Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Understanding the differences between contrasting HIV epidemics in east and west Africa: results from a simulation model of the Four Cities Study

Objective: To determine if the differences in risk behaviours, the proportions of males circumcised and prevalences of sexually transmitted infections (STIs) observed in two African cities with low prevalence of HIV (Cotonou, Benin, and Yaoundé, Cameroon) and two cities with high prevalence (Kisumu, Kenya, and Ndola, Zambia) could explain the contrasting HIV epidemics in the four cities. Methods: An individual-based stochastic model, STDSIM, was fitted to the demographic, behavioural and epidemiological characteristics of the four urban study populations based on data from the Four Cities Study and other relevant sources. Model parameters pertaining to STI and HIV natural history and transmission were held constant across the four populations. The probabilities of HIV, syphilis and chancroid acquisition were assumed to be doubled among uncircumcised males. A priori plausible ranges for model inputs and outputs were defined and sexual behaviour characteristics, including those pertaining to commercial sex workers (CSWs) and their clients, which were allowed to vary across the sites, were identified based on comparisons of the empirical data from the four sites. The proportions of males circumcised in the model, 100% in Cotonou and Yaoundé, 25% in Kisumu and 10% in Ndola, were similar to those observed. A sensitivity analysis was conducted to assess how changes in critical parameters may affect the model fit. Results: Population characteristics observed from the study that were replicated in the model included younger ages at sexual debut and marriage in east Africa compared with west Africa and higher numbers of casual partners in the past 12 months in Yaoundé than in the other three sites. The patterns in prevalence of STIs in females in the general population and CSWs were well fitted. HIV prevalence by age and sex and time trends in prevalence in the model were consistent with study data with the highest simulated prevalences in Kisumu and Ndola, intermediate in Yaoundé and lowest in Cotonou. The sensitivity analysis suggested that the effect of circumcision on the development of the HIV epidemics may have been mediated indirectly by its effect on ulcerative STI. Conclusions: The contrasting HIV epidemics in east and west Africa could be replicated in our model by assuming that male circumcision reduced susceptibility to HIV, syphilis and chancroid. Varying rates of male circumcision may have played an important role in explaining the strikingly different HIV epidemics observed in different parts of sub-Saharan Africa.
Tasa de depreciación de capital humano: Evidencia empírica para Argentina

El presente trabajo tiene por objeto demostrar la existencia de la Tasa de Depreciacion del Capital Humano en Argentina, haciendo uso de un modelo sencillo que permita incorporar la obsolescencia de sus dos principales fuentes de acumulacion, escolaridad y experiencia. Usando los datos provistos por la EPH elaborada por INDEC para el IV trimestre de 2011, se pudo obtener los resultados que prueban dicha hipotesis, evidenciando ademas que la misma no es constante. Al permitir la identificacion de las fuentes de acumulacion de Capital Humano, tambien puede diferenciarse las tasas de depreciacion de cada una de ellas y su efecto sobre la depreciacion de dicho capital como un todo. Asi mismo se identifican diferencias en las tasas de depreciacion para diferentes rangos de edades, e incluso para diferentes sectores industriales, incorporando el concepto de depreciacion externa al de depreciacion interna.
ECOLOGICAL CORRELATES OF HOVERING FLIGHT OF HUMMINGBIRDS

Summary Simultaneous recordings of oxygen consumption and wing kinematics were collected from hummingbirds hovering at artificial flowers of different dimensions or when loaded by the addition of small weights to simulate increased fat stores. Hovering at widediameter flowers required increased wingbeat frequencies to compensate for decreased wingbeat amplitude, and it was 5% more metabolically expensive than at narrow flowers. Loaded birds increased their wingbeat amplitude to support the extra load whilst maintaining a nearly constant wingbeat frequency. A 10% increase in load required a 5.7% increase in mass-specific oxygen consumption. Although the variation in wing kinematics was associated with an increased metabolic cost, there was very little effect on flight efficiency. This ability to vary wing kinematics allows hummingbirds to exploit a wide range of f lower types and to accommodate increased energy stores for seasonal migration.
MPiLoc: Self-Calibrating Multi-Floor Indoor Localization Exploiting Participatory Sensing

While location is one of the most important context information in mobile and pervasive computing, large-scale deployment of indoor localization system remains elusive. In this work, we propose MPiLoc, a multi-floor indoor localization system that utilizes data contributed by smartphone users through participatory sensing for automatic floor plan and radio map construction. Our system does not require manual calibration, prior knowledge, or infrastructure support. The key novelty of MPiLoc is that it clusters and merges walking trajectories annotated with sensor and signal strengths to derive a map of walking paths annotated with radio signal strengths in multi-floor indoor environments. We evaluate MPiLoc over five different indoor areas. Evaluation shows that our system can derive indoor maps for various indoor environments in multi-floor settings and achieve an average localization error of 1.82 m.
Overcoming HLA‐DPB1 donor specific antibody‐mediated haematopoietic graft failure

of Medicine, 334, 488–493. Corso, A. , Varettoni, M. , Zappasodi, P., Klersy, C. , Mangiacavalli, S. , Pica, G. & Lazzarino, M. (2007) A different schedule of zoledronic acid can reduce the risk of the osteonecrosis of the jaw in patients with multiple myeloma. Leukemia, 21, 1545–1548. Durie, B.G. (2007) Use of bisphosphonates in multiple myeloma: IMWG response to Mayo Clinic consensus statement. Mayo Clinic Proceedings, 82, 516–517. Kyle, R.A. , Yee, G.C. , Somerfield, M.R. , Flynn, P.J., Halabi, S. , Jagannath, S. , Orlowski, R.Z. , Roodman, D.G. , Twilde, P. & Anderson, K. (2007) American Society of Clinical Oncology 2007 clinical practice guideline update on the role of bisphosphonates in multiple myeloma. Journal of Clinical Oncology, 25, 2464–2472. Lacy, M.Q. , Dispenzieri, A. , Gertz, M.A., Greipp, P.R. , Gollbach, K.L. , Hayman, S.R. , Kumar, S. , Lust, J.A. , Rajkumar, S.V. , Russell, S.J., Witzig, T.E. , Zeldenrust, S.R. , Dingli, D. , Bergsagel, P.L. , Fonseca, R. , Reeder, C.B. , Stewart, A.K. , Roy, V. , Dalton, R.J., Carr, A.B. , Kademani, D. , Keller, E.E. , Viozzi, C.F. & Kyle, R.A. (2006) Mayo clinic consensus statement for the use of bisphosphonates in multiple myeloma. Mayo Clinic Proceedings, 81, 1047–1053. Lipton, A. , Cook, R.J., Coleman, R.E. , Smith, M.R. , Major, P., Terpos, E. & Berenson, J.R. (2007) Clinical utility of biochemical markers of bone metabolism for improving the management of patients with advanced multiple myeloma. Clinical Lymphoma & Myeloma, 7, 346–353. Lund, T. , Abildgaard, N. , Andersen, T.L. , Delaisse, J.M. & Plesner, T. (2010) Multiple myeloma: changes in serum C-terminal telopeptide of collagen type I and bone-specific alkaline phosphatase can be used in daily practice to detect imminent osteolysis. European Journal of Haematology, 84, 412–420. Rosen, L.S. , Gordon, D. , Kaminski, M. , Howell, A. , Belch, A. , Mackey, J., Apffelstaedt, J., Hussein, M.A., Coleman, R.E. , Reitsma, D.J., Chen, B.L. & Seaman, J.J. (2003) Long-term efficacy and safety of zoledronic acid compared with pamidronate disodium in the treatment of skeletal complications in patients with advanced multiple myeloma or breast carcinoma: a randomized, double-blind, multicenter, comparative trial. Cancer, 98, 1735–1744. Terpos, E. , Sezer, O. , Croucher, P.I. , Garcia-Sanz, R. , Boccadoro, M. , San, M.J., Ashcroft, J., Blade, J., Cavo, M. , Delforge, M. , Dimopoulos, M.A., Facon, T. , Macro, M. , Waage, A. & Sonneveld, P. (2009) The use of bisphosphonates in multiple myeloma: recommendations of an expert panel on behalf of the European Myeloma Network. Annals of Oncology, 20, 1303–1317.
The reproductive incompatibility system in Drosophila simulans: DAPI-staining analysis of the Wolbachia symbionts in sperm cysts.

Any hitherto available technique used to detect the presence of Wolbachia, a rickettsia-like endosymbiont of Drosophila simulans, i.e., crossing with tester strains, electron microscope observations, DAPI-staining of embryo, or amplification of specific sequences by PCR are notably time-consuming techniques. Staining sperm cysts with the fluorochrome DAPI is here shown to be a fast and reliable technique to detect the symbiont and evaluate the level of infection of individual males. Wolbachia cells are abundant in sperm cysts and make up a mass which is eliminated in the waste bag during spermatogenesis. Such a mass was absent in all those strains known to be aposymbiotic. In infected strains, tetracycline treatment led to the disappearance of the symbionts within sperm cysts. In aging males, a decrease in the proportion of infected cysts were observed. There was however no apparent change in the number of symbionts in the cysts which remained infected. The reduction of reproductive incompatibility, which is observed in older males, may be explained by this process, i.e., a decrease in the frequency of infected cysts.
Protease inhibitors in Bombyx mori silk might participate in protecting the pupating larva from microbial infection

Pupae inside cocoons rarely suffer from disease. It is apparent that some factors in the cocoon exert antimicrobial effects whereby the pupae inside can be protected from microbial infection. In the present study, we investigated the expression of cocoon protease inhibitors using immunoblotting and activity staining. Enzymatic hydrolysis of cocoon proteins in vitro was performed to characterize their roles in protecting the cocoon from microbial proteases. We found that some protease inhibitors, particularly trypsin inhibitor‐like (TIL)‐type protease inhibitors, can be secreted into the cocoon layer during the spinning process, thereby providing effective protection to the cocoon and pupa by inhibiting the extracellular proteases that can be secreted by pathogens.
Anti‐CD20 monoclonal antibody‐dependent phagocytosis of chronic lymphocytic leukaemia cells by autologous macrophages

Unconjugated monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) are an important component of effective combination therapies for chronic lymphocytic leukaemia (CLL). Antibody‐dependent phagocytosis (ADP) is a major mediator of mAb cytotoxicity, but there is limited knowledge of the determinants of ADP efficacy. We used macrophages derived in vitro from autologous circulating monocytes to test the effects of mAb structure and concentration, target : effector cell ratio, duration of co‐incubation and CLL cell CD20 expression on ADP. Next‐generation anti‐CD20 mAbs (ofatumumab, ublituximab, obinutuzumab, ocaratuzumab) were significantly more effective at inducing ADP compared to rituximab, but none were as effective as the anti‐CD52 mAb alemtuzumab. Ofatumumab (10 μg/ml) used as a representative next‐generation anti‐CD20 mAb achieved an ADP plateau at 3 h co‐incubation with a target : effector ratio of 10 : 1 (mean = 2·1 CLL cells/macrophage, range = 1·5–3·5). At 0·156 μg/ml (the lowest concentration tested) ofatumumab ADP was significantly higher than alemtuzumab. However, ofatumumab‐induced ADP did not increase significantly at higher mAb concentrations. We show that anti‐CD20 mAb ADP efficacy is determined by the mAb characteristics, target : effector ratio and incubation time. We suggest that preclinical evaluation of anti‐CD20 mAbs to understand the determinants of ADP could be useful in designing future combination therapies for CLL.
Mechanisms of immunosenescence: lessons from models of accelerated immune aging

With increasing age, the ability of the adaptive immune system to respond to vaccines and to protect from infection declines. In parallel, the production of inflammatory mediators increases. While cross‐sectional studies have been successful in defining age‐dependent immunological phenotypes, studies of accelerated immune aging in human subpopulations have been instrumental in obtaining mechanistic insights. The immune system depends on its regenerative capacity; however, the T cell repertoire, once established, is relatively robust to aging and only decompensates when additionally stressed. Such stressors include chronic infections such as CMV and HIV, even when viral replication is controlled, and autoimmune diseases. Reduced regenerative capacity, chronic immune activation in the absence of cell exhaustion, T cell memory inflation, and accumulation of highly potent effector T cells in these patients synergize to develop an immune phenotype that is characteristic of the elderly. Studies of accelerated immune aging in autoimmune diseases have identified an unexpected link to chronic DNA damage responses that are known to be important in aging, but so far had not been implicated in immune aging.
Les besoins en azote du colza d'hiver : courbe critique et effets de carences temporaires sur l'elaboration du rendement

L'objectif de notre travail etait d'affiner les connaissances des besoins en azote du colza d'hiver. Nous avons dans une premiere partie defini les parametres de la courbe critique de teneur en azote de cette culture. De la levee au stade debut floraison les termes de ce modele sont : m. S. A. 0. 88 t/ha n = 4. 63 0. 88 t/ha m. S. A. 6. 90 t/ha n = 4. 48 * m. S. #-#0#. #2#5 ce modele permet le calcul de l'i. N. N. (indice de nutrition azotee (lemaire et al. , 1989), indicateur de diagnostic du statut azote des peuplements vegetaux. Dans une seconde partie, nous avons analyse les consequences de carences azotees temporaires d'automne variees sur la croissance et la production. Des relations precises entre i. N. N. Et les differents parametres de la croissance ont ete etablies. Par ailleurs, nous avons caracterise la nature des interactions entre fertilisation azotee d'automne et de printemps. Les effets de la fertilisation azotee d'automne sur le rendement se montrent significatifs pour un etat de croissance specifique en sortie d'hiver (m. S. A. < 120 g/m#2, q. N. A. < 40 kgn/ha) et de potentiel de production superieurs a 40 q/ha. Dans une troisieme partie, les effets de carences, azotees de printemps ont ete analyses de facon analogue. Des relations entre i. N. N. Et caracteristiques de la croissance se revelent moins pertinentes qu'en phase automnale, mais des modeles interessants ont ete etablis entre caracteristiques des carences et des rendements. Des travaux complementaires sont necessaires pour valider ces sous modeles dans azodyn-colza, et permettront de proposer une estimation plus precise des besoins en azote du colza d'hiver.
The impact of highly active antiretroviral therapy on the survival of vertically hIV-infected children and adolescents in Belo horizonte, Brazil

The use of highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) for human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-infected patients has reduced the number of acquired immune deficiency syndrome-related deaths worldwide. This study assessed the impact of HAART on the survival and death rates of vertically HIV-infected children and adolescents in Belo Horizonte, Brazil. Data were obtained from a historic cohort of vertically HIV-infected children and adolescents aged zero-19 years old who were admitted from March 1989-December 2004 and were followed until June 2006. Patients who used HAART were included if they were treated for at least 12 weeks. Of 359 patients, 320 patients met the inclusion criteria. The overall mortality rate was 9.7% [31/320; 95% confidence interval (CI): 6.0-13%]. The median survival for the non-HAART and HAART groups was 31.5 and 55.9 months, respectively (log rank = 22.11, p < 0.0001). In the multivariate analysis, the statistically significant variables were HAART and the weight-for-age z score < -2, with HAART constituting a protective factor [relative risk (RR): 0.13; CI 95%: 0.05-0.33] and malnutrition constituting a risk factor (RR: 3.44; CI 95%: 1.60-7.40) for death. The incidence of death was 5.1/100 person-years in the non-HAART group and 0.8/100 person-years in the HAART group (p < 0.0001).
How to assess postsurgical scars: A review of outcome measures

Purpose. Complications of surgical incision include pathological scars with functional, cosmetic or psychological consequences. Postsurgical scar assessment is fundamental for a complete functional evaluation and as an outcome measure. Scar assessment scales are here reviewed and discussed from a clinical and psychometric point of view, with a clear definition of different scar parameters. Method. An extensive review of the English-language literature was conducted using the Medline database. Results. Four scales that satisfy psychometrical criteria were identified: Vancouver Scar Scale (VSS), Patient and Observer Scar Assessment Scale (POSAS), Manchester Scar Scale (MSS) and Stony Brook Scar Evaluation Scale (SBSES). Conclusions. To date, VSS is the most widely used rating scale for scars but POSAS appears the most comprehensive, taking into account the important aspect of patient's perspective. The MSS has been never used for research, while SBSES has only been very recently proposed.
How drug resistance emerges as a result of poor compliance during short course chemotherapy for tuberculosis.

OBJECTIVE To explore mechanisms by which drug resistance might arise as a result of poor compliance during short course chemotherapy. DESIGN Four theoretical mechanisms are first described. RESULTS Examples of the way the mechanisms probably operate are taken from: 1) a study of once-weekly chemotherapy with streptomycin and isoniazid, and 2) the pattern of drug susceptibility in cultures from patients who relapsed after the end of treatment. CONCLUSION Good compliance is vitally important. The value of a fourth drug in the initial phase of chemotherapy in preventing resistance is questioned. An explanation for mono-resistance to rifampicin in patients with the acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS) is suggested.
The effects of low‐intensity pulsed ultrasound upon diabetic fracture healing

In the United States, over 17 million people are diagnosed with type 1 diabetes mellitus (DM) with its inherent morbidity of delayed bone healing and nonunion. Recent studies demonstrate the utility of pulsed low‐intensity ultrasound (LIPUS) to facilitate fracture healing. The current study evaluated the effects of daily application of LIPUS on mid‐diaphyseal femoral fracture growth factor expression, cartilage formation, and neovascularization in DM and non‐DM BB Wistar rats. Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and ELISA assays were used to measure and quantify growth factor expression. Histomorphometry assessed cartilage formation while immunohistochemical staining for PECAM evaluated neovascularization at the fracture site. In accordance with previous studies, LIPUS was shown to increase growth factor expression and cartilage formation. Our study also demonstrated an increase in fracture callus neovascularization with the addition of LIPUS. The DM group showed impaired growth factor expression, cartilage formation, and neovascularization. However, the addition of LIPUS significantly increased all parameters so that the DM group resembled that of the non‐DM group. These findings suggest a potential role of LIPUS as an adjunct for DM fracture treatment. © 2010 Orthopaedic Research Society. Published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Orthop Res 29:181–188, 2011
Estimation of the iron concentration in excised gray matter by means of proton relaxation measurements

To validate their correlation with tissue iron concentration, proton transverse relaxation measurements have been made at 2.35 T (100 MHz) in 25 samples of excised, frozen, but unfixed human gray matter tissue obtained from the globus pallidus, putamen, caudate, thalamus, and cortex of five postmortem brains free of neurological disease. The iron concentration was independently measured, using atomic absorption spectroscopy. The proton transverse relaxation measurements exploited the interecho time dependence of the apparent transverse relaxation rate, R2app, obtained from a Carr‐Purcell‐Meiboom‐Gill (CPMG) sequence. An empirical semilogarithmic relationship between R2app and the interecho time provided a measure of the relaxation enhancement due to iron, namely, a slope p, which demonstrated a significant correlation (r = 0.78, P < 0.001) with tissue iron concentration. Moreover, a simple rate difference, δR2app, determined between interecho time values of 6 and 60 ms, was also found to correlate significantly with iron concentration (r = 0.81, P < 0.001). Both of the foregoing correlations were better than that of R2app itself. When the tissue samples were subdivided into brain structure groups, the intergroup differences in p reflected their known differences in iron accumulation and correlated with those of the mean group iron content, determined by atomic absorption spectrometry.
Managing options risk with genetic algorithms

The Black-Scholes model asserts that a portfolio consisting of a short (long) call and its long (short) underlying asset earns the riskless rate of return if the portfolio hedge ratio is continuously rebalanced so that its asset price sensitivity, also known as delta, is kept equal to zero. In practice, delta rebalancing does not represent a perfect hedge because of market friction not accounted for in the Black-Scholes model. Researchers have studied hedging in a discrete-time framework and the impact on return due to transaction costs. Because of these and other factors, the distribution of returns on a delta-hedged portfolio departs substantially from the guaranteed riskless return of the Black-Scholes model. In a realistic scenario, investors wanting to hedge their portfolios are often faced with the problem of finding a tradeoff strategy between the extremes of minimizing risk by frequent rebalancing and minimizing cost by limiting the number of trades. The article addresses a tradeoff strategy issue by formulating a general hedging strategy aimed at optimizing the portfolio return distribution via periodic adjustments of portfolio weights, according to the hedger's preference toward investment in an imperfect market. The parameters that determine trading decisions are computed by simulating the portfolio behavior with genetic optimization of the return distribution. The author applies the trading strategy to two classic examples of hedge of a short call position and its results are briefly discussed. Finally, he addresses extensions and limitations of this new strategy.
On the Convergence Rate of Incremental Aggregated Gradient Algorithms

Motivated by applications to distributed optimization over networks and large-scale data processing in machine learning, we analyze the deterministic incremental aggregated gradient method for minimizing a finite sum of smooth functions where the sum is strongly convex. This method processes the functions one at a time in a deterministic order and incorporates a memory of previous gradient values to accelerate convergence. Empirically it performs well in practice; however, no theoretical analysis with explicit rate results was previously given in the literature to our knowledge, in particular most of the recent efforts concentrated on the randomized versions. In this paper, we show that this deterministic algorithm has global linear convergence and we characterize the convergence rate. We also consider an aggregated method with momentum and demonstrate its linear convergence. Our proofs rely on a careful choice of a Lyapunov function that offers insight into the algorithm's behavior and simplifies the pro.