpesviruses that establish life‐long latency in neural ganglia after initial primary infection. In the solid organ transplant (SOT) population, manifestations of VZV or HSV may be seen in up to 70% of recipients if no prophylaxis is used, some of them life and organ threatening. While there are effective vaccines to prevent VZV primary infection and reactivation in immunocompetent adults, these vaccines are contraindicated after SOT because they are live‐virus vaccines. For HSV, prevention has focused primarily on antiviral strategies because the immunologic correlates of protection and control are different from VZV, making vaccine development more challenging. Current antiviral therapy remains effective for the majority of clinical VZV and HSV infections.
The Risk of a Persistent Glucose Metabolism Impairment After Gestational Diabetes Mellitus Is Increased in Patients With Polycystic Ovary Syndrome

OBJECTIVE To test the hypothesis that the risk of persistent glucose impairment after gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) is increased in patients with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS The prospective case-control study included 42 pregnant patients with PCOS and GDM and 84 pregnant control patients with GDM but without clinical and biochemical hyperandrogenism, polycystic ovaries, and oligo-anovulation. The case and control subjects were matched one to two for age and BMI. The glycemic profiles were studied in all subjects 6 weeks, 12 weeks, and 18 months after delivery. The incidence and the relative risk (RR) were calculated for overall persistence of an abnormal glycemic pattern and for each specific alteration, i.e., impaired glucose tolerance (IGT), impaired fasting glucose (IFG), and diabetes mellitus (DM). RESULTS At 18 months after delivery, the incidences of IFG, IGT, and IFG-IGT were significantly (P < 0.05) higher in the cases than in the controls. At the 18-month follow-up, the RR for the composite outcome of glucose metabolism impairment in PCOS women was 3.45 (95% CI 1.82–6.58). CONCLUSIONS Patients with PCOS are at increased risk for a persistent impaired glucose metabolism after GDM.
CR018 Wideband Noise Model for AMS/RF CMOS Simulation

The experimental verification of CR018 wideband noise model for AMS/RF CMOS simulation was achieved using the BSIM3v3 flicker noise model, SPICE2 thermal noise model, and induced gate and bulk noises as well. Among which, independent flicker noise corner model scaling with device size was developed to enable low power design. Moreover, the corner frequency was measured experimentally and validated with model simulation. As to the high frequency thermal noise model, we measured the noise figure with varying gate length and compared with model simulations of SPICE2 and BSIM3v3. A good fit of SPICE2 is achieved using a theoretical value of gamma=2/3 even for the shortest channel length of 0.1 Sum. An effective gamma less than 2/3 derived from BSIM3v3 was obtained. In addition, we observed that the induced gate and bulk noises are important in high frequency as the device sized up. Finally, we sanity checked the developed wideband noise model with switched capacitor and VCO phase noise.
Tympanometric Evaluation in Cerebral Palsy Patients in Benin City Nigeria

Cerebral palsy is a static neurologic condition from brain injury that occurred before cerebral development is complete.1 Such patients are vulnerable to hearing loss. 23, 24 This hearing loss can be due to middle ear pathology, which is preventable and correctable. The aim was to determine the pattern of middle ear pathology and severity of Eustachian Tube Dysfunction (ETD) in Cerebral Palsy patients at UBTH. This was a prospective descriptive study carried out for fourteen months (May 2014 to June 2015). Total population sampling technique was used. 112 subjects participated, each ear, as a separate entity. Pretest was done on 60 subjects at Project Chari-love. Structured interviewer questionnaire was administered, otoscopy and Tympanometry were done. Data analyzed using Statistical Package for Scientific Solution version 16. Similar procedures were carried out on 112 control subjects comprising children in Russell International Group of Schools, Ugbowo, Benin city. Otitis Media with Effusion predominated in 154 (68.8%) ears compared to 25.9% in the control. ETD, 129 (57.6%), mostly Type C1. Reduced middle ear compliance noted in 22 (9.9%) ears. ( p<0.001). Middle ear pathology is predominant in cerebral palsy patients. Otitis Media with Effusion is the commonest. ETD was mostly Type C1.
Enhanced Cell Therapy for Ischemic Heart Disease

Stem cell therapy is regarded as an innovative strategy to intervene in degenerative heart disease. The efficacy of stem cell therapy to regenerate ischemic myocardium has been limited by inadequate numbers of injected cells, unacceptable cell engraftment or long-term survival, and from restrictions associated with the method of delivery. In this review, we provide an overview of the literature emphasizing several strategies which enable improved results after cell therapy for ischemic heart disease. Enhanced cell therapy includes (a) combination of cell grafts either pre-co-cultured or co-injected cells, (b) transplantation of genetically modified cells, or (c) simultaneous administration of control released growth factors, (d) cell preconditioning, (e) use of adjunctive systemic therapy, or (f) repetitive cell therapy. Future studies should focus on the development of strategies for optimization of cell delivery, which will enable easy isolation of adequate cell volume and optimal functional results.
Use of monoclonal antibodies in diagnosis of paracoccidioidomycosis: new strategies for detection of circulating antigens

The precise diagnosis of paracoccidioidomycosis, in most cases, is established by direct methods and indirect immunological tests. The latter method is reliant on the identification of the host's humoral responses, which are usually impaired or absent in patients with severe juvenile forms of the disease and in immunocompromised patients. Determining disease activity or assessing treatment responses by measuring antibody levels is difficult, since antibody titer may remain elevated or persist at stationary levels, even in the presence of clinical improvement. Consequently, there is a need for alternative tests aimed at the identification of circulating antigens. A modification of the standard hybridoma production method was used to raise a panel of murine monoclonal antibodies (MAbs) against the yeast form of Paracoccidioides brasiliensis. Of these, MAb PIB, directed against an 87-kDa determinant, was used to develop an inhibition ELISA (inh-ELISA) capable of detecting as little as 5.8 ng of circulating antigen per ml of serum. Sera from 46 patients with paracoccidioidomycosis or other mycoses and sera from healthy individuals were evaluated by the inh-ELISA; overall sensitivity was 80.4% (37 of 46 paracoccidioidomycosis patients tested positive), and specificity compared with that of normal controls from areas of endemicity was 81.4%. The inh-ELISA detected circulating antigen in 100% of patients with the acute form of paracoccidioidomycosis and in 83.3 and 60% of patients with the chronic multifocal and unifocal forms of paracoccidioidomycosis according to the patients' clinical presentation. These results indicate that the inh-ELISA with MAb PIB is effective in the detection of circulating antigen and that this test may be useful for monitoring responses to treatment and establishing disease prognoses.
Learning sung lyrics aids retention in normal ageing and Alzheimer's disease

Previous studies have suggested that presenting to-be-memorised lyrics in a singing mode, instead of a speaking mode, may facilitate learning and retention in normal adults. In this study, seven healthy older adults and eight participants with mild Alzheimer's disease (AD) learned and memorised lyrics that were either sung or spoken. We measured the percentage of words recalled from these lyrics immediately and after 10 minutes. Moreover, in AD participants, we tested the effect of successive learning episodes for one spoken and one sung excerpt, as well as long-term retention after a four week delay. Sung conditions did not influence lyrics recall in immediate recall but increased delayed recall for both groups. In AD, learning slopes for sung and spoken lyrics did not show a significant difference across successive learning episodes. However, sung lyrics showed a slight advantage over spoken ones after a four week delay. These results suggest that singing may increase the load of initial learning but improve long-term retention of newly acquired verbal information. We further propose some recommendations on how to maximise these effects and make them relevant for therapeutic applications.
Assessing marginal abatement cost for greenhouse gas emissions from livestock production in China and Europe : accounting for uncertainties

xiii Lay summary . xv Acknowledgements . xvii Chapter 1 – Introduction . 1 1.1 Climate change and international mitigation efforts . 1 1.2 Livestock activities and climate change . 3 1.3 Aim of this research . 5 1.4 Structure of the dissertation . 6 2 Chapter 2 Literature review . 8 2.1 Sources of GHG emissions in livestock production . 8 2.1.1 Enteric fermentation . 8 2.1.2 Agricultural and grassland soils . 9 2.1.3 Manure storage . 10 2.2 GHG inventories and reported GHG emissions from agricultural activities in China and Europe . 11 2.2.1 Emission intensities versus absolute emissions . 14 2.2.2 Agricultural GHG emissions in China . 16 2.2.3 Agricultural GHG emissions in the EU-15 . 16 2.3 Mitigation options for livestock production . 18 2.3. 1 Enteric fermentation . 18 2.3. 2 Agricultural soils . 26 2.3. 3 Manure storage . 31 2.4 Conclusion . 33
Lessons Learned from Developing a Drug Evidence Base to Support Pharmacovigilance

Summary Objectives: This work identified challenges associated with extraction and representation of medication-related information from publicly available electronic sources. Methods: We gained direct observational experience through creating and evaluating the Drug Evidence Base (DEB), a repository of drug indications and adverse effects (ADEs), and supplemented this through literature review. We extracted DEB content from the National Drug File Reference Terminology, from aggregated MEDLINE co-occurrence data, and from the National Library of Medicine’s DailyMed. To understand better the similarities, differences and problems with the content of DEB and the SIDER Side Effect Resource, and Vanderbilt’s MEDI Indication Resource, we carried out statistical evaluations and human expert reviews. Results: While DEB, SIDER, and MEDI often agreed on medication indications and side effects, cross-system shortcomings limit their current utility. The drug information resources we evaluated frequently employed multiple, disparate vaguely related UMLS concepts to represent a single specific clinical drug indication or adverse effect. Thus, evaluations comparing drug-indication and drug-ADE coverage for such resources will encounter substantial numbers of false negative and false positive matches. Furthermore, our review found that many indication and ADE relationships are too complex – logically and temporally – to represent within existing systems. Conclusion: To enhance applicability and utility, future drug information systems deriving indications and ADEs from public resources must represent clinical concepts uniformly and as precisely as possible. Future systems must also better represent the inherent complexity of indications and ADEs. Citation: Smith JC, Denny JC, Chen Q, Nian H, Spickard III A, Rosenbloom ST, Miller RA. Lessons learned from developing a drug evidence base to support pharmacovigilance. Appl Clin Inf 2013; 4: 596–617 http://dx.doi. org/10.4338/ACI-2013-08-RA-0062
Recent Developments in Computed Tomography for Urolithiasis: Diagnosis and Characterization

Objective. To critically evaluate the current literature in an effort to establish the current role of radiologic imaging, advances in computed tomography (CT) and standard film radiography in the diagnosis, and characterization of urinary tract calculi. Conclusion. CT has a valuable role when utilized prudently during surveillance of patients following endourological therapy. In this paper, we outline the basic principles relating to the effects of exposure to ionizing radiation as a result of CT scanning. We discuss the current developments in low-dose CT technology, which have resulted in significant reductions in CT radiation doses (to approximately one-third of what they were a decade ago) while preserving image quality. Finally, we will discuss an important recent development now commercially available on the latest generation of CT scanners, namely, dual energy imaging, which is showing promise in urinary tract imaging as a means of characterizing the composition of urinary tract calculi.
Analyzing Pauses in Computer-Assisted EFL Writing?A Computer-Keystroke-Log Perspective

Using computer keystroke logs, this study investigated how writing skill affected L2 writers’ pausing patterns to gain insights into their management of the cognitive writing processes. The 59 participants, 29 in the more-skilled group and 30 in the less-skilled group, were recruited from a college English course at a key Chinese university. The two groups completed an argumentative essay in a computer classroom where Inputlog6.0 was installed to log their writing activities. Setting the pause threshold at 2 seconds, the study examined both the global pausing patterns and the interval pausing patterns by dividing each writing event into five equal intervals, and how the final text quality related to the pausing patterns. The results showed a significant effect of writing skill on the interval pausing patterns, but not on the global pausing patterns. Correlating significantly with the final text quality, the interval pausing patterns also revealed important differences in L2 writers’ management of writing processes in terms of how one writing process dominates at specific intervals with interaction and shifts between other processes in a recursive fashion. Pedagogical implications are then discussed in light of these findings.
Bioremediation of problematic soils through agroforestry practices

The review article shows the capacity of trees to maintain or improve soils characteristics shown by the high fertility status and closed nutrient cycling under natural forest, the restoration of fertility under forest fallow in shifting cultivation, and the experience of reclamation forestry and agroforestry. We can improve problematic soils using tree crops along with agricultural crops without using pesticides, fertilizers and insecticides. Soil transects frequently show higher organic matter and better soil physical properties under trees. Some species, most notably Faidherbia abide, regularly give higher crop yields beneath the tree canopy. Leguminous tree crops increases the fertility and productivity of soils.
Quality-of-life outcomes in men treated for localized prostate cancer.

OBJECTIVE To assess health-related quality of life (HRQOL) in men treated for clinically localized prostate cancer. DESIGN A cross-sectional analysis of HRQOL after treatment with radical prostatectomy, pelvic irradiation, or observation alone for clinically localized prostatic adenocarcinoma, and in age-matched comparison patients. SETTING A large managed care population in California. SUBJECTS A total of 528 men, including 214 treated for clinically localized prostate cancer (41 with evidence of metastatic disease were excluded from this analysis) and 273 age-matched, ZIP code-matched comparison patients without prostate cancer. Cancer patients were analyzed in three treatment groups: radical prostatectomy (n = 98), primary pelvic irradiation (n = 56), and observation alone (n = 60). MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES General HRQOL was measured with the RAND 36-Item Health Survey 1.0. Cancer-specific HRQOL was measured with the CAncer Rehabilitation Evaluation System-Short Form and the Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy-General form. Disease-targeted quality of life was measured with a new instrument assessing function and bother in three organ systems: sexual, urinary, and bowel. RESULTS No differences among treatment groups were seen in comparisons of general HRQOL: Significant differences among treatment groups were seen in both function and bother in the prostate-targeted measures of sexual, urinary, and bowel domains. When cancer patients were compared with men of similar age without prostate cancer, differences were seen in the sexual, urinary, and bowel function and bother but not in general HRQOL measures. Although cancer-free men were found not to have full potency or continence, prostate cancer patients treated with surgery or radiation reported significantly worse sexual, urinary, and bowel function than men without cancer. Men who had undergone nerve-sparing prostatectomy did not differ from those who had undergone standard prostatectomy, but the power to detect a difference was low. CONCLUSIONS Although no differences were seen in general HRQOL, three disease-targeted domains were found to differ significantly among the treatment groups and comparison patients. Even after controlling for the sexual and urinary dysfunction experienced by older men without cancer, those receiving therapeutic interventions for their prostate cancer were found to have poorer disease-targeted HRQOL: We conclude that in addition to general HRQOL, disease-targeted measures must be used to assess outcomes of care in men treated for localized prostate cancer.
Smuggling Humans: A Theory of Debt-Financed Migration

We introduce financial constraints in a theoretical analysis of illegal immigration. Intermediaries finance the migration costs of wealth-constrained migrants, who enter temporary servitude contracts to pay back the debt. These debt/labor contracts are more easily enforceable in the illegal than in the legal sector of the host country. Hence, when moving from the illegal to the legal sector becomes more costly, for instance, because of stricter deportation policies, fewer immigrants default on debt. This reduces the risks for intermediaries, who are then more willing to finance illegal migration. Stricter deportation policies may thus increase rather than decrease the ex ante flow of illegal migrants. We also show that stricter deportation policies worsen the skill composition of immigrants. While stricter border controls decrease overall immigration, they may also result in an increase of debt-financed migration.
Evolving Mobile Media: Uses and Conceptualizations of the Mobile Internet

Technological convergence has led to the ability to access the internet from a variety of mobile devices. Drawing on the Mobile Phone Appropriation Model (Wirth, von Pape & Karnowski, 2008), we sought to understand how people conceptualize and use the mobile internet by conducting semistructured interviews with 21 mobile internet users, half American and half German in order to explore cross-cultural differences. Findings suggest little cross-cultural difference in use and understanding of the mobile Internet. Users do not perceive the act of “going online” as a significant step, even if it is on a mobile device. They do, however, distinguish between different ways of consuming information online (extractive and immersive), relating them to different situations and devices.
Higher gauge theory

Just as gauge theory describes the parallel transport of point particles using connections on bundles, higher gauge theory describes the parallel transport of 1-dimensional objects (e.g. strings) using 2-connections on 2-bundles. A 2-bundle is a categorified version of a bundle: that is, one where the fiber is not a manifold but a category with a suitable smooth structure. Where gauge theory uses Lie groups and Lie algebras, higher gauge theory uses their categorified analogues: Lie 2-groups and Lie 2-algebras. We describe a theory of 2-connections on principal 2-bundles and explain how this is related to Breen and Messing's theory of connections on nonabelian gerbes. The distinctive feature of our theory is that a 2-connection allows parallel transport along paths and surfaces in a parametrization-independent way. In terms of Breen and Messing's framework, this requires that the "fake curvature" must vanish. In this paper we summarize the main results of our theory without proofs.
Stochastic Stability Under Network Utility Maximization : General File Size Distribution

We prove the stochastic stability of resource allocation under Network Utility Maximization (NUM) under general arrival process and file size distribution with bounded support, for α-fair utilities with α sufficiently small and possibly different for different sources’ utility functions. In addition, our results imply that the system operating under α-fair utility is 1/(1 + α)-approximate stable for any α ∈ (0,∞) for any file size distribution with bounded support. Our results are in contrast to the recent stability result of Bramson (2005) for max-min fair (i.e. α = ∞) under general arrival process and file size distribution, and that of Massoulie (2006) for proportional fair (i.e. α = 1) under Poisson arrival process and phase-type distributions. To obtain our results, we develop an appropriate Lyapunov function for the fluid model established by Gromoll and Williams (2006)1.