Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
A Ranchería in the Gran Apachería: Evidence of Intercultural Interaction at the Cerro Rojo Site

Abstract A large multi-ethnic hilltop village site, or grand ranchería, in the Hueco Mountains of southern New Mexioc and southwest Texas provides evidence of intercultural interaction during the late 1700s and earlier. Occupied by the Apache and renegade segments of the local nomadic groups of Plains origin, this site, with its 275 features, conveys the state of affairs that confronted these groups, and at the same time tests the accuracy of certain aspects of the historical record. Pressed by the southern and western advance of the Comanche and situated just beyond the reach of the Spaniards, these legendary nomads amassed in this southern stronghold. Complete with impressive stone walls and ramparts and aggregated for defense, this mountain retreat provides evidence of the occupants success against European and Native aggressors.
Innate Aminoglycoside Resistance of Achromobacter xylosoxidans Is Due to AxyXY-OprZ, an RND-Type Multidrug Efflux Pump

ABSTRACT Achromobacter xylosoxidans is an innately multidrug-resistant pathogen which is emerging in cystic fibrosis (CF) patients. We characterized a new resistance-nodulation-cell division (RND)-type multidrug efflux pump, AxyXY-OprZ. This system is responsible for the intrinsic high-level resistance of A. xylosoxidans to aminoglycosides (tobramycin, amikacin, and gentamicin). Furthermore, it can extrude cefepime, carbapenems, some fluoroquinolones, tetracyclines, and erythromycin. Some of the AxyXY-OprZ substrates are major components widely used to treat pulmonary infections in CF patients.
Effect of Process Approach to Writing on Senior Secondary Students ’ Achievement in Writing ( Plateau Central Senatorial District )

This study set out to ascertain the effect of process approach to writing on senior secondary students’ achievement in writing in Plateau Central Senatorial District. The study also examined the differential effect of process approach to writing on male and female students’ achievement in writing. The study was guided by two research questions and two hypotheses. The sample consisted of 128 senior secondary students selected from two co-educational secondary schools from Plateau State using a random sampling technique. The study adopted a quasi-experimental non equivalent pretest-posttest research design. One intact class was assigned the experimental group and the other the control group. Data were generated using Students’ Essay Writing Achievement Test (SEWAT) which was an instrument designed by the IJAH 3(4), S/No 12, September, 2014 48 Copyright © IAARR 2014: www.afrrevjo. net/ijah Indexed African Journals Online (Ajol) www.ajol. info researcher. Means and standard deviations were used to answer research questions and Analysis of Covariance (ANCOVA) was used to test the hypotheses. Hypotheses tested revealed that students exposed to process approach to writing exhibited higher achievement (p=0.00˂0.05) in writing than those who were taught writing using the conventional methods. In addition, male and female students taught using process approach to writing did not differ significantly in achievement (p=0.95>0.05). Based on the findings, it was recommended that teachers of English language should be encouraged to use process approach in teaching writing and that more emphasis should be placed on teaching strategies that will focus on building and developing students’ writing skills.
H4K16 acetylation marks active genes and enhancers of embryonic stem cells, but does not alter chromatin compaction

Compared with histone H3, acetylation of H4 tails has not been well studied, especially in mammalian cells. Yet, H4K16 acetylation is of particular interest because of its ability to decompact nucleosomes in vitro and its involvement in dosage compensation in flies. Here we show that, surprisingly, loss of H4K16 acetylation does not alter higher-order chromatin compaction in vivo in mouse embryonic stem cells (ESCs). As well as peaks of acetylated H4K16 and KAT8 histone acetyltransferase at the transcription start sites of expressed genes, we report that acetylation of H4K16 is a new marker of active enhancers in ESCs and that some enhancers are marked by H3K4me1, KAT8, and H4K16ac, but not by acetylated H3K27 or EP300, suggesting that they are novel EP300 independent regulatory elements. Our data suggest a broad role for different histone acetylation marks and for different histone acetyltransferases in long-range gene regulation.
Establishment of new mutations under divergence and genome hitchhiking

Theoretical models addressing genome-wide patterns of divergence during speciation are needed to help us understand the evolutionary processes generating empirical patterns. Here, we examine a critical issue concerning speciation-with-gene flow: to what degree does physical linkage (r < 0.5) of new mutations to already diverged genes aid the build-up of genomic islands of differentiation? We used simulation and analytical approaches to partition the probability of establishment for a new divergently selected mutation when the mutation (i) is the first to arise in an undifferentiated genome (the direct effect of selection), (ii) arises unlinked to any selected loci (r = 0.5), but within a genome that has some already diverged genes (the effect of genome-wide reductions in gene flow for facilitating divergence, which we term ‘genome hitchhiking’), and (iii) arises in physical linkage to a diverged locus (divergence hitchhiking). We find that the strength of selection acting directly on a new mutation is generally the most important predictor for establishment, with divergence and genomic hitchhiking having smaller effects. We outline the specific conditions under which divergence and genome hitchhiking can aid mutation establishment. The results generate predictions about genome divergence at different points in the speciation process and avenues for further work.
Trichomonas vaginalis infection among women receiving gynaecological care at an Alabama HIV Clinic

Objective Trichomoniasis vaginalis is a risk factor for the acquisition and transmission of HIV. The objective of this study was to determine the prevalence of T vaginalis (using culture) among HIV-infected women receiving gynaecological care at an university HIV clinic in Alabama in addition to predictors of infection. Methods Electronic medical record review of women presenting to the clinic for gynaecological care during 2006–2012 was performed. Demographic and sexual history data was abstracted in addition to absolute CD4 cell count, HIV-1 viral load and sexually transmitted infection (STI) (including T vaginalis) testing results. Analysis was conducted using Stata V.12. Results T vaginalis was prevalent in 17.4% (83/478) of HIV-infected women; other STIs were less prevalent. Among these women, 384 presented for routine STI screening, of which 12% (46/384) were T vaginalis-infected. Younger age, African-American race, lifetime history of tobacco and drug abuse, lack of HIV therapy, HIV-1 viral load >400 copies/ml, and report of seeking gynaecological care for reasons other than routine STI screening (ie, having symptoms) were significant predictors of T vaginalis in univariate analysis. Age, African American race, and report of seeking gynaecological care for reasons other than routine STI screening remained associated with T vaginalis in multivariable analysis. Conclusions T vaginalis remains highly prevalent among HIV-infected women, a proportion of which may be asymptomatic. If left undiagnosed and untreated, these women may be more likely to transmit HIV. Increased emphasis on screening for high risk sexual behaviours, testing for T vaginalis, and risk reduction counselling is necessary for all HIV-infected women.
Novel Insights into Seed Fatty Acid Synthesis and Modification Pathways from Genetic Diversity and Quantitative Trait Loci Analysis of the Brassica C Genome1[OA]

Natural genetic variation in fatty acid synthesis and modification pathways determine the composition of vegetable oils, which are major components of human diet and renewable products. Based on known pathways we combined diversity and genetic analysis of metabolites to infer the existence of enzymes encoded by distinct loci, and associated these with specific elongation steps or subpathways. A total of 107 lines representing different Brassica genepools revealed considerable variation for 18 seed fatty acid products. The effect of genetic variation within a single biochemical step on subsequent products was demonstrated using a correlation matrix of scatterplots, and by calculating relative step yields. Surprisingly, diploid Brassica oleracea segregating populations had a similar range of variation for individual fatty acids as across the whole genepool. This allowed identification of 22 quantitative trait loci (QTL) associated with activity in the plastid, early stages of synthesis, desaturation, and elongases. Four QTL were assigned to early stages of synthesis, seven to subpathway specific or general elongase activity, one to ketoacyl acyl-carrier protein synthetase, and two each to fatty acid desaturase and either desaturase or fatty acyl-carrier protein thioesterase. An additional 10 QTL had distinct effects but were not assigned specific functions. Where contrasting behavior in more than one subpathway was detected, we inferred QTL specificity for particular combinations of substrate and product. The assignment of enzyme function to QTL was consistent with the known position of some Brassicaeae candidate genes and collinear regions of the Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) genome.
Vertical HIV-1 transmission: prophylaxis and paediatric follow-up.

OBJECTIVES To study the effectiveness of anti-HIV therapy for vertical HIV-1 transmission based on the PACTG protocol 076, modified and adapted to Venezuela. METHODS Between March 1997 and March 2000, 74 HIV-1-infected women (15-42 years old) with 77 singleton pregnancies were evaluated. Zidovudine (ZDV) 500 mg/day (average 8 weeks) was begun after Western blot confirmatory tests, independent of CD4+ count or viral load. ZDV was administered as follows: 47 patients (61 per cent) received prenatal, perinatal and postnatal therapy; 13 (17 per cent) received prenatal and postnatal therapy; two (3 per cent) received prenatal and perinatal therapy; one patient received perinatal and postnatal therapy; seven (9 per cent) received only postnatal therapy. Seven HIV-1 infected women received no treatment. Thirty-two newborns were obtained by C-section (45.7 per cent), while 38 were delivered vaginally (54.2 per cent). Due to advanced maternal illness, seven HIV-1-infected women received ZDV+3TC, two women received ZDV+ddI and one woman received ZDV+3TC+ Ritonavir. Breastfeeding was avoided in all cases. RESULTS Outcomes showed 65 term newborns and five preterm newborns; three abortions; one fetal loss and one preterm death. Two maternal/fetal deaths were secondary to complications related to AIDS at 27 and 29 weeks, respectively. Twenty-one children over 18 months old were considered uninfected. Thirty-five infants below 15 months of age were considered with the status of indeterminate HIV-1 infection (PO). Three infants fewer than 5 months of age with multiple risk factors were considered infected (P2). Two infants were asymptomatic and HIV positive at 12 months of age (P1). Eight children were lost to follow-up. CONCLUSIONS Independent of maternal status and delivery type, confirmed vertical transmission of HIV-1-infected women who received ZDV is 4.25 per cent. Prenatal care with a multidisciplinary team is necessary for good obstetric and newborn outcomes.
Building a virtual patient commons

Virtual patients as a form of educational intervention can take many forms and can provide highly effective ways of addressing reduced student access to real patients, the need for standardised and well-structured educational patient encounters, and opportunities for students to practice in safe and responsive environments. However, virtual patients can also be complicated and costly to develop. As a result collaborative and distributed development is best suited to their widespread take up. This paper considers the development and use of virtual patients and the steps that have been taken to support authors in making this approach more sustainable and adaptable. In particular, this has involved the development of a common data interoperability standard, which in turn has engaged a number of communities that have developed, or are developing, virtual patient commons, consisting of shared resources, tools and knowledge for mutual benefit. The paper illustrates how innovative and otherwise difficult to sustain models for supporting and extending healthcare education, such as virtual patients, can be supported using a commons approach with commonly agreed data standards and specifications at their core.
Safety and efficacy of tumor necrosis factor alpha blockade in systemic lupus erythematosus: an open-label study.

OBJECTIVE To investigate the safety of therapeutic tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNFalpha) blockade in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), in whom this proinflammatory cytokine is significantly increased and may be involved in the disease pathogenesis. METHODS In an open-label study, 6 patients with moderately active SLE (4 with nephritis and 3 with arthritis refractory to other therapies) were given 4 300-mg doses of infliximab, a chimeric anti-TNFalpha antibody, in addition to immunosuppression with azathioprine or methotrexate. RESULTS The only significant adverse events observed were urinary tract infection in 3 patients, 1 of which was accompanied by Escherichia coli bacteremia, and a prolonged febrile episode of putatively viral origin in 1 of them. These patients had similar infectious conditions in the past. In none of the patients was it necessary to terminate the treatment prematurely. Levels of antibodies to double-stranded DNA and cardiolipin increased in 4 patients each, but this was not associated with a decrease in serum complement levels, with vascular events, or with flares. In contrast, disease activity declined during therapy. All 3 patients with joint involvement experienced remission of arthritis, which relapsed 8-11 weeks after the last infliximab infusion. In the 4 patients with lupus nephritis, proteinuria decreased significantly within 1 week after initiation of therapy and was diminished by > or = 60% within 8 weeks, remaining at low levels until the end of the observation period (at least several months). CONCLUSION Infliximab did not lead to adverse events related to an increase in SLE activity, although autoantibodies to double-stranded DNA and cardiolipin increased, as expected. This finding, coupled with the clinical improvement in the inflammatory manifestations of the disease, indicates that further study in larger controlled trials is warranted.
SEF Working paper : 02 / 2014 Do medical marijuana laws increase hard drug use ?

Medical marijuana laws generate significant debates regarding drug policy. For one thing, if marijuana is a complement to hard drugs, then these laws would increase the usage not only of marijuana but also of hard drugs. In this paper I study empirically the relationship between marijuana use and cocaine and heroin use by analyzing data on drug arrests and treatment admissions. I find that medical marijuana laws increase these proxies for marijuana consumption by around 10–15%. However, there is no evidence that cocaine and heroin usage increases after the passage of medical marijuana laws. In fact, most of the estimates for cocaine and heroin are negative. From the arrest data, the estimates indicate a 0–15% decrease in possession arrests for cocaine and heroin combined. From the treatment data, the estimates show a 20% decrease in admissions for heroin treatment, although there is no significant effect for cocaine treatment. These results suggest that marijuana may be a substitute for heroin, but it does not have a strong relationship with cocaine. JEL Classification: I10 I18 H75 K42
Gynecological Morbidity among Women in Reproductive Age: A SystematicReview and Meta-Analysis

Background: Prevention against infection and dysfunction of reproductive organ including sexually transmitted disease is one of the three dimensions of reproductive health. Gynecological morbidities affect women’s physical health, sexual function, social role, psychological life and religious life. For accurate estimation of gynecological morbidity, population based data are considered to be gold standard. There are no global wide population studies on gynecological morbidities. In this paper, we aimed to determine the prevalence of gynecological morbidity among the reproductive age women in the world. Methods: Using various key words, electronics databases were searched systematically to identify observational studies published so far in English. Meta-analysis was made to summarize the prevalence of gynecological morbidity. A random-effects model was used to calculate pooled prevalence. Publication bias was evaluated by testing for funnel plot asymmetry, Begg’s rank correlation test and Egger’s linear regression test. All statistical calculations were made using STATA Version 12.0 software. Result: Eighteen studies, at least with one outcome variable were included in the final analysis. Ten studies were eligible for pelvic organ prolapse, 8 were eligible for infertility, 11 for menstrual disorder, and 15 for reproductive tract infection. The summarized random effect prevalence of pelvic organ prolapse was 13%, infertility was 8%, reproductive tract infection was 38%, and menstrual disorders were 28%. The overall pooled random effect prevalence of gynecological morbidity was 22% (95% CI=17%-27%, I2=99.38%, p=000). The potential publication bias was suggested by funnel plot asymmetry. Conclusion: The polled prevalence of overall gynecological morbidity was high. This pooled prevalence enabled us to conclude that the effect of gynecological morbidities is high to hamper the productivity of reproductive age women in the world particularly in a developing nation.
Studies of Corrosion of Aluminium and 6063 Aluminium Alloyin Phosphoric Acid Medium

The corrosion behaviour of aluminium and6063 aluminium alloy was investigated in phosphoric acid of different concentrations at different temperatures. The study was done by electrochemical method, using Tafel polarization and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) techniques. The kinetic parameters and thermodynamic parameters were calculated using Arrhenius theory and transition state theory. The surface morphology was studied using scanning electron microscope (SEM) with Energy dispersive X-ray (EDX). The corrosion rate of both the materials increased with increase in the concentration of acid as well as with temperature. The rate of corrosion of 6063 aluminium alloy was found to be higher than that of pure aluminium. Suitable mechanism was proposed for the corrosion of aluminium and 6063 aluminium alloy in phosphoric acid medium. The results obtained by Tafel polarization and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) techniques were in good agreement with each other
Examining Barriers and Supports to Community Living and Participation After a Stroke from a Participatory Action Research Approach

Abstract This participatory action research study focused on identifying community participation goals, barriers, and supports/strategies in partnership with people who have experienced a stroke. Goals demonstrate that participation is more than activity performance in context; instead, it relates to “being a part of” the community and having access to participation opportunities and supports. Results of community site audits from the first 20 participants document environmental (physical, cognitive, social) and system level barriers, as well as effective strategies for promoting participation via environmental modification and systems level changes. A consumer-directed, Web-based tool for documenting participation barriers and sharing strategies is discussed.
Ergodic and mixing quantum channels in finite dimensions

The paper provides a systematic characterization of quantum ergodic and mixing channels in finite dimensions and a discussion of their structural properties. In particular, we discuss ergodicity in the general case where the fixed point of the channel is not a full-rank (faithful) density matrix. Notably, we show that ergodicity is stable under randomizations, namely that every random mixture of an ergodic channel with a generic channel is still ergodic. In addition, we prove several conditions under which ergodicity can be promoted to the stronger property of mixing. Finally, exploiting a suitable correspondence between quantum channels and generators of quantum dynamical semigroups, we extend our results to the realm of continuous-time quantum evolutions, providing a characterization of ergodic Lindblad generators and showing that they are dense in the set of all possible generators.
Use of genetic data to guide therapy in arterial disease

There is considerable interindividual variation in the response to antiplatelet and anticoagulant therapies. It has been proposed that this variability in drug response may be attributable to genetic variants. Thus, pharmacogenetics may help to accurately predict response to cardiovascular disease (CVD) therapies in order to maximize drug efficacy, minimize drug toxicity, and to tailor personalized care for these patients. Although the clinical utility of pharmacogenetics is promising, its adoption in clinical practice has been slow. This resistance may stem from sometimes conflicting findings among pharmacogenetic studies. Thus, this review focuses on the genetic determinants of commonly used platelet antagonists and anticoagulants including aspirin, clopidogrel, dabigatran, and warfarin. We also explore the clinical translation of pharmacogenetics in the management of patients with CVD.
Variable Metric Inexact Line-Search-Based Methods for Nonsmooth Optimization

We develop a new proximal-gradient method for minimizing the sum of a differentiable, possibly nonconvex, function plus a convex, possibly nondifferentiable, function. The key features of the proposed method are the definition of a suitable descent direction, based on the proximal operator associated to the convex part of the objective function, and an Armijo-like rule to determine the stepsize along this direction ensuring the sufficient decrease of the objective function. In this frame, we especially address the possibility of adopting a metric which may change at each iteration and an inexact computation of the proximal point defining the descent direction. For the more general nonconvex case, we prove that all limit points of the iterates sequence are stationary, while for convex objective functions we prove the convergence of the whole sequence to a minimizer, under the assumption that a minimizer exists. In the latter case, assuming also that the gradient of the smooth part of the objective function.