Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Situating experiences of HIV-related stigma in Swaziland

Abstract With the world's highest antenatal HIV prevalence rate (39.2%), Swaziland has also been described as among the most stigmatising. Yet, only recently was an anti-HIV stigma and discrimination (S&D) platform included in the government's National Multisectoral HIV and AIDS Policy. This study draws on a medical anthropological project in rural Swaziland to examine experiences of stigma among people living with HIV/AIDS (PLWH). Qualitative methods included a semi-structured questionnaire and interviews (n=40) to identify patterns of stigma across three domains: verbal, physical and social. Key informant interviews (n=5) were conducted with health personnel and support group leaders. Descriptive statistics were situated within a thematic analysis of open-ended content. Among the findings, participants reported extensive HIV-related rumouring (36.4%) and pejorative name-calling (37.5%). Nearly one in five (18.2%) could no longer partake of family meals. Homesteads, which are an organising principle of Swazi life, were often markedly stigmatising environments. In contrast to documented discrimination in health care settings, the health centre emerged as a space where PLWH could share information and support. Given the UNAIDS call for national partners to ‘know your epidemic’ by tracking the prevalence of HIV-related S&D, results from this study suggested that unless ‘knowing your epidemic’ includes the lived experiences of HIV stigma that blister into discernible patterns, effectiveness of national initiatives is likely to be limited. Multidisciplinary and locale-specific studies are especially well suited in examining the cultural dynamics of HIV stigma and in providing grounded data that deepen the impact of comprehensive HIV/AIDS policies and programming.
Telemedicine systems for collaborative diagnosis over the Internet: towards virtual "collaboratories"

The working experience of the National Institute for Cancer Research (INRC) of Genova, Italy, in the use of Internet technology for second opinions and teleconsultations in histology and cytology is presented. In the first section, the current state of the art of telepathology is reviewed and the main requirements, which generally address a telepathology system, are briefly analyzed. The second section investigates the experience of using Internet technology at INRC in current telepathology consultations. The evolution from static to dynamic telepathology in relation to the speed of the current communication channel is discussed. Finally, the concept of collaboration laboratories, defined in previous works as collaboratories, is introduced.
Lightweight Aggregate Concrete as an Alternative for Dense Concrete in Post-Tensioned Concrete Slab

The paper presents the results of tests conducted on two lightweight aggregate concretes made of new national Certyd artificial aggregate. This research is intended to first application of lightweight concrete to construct large-span post-tensioned slab. In addition to mechanical properties development, shrinkage and creep during 3 months of loading were tested. The obtained results are compared with theoretical results predicted by standard. Conducted tests indicated, that measured values of shrinkage and creep are significantly lower than predicted ones. This is promise for application of tested concrete in construction of post-tensioned slabs.
Self-Reported Outcome After Diode Laser Hair Removal

Background:Laser-assisted photoepilation has become the procedure of choice for permanent hair reduction. Our purpose was to evaluate patient satisfaction with the procedure using a diode-laser system. Method:A self-administered survey was mailed to 220 patients who underwent treatment between 2000 and 2004. These questions addressed the area treated, number of treatments received, postprocedure hair density, and overall satisfaction. Results:Of 220 patients, 114 (52%) completed the survey. Eighty percent of patients were either “very satisfied” or “somewhat satisfied. ” Forty percent of patients felt they achieved 75% hair reduction and 38% reported 50% hair reduction. The majority of patients required 5–6 treatments over 13–18 months for maximum improvement. Multiple treatments over this prolonged time were a significant deterrent to treatment completion. The majority of patients (91%) experienced no long-term side effects. Conclusion:Diode-laser hair removal is a safe, well-tolerated procedure. Our patient satisfaction is comparable to hair-count studies in the literature.
Trophic interaction between copepods and ciliates: effects of prey swimming behavior on predation risk

The transfer of matter and energy in planktonic food webs is determined by the encounter rate between predators and prey and subsequent attack and capture success. We tested if differences in swimming behavior and escape ability of 2 planktonic ciliates could explain differences in their susceptibility to predation from the calanoid copepod Acartia clausi. We chose 2 similarly sized ciliates, which exhibited very different swimming behavior: Strobilidium spiralis (Strobilidiina) and Metacylis sp. (Tintinnina). Behavioral analyses were combined with feeding incubations. The behavior of S. spiralis was characterized by slow upward and downward swimming interrupted by sudden jumps. Metacylis sp. showed a swimming pattern typical for many tintinnids, with steep helical trajectories and without jumps. Feeding experiments while A. clausi was incubated in a 1:1 mixture of both ciliate species showed a higher predation rate on Metacylis sp. According to behavioral observations, the copepod exhibited a 2-fold difference in ingestion rate between the ciliate species. Furthermore, film analyses revealed that S. spiralis escaped the attacking predator with rapid jumps while Metacylis sp. lacked any effective behavioral response to the approaching predator. We discuss the relative importance of velocities and dispersal rates in encounter processes and conclude that the escape response shown by S. spiralis significantly reduces the risk of predation. This study emphasizes the importance of mechanistic knowledge at the level of behavior and individual sensory abilities to improve present models of biogeochemical fluxes in the water column.
The Association of Retinol-Binding Protein 4 With Metabolic Syndrome and Obesity in Adolescents

Objectives. Retinol-binding protein 4 (RBP4) has a role in the development of insulin resistance (IR), type 2 diabetes, obesity, and metabolic syndrome among adults. However, data among adolescents are limited, and the effects of gender and sex hormones on RBP4 are not well defined. Materials/Methods. A total of 1082 adolescents were enrolled and categorized based on their body mass index. Blood samples were collected, and biochemical characteristics, sex hormones, RBP4 concentrations, and IR were determined. Results. Testosterone and estradiol were not directly correlated with RBP4 concentrations in both genders. Multivariate regression analysis revealed that fasting plasma glucose (FPG), triglyceride (TG), and testosterone levels were independently associated with RBP4 concentrations in boys; also, there was a trend of increasing RBP4 levels with the severity of obesity. Conclusion. Plasma RBP4 concentrations correlated with obesity and cardiovascular risk factors, predominantly evident in boys. Testosterone, FPG, and TG levels were independent predictors of RBP4 concentrations.
Scheduling on parallel identical machines to minimise the total weighted tardiness

This paper considers the problem of scheduling n independent jobs on m identical parallel machines to minimise the total weighted tardiness. We propose several lower bounds and upper bounds. These bounding procedures are used in a new branch-and-bound (BAB) algorithm. We also propose a branch-and-cut algorithm which we compare with the branch-and-bound algorithm. Computational experiments are performed on a large set of instances and the obtained results show the effectiveness of our method.
Navigating the parameter space of Bayesian Knowledge Tracing models: Visualizations of the convergence of the Expectation Maximization algorithm

Bayesian Knowledge Tracing (KT) models are employed by the cognitive tutors in order to determine student knowledge based on four parameters: learn rate, prior, guess and slip. A commonly used algorithm for learning these parameter values from data is the Expectation Maximization (EM) algorithm. Past work, however, has suggested that with four free parameters the standard KT model is prone to converging to erroneous degenerate states depending on the initial values of these four parameters. In this work we simulate data from a model with known parameter values and then run a grid search over the parameter initialization space of KT to map out which initial values lead to erroneous learned parameters. Through analysis of convergence and error surface visualizations we found that the initial parameter values leading to a degenerate state are not scattered randomly throughput the parameter space but instead exist on a surface with predictable boundaries. A recently introduced extension to KT that individualizes the prior parameter is also explored and compared to standard KT with regard to parameter convergence. We found that the individualization model has unique properties which allow it to avoid the local maxima problem.
Individual, social, and environmental factors associated with support for smoke-free housing policies among subsidized multiunit housing tenants.

INTRODUCTION Mandatory smoke-free policies in subsidized, multiunit housing (MUH) may decrease secondhand smoke exposure in households with the highest rates of exposure. Ideally, policies should be based on a strong understanding of factors affecting support for smoke-free policies in the target population to maximize effectiveness. METHODS A face-to-face survey was conducted from August to October 2011 using a stratified random sample of private subsidized housing units in Columbus, OH, without an existing smoke-free policy (n = 301, 64% response rate). Lease holders were asked to report individual, social, and environmental factors hypothesized to be related to support for smoke-free policies. Multiple logistic regression models were used to identify factors independently associated with policy support. RESULTS Most tenants supported smoke-free policies in common areas (82.7%), half supported policies inside units (54.5%), and one third supported a ban outside the building (36.3%). Support for smoke-free policies in units and outdoors was more common among nonsmokers than smokers (71.5% vs. 35.7%, p < .001 and 46.2% vs. 25.4%, p < .001, respectively). Several individual and social, but no environmental, factors were independently associated with policy support. Smokers who intended to quit within 6 months or less were more likely than other smokers to support in-unit policies (45.3% vs. 21.1%; p = .003). CONCLUSIONS More than half of subsidized MUH tenants supported smoke-free policies inside their units. Strategies to address individual- and social-level barriers to behavior change should be implemented in parallel with smoke-free policies. Policies should be evaluated with objective measures to determine their effectiveness.
The geometry of information retrieval

Preface Prologue 1. Introduction 2. On sets and kinds in IR 3. Vector and Hilbert spaces 4. Linear transformations, operators and matrices 5. Conditional logic in IR 6. The geometry of IR Appendix I. Linear algebra Appendix II. Quantum mechanics Appendix III. Probability Bibliography Index.
In Vitro Activities of Ceftazidime-Avibactam, Aztreonam-Avibactam, and a Panel of Older and Contemporary Antimicrobial Agents against Carbapenemase-Producing Gram-Negative Bacilli

ABSTRACT Among 177 carbapenemase-producing Gram-negative bacilli (108 KPC, 32 NDM, 11 IMP, 8 OXA-48, 4 OXA-181, 2 OXA-232, 5 IMI, 4 VIM, and 3 SME producers), aztreonam-avibactam was active against all isolates except two NDM producers with elevated MICs of 8/4 and 16/4 mg/liter; ceftazidime-avibactam was active against all KPC-, IMI-, SME-, and most OXA-48 group-producing isolates (93%) but not metallo-β-lactamase producers. Among older and contemporary antimicrobials, the most active were colistin, tigecycline, and fosfomycin, with overall susceptibilities of 88%, 79%, and 78%, respectively.
Coagulation Defects Do Not Predict Blood Product Requirements During Liver Transplantation

Background. In our experience, correction of coagulation defects with plasma transfusion does not decrease the need for intraoperative red blood cell (RBC) transfusions during liver transplantation. On the contrary, it leads to a hypervolemic state that result in increased blood loss. A previous study has shown that plasma transfusion has been associated with a decreased 1-year survival rate. The aim of this prospective study was to evaluate whether anesthesiologists could reduce RBC transfusion requirements during liver transplantation by eliminating plasma transfusion. Methods. Two hundred consecutive liver transplantations were prospectively studied over a 3-year period. Patients were divided into two groups: low starting international normalized ratio (INR) value <1.5 and high INR ≥1.5. Low central venous pressure was maintained in all patients before the anhepatic phase. Coagulation parameters were not corrected preoperatively or intraoperatively in the absence of uncontrollable bleeding. Phlebotomy and auto transfusion of blood salvaged were used following our protocol. Independent variables were analyzed in both univariate and multivariate fashion to find a link with RBC transfusions or decreased survival rate. Results. The mean number of intraoperative RBC units transfused was 0.3±0.8. Plasma, platelet, albumin, and cryoprecipitate were not transfused. In 81.5% of the patients, no blood product was used during their transplantation. The average final hemoglobin (Hb) value was 91.2±15.0 g/L. There were no differences in transfusional rate, final Hb, or bleeding between two groups (low or high INR values). The overall 1-year survival rate was 85.6%. Logistic regression showed that avoidance of plasma transfusion, phlebotomy, and starting Hb value were significantly linked to liver transplantation without RBC transfusion. The need for intraoperative RBC transfusion and Pugh's score were linked to the decreased 1-year survival rate. Conclusion. The avoidance of plasma transfusion was associated with a decrease in RBC transfusions during liver transplantation. There was no link between coagulation defects and bleeding or RBC or plasma transfusions. Previous reports indicating that it is neither useful nor necessary to correct coagulation defects with plasma transfusion before liver transplantation seem further corroborated by this study. We believe that this work also supports the practice of lowering central venous pressure with phlebotomy to reduce blood loss, during liver dissection, without any deleterious effect.
Multilevel adaptive hashing

A dictionary is a data structure that allows a sequence of on-line insertions, deletions, and lookup operations for keys drawn from a universe U. Typically the size of the dictionary, n, is much smaller than the size of U, and efficient dictionaries are implemented via various hashing schemes. We present a family of hashing algorithms that allow an implementation of a dictionary that is particularly advantageous when the underlying hardware allows the parallelization of hash function computations and the parallelization of memory reads in different memory banks. In this case, our scheme requires exactly one memory cycle for deletes and lookups and constant expected amortized cost for insertions. We use easy-to-compute hash functions and make no unproven assumptions about their randomness properties, or about any property of the keys. According to our analysis, with the Multilevel Hashing Algorithm it is possible to build a dictionary that is able to answer 20 parallel searches among 64,000 entries in less than 5 ps using relatively inexpensive hardware. *DEC Systems Research Center, 130 Lytton Avenue, Palo Alto, CA 94301.
Testosterone‐Mediated Effects on Fitness‐Related Phenotypic Traits and Fitness

The physiological and behavioral mechanisms underlying life‐history trade‐offs are a continued source of debate. Testosterone (T) is one physiological factor proposed to mediate the trade‐off between reproduction and survival. We use phenotypic engineering and multiple laboratory and field fitness‐related phenotypic traits to test the effects of elevated T between two bank vole Myodes glareolus groups: dominant and subordinate males. Males with naturally high T levels showed higher social status (laboratory dominance) and mobility (distance between capture sites) than low‐T males, and the effect of T on immune response was also T group specific, suggesting that behavioral strategies may exist in male bank voles due to the correlated responses of T. Exogenous T enhanced social status, mate searching (polygon of capture sites), mobility, and reproductive success (relative measure of pups sired). However, exogenous T also resulted in the reduction of immune function, but only in males from the high‐T group. This result may be explained either by the immunosuppression costs of T or by differential sensitivity of different behavioral strategies to steroids. Circulating T levels were found to be heritable; therefore, female bank voles would derive indirect genetic benefits via good genes from mating with males signaling dominance.
Enhanced laser weldability of an aerospace superalloy by thermal treatment

Weldability improvement of the Inconel 738 alloy, subjected to different pre-weld heat treatments and, thermomechanical fatigue of the unwelded and welded alloy is investigated. A new pre-weld heat treatment is found to significantly reduce the susceptibility of the extremely difficult-to-weld alloy to weld cracking. The heat treatment also produces welded material with enhanced resistance to thermomechanical fatigue failure at high mechanical strain ranges, in comparison to the unwelded alloy. Furthermore, by comparing polycrystalline and single crystal materials, without altering the chemistry/microstructure of the superalloy, the presence of grain boundaries in the alloy is found to aid damage mechanisms during in-phase thermomechanical fatigue.
Expression of CD44 variant isoforms, CD44v3 and CD44v6, are associated with prognosis in nasopharyngeal carcinoma

Abstract Objective: The clinical and prognostic significance of CD44 variant isoform expression in nasopharyngeal carcinoma is not well known. This study aimed to clarify whether CD44 variant isoform expression serves as a prognostic factor in nasopharyngeal carcinoma. Methods: Forty-two nasopharyngeal carcinoma patients, who underwent concurrent chemoradiotherapy as the initial treatment, were the subjects of investigation. Expression of CD44 variant isoforms, CD44v3, CD44v4, CD44v5, CD44v6 and CD44v7, in nasopharyngeal carcinoma was assessed in relation to concurrent chemoradiotherapy resistance and disease-specific survival of the patients. Results and conclusion: The patients with CD44v6 high expression showed a clinically incomplete response to concurrent chemoradiotherapy at the primary site. The disease-specific survival rate was lower in patients with high expression of CD44v3 than in those with low expression. These results suggest that analysis of CD44v6 and CD44v3 expression is useful in estimating prognosis and determining effective treatment strategies in nasopharyngeal carcinoma.
The Association Between Socioeconomic Status and Prevalence of Diabetes Mellitus in Rural Japan

ABSTRACT The objective of this study is to investigate the association between socioeconomic status and diabetes prevalence. A population-based cross-sectional survey was conducted in Japan. The association between household income tertile, duration of education (<12, 12, >12 years), or occupation (blue collar, white collar) and diabetes prevalence were assessed in 6,197 participants using multivariable-adjusted logistic regression models. Blue collar occupation and middle household income were found to be associated with high prevalence of diabetes mellitus.
Blood DNA methylation, nevi number, and the risk of melanoma

Germline mutations determining increased cutaneous malignant melanoma (CMM) risk have been identified in familial and sporadic CMM cases, but they account only for a small proportion of CMM cases. Recent evidence suggests that germline epimutations (e.g. DNA methylation alterations), which can be inherited similarly to genomic mutations and can be detected in normal body cells (including blood), might increase susceptibility to cancer. The aim of the study was to identify germline epimutations of genes that were found to be mutated in familial CMM (p16INK4a, p14ARF, CDK4, MC1R, hTERT), immune and inflammatory genes (ICAM-1, TNF&agr;), DNA mismatch repair gene (MLH1), and repetitive elements (ALU, LINE-1, HERV-w). We measured DNA methylation using bisulfite pyrosequencing in peripheral blood mononuclear cells from 167 CMM cases and 164 sex-matched and age-matched controls. We used multivariable logistic regression models to evaluate the association between methylation levels and CMM status or presence of dysplastic nevi. We found an association between the risk of CMM and peripheral blood mononuclear cell methylation levels of TNF&agr; [odds ratio (OR)=1.11, 95% confidence interval (CI)=1.03–1.18], CDK4 (OR=0.76, 95% CI=0.64–0.91), and MLH1 (OR=1.12, 95% CI=1.02–1.22). In control participants, the risk of developing dysplastic nevi was associated with methylation levels of TNF&agr; (OR=0.81, 95% CI=0.69–0.95), hTERT (OR=0.90, 95% CI=0.82–0.99), and ALU (OR=1.56, 95% CI=1.02–2.39). Epimutations in CMM susceptibility genes and in genes involved in response to oxidative damage are associated with the risk of developing CMM or dysplastic nevi. Further studies measuring methylation levels of these genes in prospectively collected samples are warranted to further elucidate their role in the development and progression of CMM.
Immunoproteomics of the active degradome to identify biomarkers for Trichomonas vaginalis

Trichomonas vaginalis, a sexually transmitted parasite, has many cysteine proteinases (CPs); some are involved in trichomonal pathogenesis, express during infection, and antibodies against CPs have been detected in patient sera. The goal of this study was to identify the antigenic proteinases of T. vaginalis as potential biomarkers for trichomonosis. The proteases detected when T. vaginalis protein extracts are incubated without protease inhibitors, the trichomonad‐active degradome, and the immunoproteome were obtained by using 2‐DE, 2‐D‐zymograms, 2‐D‐Western blot (WB) assays with trichomonosis patient sera, and MS analysis. Forty‐nine silver‐stained spots were detected in the region of 200–21 kDa of parasite protease‐resistant extracts. A similar proteolytic pattern was observed in the 2‐D zymograms. Nine CPs were identified in the 30 kDa region (TvCP1, TvCP2, TvCP3, TvCP4, TvCP4‐like, TvCP12, TvCPT, TvLEGU‐1, and another legumain‐like CP). The major reactive spots to T. vaginalis‐positive patient sera by 2‐D‐WB corresponded to four papain‐like (TvCP2, TvCP4, TvCP4‐like, TvCPT), and one legumain‐like (TvLEGU‐1) CPs. The genes of TvCP4, TvCPT, and TvLEGU‐1 were cloned, sequenced, and expressed in Escherichia coli. Purified recombinant CPs were recognized by culture‐positive patient sera in 1‐D‐WB assays. These data show that some CPs could be potential biomarkers for serodiagnosis of trichomonosis.