Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Patterns of the hazard of death after AIDS through the evolution of antiretroviral therapy: 1984–2004

Objective:To characterize changing survival patterns after development of clinical AIDS from 1984 to 2004, when different antiretroviral therapies were being introduced. Design:Cohort of homosexual men since 1984 and cohort of women since 1994. Methods:A total of 1504 men and 461 women were followed for all-cause mortality after an incident AIDS diagnosis. Relative hazards of death and relative times to death were determined in five therapy eras: no/monotherapy (July 1984–December 1989), monotherapy/combination therapy (January 1990–December 1994), HAART introduction (January 1995–June 1998), short-term stable HAART use (July 1998–June 2001), and moderate-term stable HAART use (July 2001–December 2003). Results:A total of 1057 (54%) study participants died. The time at which 25% of individuals died after an AIDS diagnosis increased significantly from 0.56 years [95% confidence interval (CI), 0.50–0.64] in the no/monotherapy era to 0.74 (95% CI, 0.67–0.82), 1.78 (95% CI, 1.29–2.44), 4.22 (95% CI, 2.94–6.05) and 5.08 years (95% CI, 2.39–10.79) in the four subsequent therapy eras, respectively. Inferences on the beneficial effects of HAART were confirmed after adjustment by age, sex, type of AIDS diagnosis and CD4 cell count at diagnosis. The pattern of the hazard of death after AIDS changed from increasing in the pre-HAART era to being lower and non-increasing in the eras of HAART. Conclusions:The sustained beneficial effect of HAART, even in individuals with clinical AIDS and extensive treatment histories, attenuates concerns about emergence of resistance but augurs that a substantial number of HIV-infected individuals may require care for very long periods.
Evaluation of Cerebellar Size in Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder

Evidence from animal and human research suggests that the cerebellum may play a role in cognition. This includes domains of executive function that are normally attributed to the prefrontal cortex and are typically deficient in individuals with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). To investigate cerebellar structure in ADHD, magnetic resonance imaging morphometry was used to measure the area of the cerebellar vermis in 12 males with ADHD and 23 male controls matched for age and Wechsler Full-Scale IQ. Analyses were conducted to evaluate group differences, as well as differences between matched pairs of subjects with ADHD and those without ADHD. All measurements were corrected for overall brain size. Both analyses revealed that the size of the posterior vermis was significantly decreased in males with ADHD (P < .05 in both analyses), and that within the posterior vermis, the inferior posterior lobe (lobules VIII-X) was involved in this reduction (P < .05 for group analysis, P < .005 for matched pair analysis), while the superior posterior lobe (lobules VI/VII) was not involved in the reduction. The finding of abnormal inferior posterior vermal size suggests that dysfunction within this region of the cerebellum may underlie clinical deficits seen in individuals with ADHD. (J Child Neurol 1998; 13:434-439).
The impact of study tours in developing global-mindedness among PK-12 educators in Southeastern Massachusetts

OF DISSERTATION Submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Education in the College of Professional Studies of Northeastern University, July, 2011 College and career readiness requires that PK-12 educators provide a global education, yet many educators have had insufficient professional training to address this need. This mixed methods study investigated the impact of international study tours in the development of globalmindedness among educators participating in a Southeastern Massachusetts (SEM) public school study tour program. Additionally, this study sought to understand the importance and impact of study tour activities on extending thinking and views of education and global perspectives. The sample population was represented by 51 participants of two study tour programs. The quantitative study aspect employed a pre-experimental one group pre-test post-test design. The Global-Mindedness Scale (GMS) (Hett, 1993) was administered as a pre and post-tour survey. An additional post-tour Activity Impact Survey (AIS), containing three additional researcher-developed sections, was also administered to obtain data on the impact of various study tour activities. Descriptive statistics and ANOVA were applied to analyze the survey data.
Characterizing fiber directional uncertainty in diffusion tensor MRI

Image noise in diffusion tensor MRI (DT‐MRI) causes errors in the measured tensor and hence variance in the estimated fiber orientation. Uncertainty in fiber orientation has been described using a circular “cone of uncertainty” (CU) around the principal eigenvector of the DT. The CU has proved to be a useful construct for quantifying and visualizing the variability of DT‐MRI parameters and fiber tractography. The assumption of circularity of the CU has not been tested directly, however. In this work, bootstrap analysis and simple theoretical arguments were used to show that the CU is elliptical and multivariate normal in the vast majority of white matter (WM) voxels for typical measurement conditions. The dependence of the cone angle on the signal‐to‐noise ratio (SNR) and eigenvalue contrast was established. The major and minor cone axes are shown to be coincident with the second and third eigenvectors of the tensor, respectively, in the limit of many uniformly spaced diffusion‐encoding directions. The deviation between the major cone axis and the second eigenvector was quantified for typical sets of diffusion‐weighting (DW) directions. The elliptical CU provides more realistic error information for fiber‐tracking algorithms and a quantitative basis for selecting DT imaging acquisition protocols. Magn Reson Med 60:1408–1421, 2008. © 2008 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Usefulness of uvulopalatopharyngoplasty with genioglossus and hyoid advancement in the treatment of obstructive sleep apnea.

OBJECTIVE To evaluate the usefulness of uvulopalatopharyngoplasty plus mandibular osteotomy with genioglossus and hyoid advancement in the treatment of obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS). DESIGN Prospective study of 20 consecutive patients with OSAS. SETTING University medical center. PATIENTS AND INTERVENTIONS Twenty OSAS patients with multilevel upper airway obstruction who refused continuous positive airway pressure treatment. All patients were evaluated before and 6 months after surgery by clinical history, the Epworth Sleepiness Scale, physical examination, fiberoptic nasopharyngoscopy combined with the Müller maneuver, cephalometric analysis, nocturnal polysomnography, and a second-night polysomnography with upper airway pressure recording during sleep. Surgery procedures were uvulopalatopharyngoplasty plus mandibular osteotomy with genioglossus and hyoid advancement. Surgical successful outcome was defined as an apnea-hypopnea index (AHI) lower than 20 plus subjective resolution of daytime symptoms. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE Surgical success rate. RESULTS Mean +/- SD AHI decreased from 60.5 +/- 16.5 to 44.6 +/- 27(P =.007), and CT90 (percentage of time with oxyhemoglobin saturation below 90%) decreased from 39.5% +/- 26% to 25.1% +/- 26.4% (P =.002). The overall surgical success rate was 35% but increased to 57% in patients with moderate OSAS (AHI, 41-60) and to 100% in mild OSAS (AHI, 21-40). In the group of severe OSAS, the success rate was 9%. Predictors of surgical outcome success were the AHI, CT90, stages 2 and 3-4 sleep percentages, and the cephalometric ANB angle (angle formed from the deepest point on the maxillary outer contour to the nasion to the deepest point on the outer mandibular contour). CONCLUSION Patients with mild and moderate OSAS and multilevel obstruction in the upper airway may benefit from uvulopalatopharyngoplasty plus genioglossus and hyoid advancement.
Detection of virulence‐associated genes characteristic of intestinal Escherichia coli pathotypes, including the enterohemorrhagic/enteroaggregative O104:H4, in bovines from Germany and Spain

Cattle are reservoirs of enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli; however, their role in the epidemiology of other pathogenic E. coli remains undefined. A new set of quantitative real‐time PCR assays for the direct detection and quantification of nine virulence‐associated genes (VAGs) characteristic of the most important human E. coli pathotypes and four serotype‐related genes (wzxO104, fliCH4, rbfO157, fliCH7) that can be used as a surveillance tool for detection of pathogenic strains was developed. A total of 970 cattle fecal samples were collected in slaughterhouses in Germany and Spain, pooled into 134 samples and analyzed with this tool. stx1, eae and invA were more prevalent in Spanish samples whereas bfpA, stx2, ehxA, elt, est and the rbfO157/fliCH7 combination were observed in similar proportions in both countries. Genes characteristic of the hybrid O104:H4 strain of the 2011 German outbreak (stx2/aggR/wzxO104/fliCH4) were simultaneously detected in six fecal pools from one German abattoir located near the outbreak epicenter. Although no isolate harboring the full stx2/aggR/wzxO104/fliCH4 combination was cultured, sequencing of the aggR positive PCR products revealed 100% homology to the aggR from the outbreak strain. Concomitant detection by this direct approach of VAGs from a novel human pathogenic E. coli strain in cattle samples implies that the E. coli gene pool in these animals can be implicated in de novo formation of such highly‐virulent strains. The application of this set of qPCRs in surveillance studies could be an efficient early‐warning tool for the emergence of zoonotic E. coli in livestock.
Uniform Chernoff and Dvoretzky-Kiefer-Wolfowitz-Type Inequalities for Markov Chains and Related Processes

We observe that the technique of Markov contraction can be used to establish measure concentration for a broad class of noncontracting chains. In particular, geometric ergodicity provides a simple and versatile framework. This leads to a short, elementary proof of a general concentration inequality for Markov and hidden Markov chains, which supersedes some of the known results and easily extends to other processes such as Markov trees. As applications, we provide a Dvoretzky-Kiefer-Wolfowitz-type inequality and a uniform Chernoff bound. All of our bounds are dimension-free and hold for countably infinite state spaces.
Ion etching of bacteriophage lambda: evidence that the right end of the DNA is located at the outside of the phage DNA mass

Bacteriophage lambda was etched in an Ar+ plasma under conditions in which the capsid and some of the DNA were eroded (by sputtering) from the particle surface. Analysis of the DNA remaining in etched phage demonstrated an enrichment in sequences derived from the left end and middle of the genome; sequences from the right end were selectively lost. The results suggest that the DNA in the mature phage is arranged with its left end toward the center and its right end toward the exterior of the overall DNA mass. Since the left end is the first to enter the phage prohead, the results are most compatible with the view that prohead filling also proceeds from the center to the exterior of the cavity. The suggested arrangement of lambda DNA is comparable to that observed in phage T4 and is consistent with the spiral-fold model of packaged DNA.
Fixed-income portfolio optimization based on dynamic Nelson-Siegel models with macroeconomic factors for the Brazilian yield curve

The study investigates the statistical and economic value of forecasted yields generated by dynamic yield curve models which incorporate a large macroeconomic dataset. The analysis starts off by modeling and forecasting the term structure of the Brazilian nominal interest rates using several specifications for the dynamic Nelson-Siegel (DNS) framework, suggested by Diebold and Li (2006). The comparison of forecast performance for forecast horizons above three months supports the evidence for the incorporation of one macroeconomic factor that summarizes broad information regarding mainly inflation expectations. In order to assess the economic value of those forecasted yields, a fixed-income portfolio optimization using the mean-variance approach of Markowitz (1952) is performed. The analysis indicate that good yield curve predictions are important to achieve economic gains from forecasted yields in terms of portfolio performance. Preferred forecasted yields for short forecast horizons perform quite well for optimal mean-variance portfolios with one-step-ahead estimates for fixed-income returns, while forecasted yields generated by a macroeconomic DNS specification outperforms in terms of portfolio performance with six-step-ahead estimates. Therefore, there is an economic and statistical gain from considering a large macroeconomic dataset to forecast the Brazilian yield curve dynamics, specially for longer forecast horizons.
A novel text-independent phonetic segmentation algorithm based on the microcanonical multiscale formalism

We propose a radically novel approach to analyze speech signals from a statistical physics perspective. Our approach is based on a new framework, the Microcanonical Multiscale Formalism (MMF), which is based on the computation of singularity exponents, defined at each point in the signal domain. The latter allows nonlinear analysis of complex dynamics and, particularly, characterizes the intermittent signature. We study the validity of the MMF for the speech signal and show that singularity exponents convey indeed valuable information about its local dynamics. We define an accumulative measure on the exponents which reveals phoneme boundaries as the breaking points of a piecewise linear-like curve. We then develop a simple automatic phonetic segmentation algorithm using piecewise linear curve fitting. We present experiments on the full TIMIT database. The results show that our algorithm yields considerably better accuracy than recently published ones.
Tofacitinib restores the inhibition of reverse cholesterol transport induced by inflammation: understanding the lipid paradox associated with rheumatoid arthritis

Patients with active rheumatoid arthritis (RA) have increased cardiovascular mortality, paradoxically associated with reduced circulating lipid levels. The JAK inhibitor tofacitinib ameliorates systemic and joint inflammation in RA with a concomitant increase in serum lipids. We analysed the effect of tofacitinib on the lipid profile of hyperlipidaemic rabbits with chronic arthritis (CA) and on the changes in reverse cholesterol transport (RCT) during chronic inflammation.
Clinical Effects of Prebiotics in Pediatric Population.

CONTEXT Prebiotics are non-digestible components of food that in a selective manner trigger the expansion of microbes in the gut with valuable effects for the health of the host. In our document, current literature pertaining to the clinical effects of the use of prebiotics for the treatment and prevention of some common pediatric pathology such as infantile colic, constipation, absorption of minerals, weight gain, diarrhea, respiratory infections, and eczema is reviewed. EVIDENCE Data was collected through search of the MEDLINE, PubMed, UpToDate, Cochrane Database of Systemic Reviews, and the Cochrane Controlled Trials Register database as well as through references from relevant articles, all until September 2015. However, only the results of publications with adequate methodological quality were included. RESULTS Prebiotics seem to be very appealing in treatment of many clinical conditions, explicitly in the fight against constipation, poor weight gain in preterm infants, and eczema in atopic children. In contrast to probiotics, the evidence of true clinical efficacy of prebiotics, supported with exact type and dose information are rather sparse, and there are a limited number of randomized controlled trials concerning prebiotics in children, especially beyond the age of infancy. CONCLUSION Large well-designed, controlled, confirmatory clinical trials are required, using commercially available products, to help healthcare providers in making an appropriate decision concerning the appropriate use of prebiotics in different conditions.
Oral fluconazole versus amphotericin B bladder irrigation for treatment of candidal funguria.

A randomized trial was conducted to compare amphotericin B bladder irrigation (AmBBI) with oral fluconazole in terms of efficacy and safety in the treatment of candidal funguria. Fifty-three patients with two consecutive positive funal cultures of urine were randomized to undergo AmBBI (50 mg/L over 24 hours or 50 mg/L for 7 days) or to receive fluconazole (200 mg/d for 7 days). Urinary catheters were changed upon entry into the study and following therapy. Blood and urine specimens were obtained throughout the study. Candida albicans was the species isolated most frequently from urine cultures. Eradication rates for funguria at 24 hours and 5-9 days after therapy were 82.4% and 75%, respectively, with the 7-day AmBBI regimen; and 83.3% and 76.9%, respectively, with fluconazole. There were no differences in the posttherapy eradication rates between the regimens at 24 hours (P = .597) and at 5-9 days (P = .66). Candida glabrata was the predominant organism recovered from patients in the fluconazole group 5-9 days after the completion of therapy. Adverse events were limited to bladder fullness in a patient who underwent AmBBI and hypoglycemia in a patient who received concomitant therapy with fluconazole and glyburide. AmBBI (once or for 7 days) and fluconazole appear to be equally efficacious in the treatment of candidal funguria.
Long-term exposure to tenofovir continuously decrease renal function in HIV-1-infected patients with low body weight: results from 10 years of follow-up

Objectives:To investigate the effect of long-term tenofovir disoproxil fumarate (TDF) use on renal function, especially in patients with low body weight who are vulnerable to TDF nephrotoxicity. Design:A single-center, observational study in Tokyo, Japan. Methods:We performed a 10 years cohort study of 792 HIV-1-infected patients. The effect of long-term TDF use on estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) was investigated on treatment-naive patients who started TDF-containing antiretroviral therapy (n = 422) and those who started abacavir-containing antiretroviral therapy as control (n = 370). Three renal endpoints were examined by the logistic regression model: decrement in eGFR of higher than 10 ml/min per 1.73 m2 relative to the baseline, more than 25% decrement in eGFR, and eGFR lower than 60 ml/min per 1.73 m2 at least 3 months apart. The loss in eGFR was estimated using linear mixed models for repeated measures. Results:The median weight at baseline was 63 kg. TDF use increased the risk of all three renal outcomes compared with the control group: higher than 10 ml/min per 1.73 m2 decrement in eGFR [adjusted odds ratio (OR) = 2.1, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.45–3.14, P < 0.001], more than 25% decrement (adjusted OR = 2.1, 95% CI 1.50–2.90, P < 0.001), and eGFR lower than 60 ml/min per 1.73 m2 at least 3 months apart (adjusted OR = 3.9, 95% CI 1.62–9.36, P = 0.002). The cumulative mean loss relative to the control after 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5 years of TDF exposure was −3.8, −3.6, −5.5, −6.6, and −10.3 ml/min per 1.73 m2, respectively, indicating that the loss in eGFR increased over time (P < 0.001). Conclusion:In this cohort of patients with low body weight, TDF exposure increased the risk of renal dysfunction. Furthermore, the loss in eGFR relative to the control increased continuously up to 5 years.
Iron-binding proteins in milk and resistance to Escherichia coli infection in infants.

Human milk contains large quantities of iron-binding protein, of which the greater proportion is lactoferrin, though small amounts of transferrin are also present. Three samples of human milk with unsaturated iron-binding capacities of between 56 and 89% had a powerful bacteriostatic effect on Escherichia coli O111/B4. The bacteriostatic properties of milk were abolished if the iron-binding proteins were saturated with iron. Purified human lactoferrin, in combination with specific E. coli antibody, strongly inhibited the growth of E. coli, and this effect was also abolished by saturating the lactoferrin with iron.Guinea-pig milk also contains lactoferrin and transferrin. Newly born guinea-pigs fed on an artificial diet and dosed with E. coli O111 had higher counts of E. coli O111 in the intestine than suckled animals. The apparent suppressive effect of guinea-pig milk on E. coli in the intestine could be reversed by feeding the iron compound haematin. It seems that iron-binding proteins in milk may play an important part in resistance to infantile enteritis caused by E. coli.
Effort-reward imbalance in academic employees: Examining different reward systems.

This study draws on the effort-reward imbalance (ERI) model of job stress to predict mental and physical health in academic employees working in UK universities. It examines the main and interactive effects of extrinsic efforts over time as well as the independent contributions of the three reward systems of the model (i.e. promotion, esteem and security rewards). The main and interactive effects of intrinsic effort (known as overcommitment) in predicting health status are also examined. A sample of 458 academic employees completed ERI scales at baseline and the health measures 14 months later. Higher extrinsic effort, lower esteem and security rewards and an imbalance between efforts and esteem rewards assessed at Time 1 were found to predict mental health status on follow-up. Physical health symptoms were predicted by higher extrinsic effort and lower security rewards. Overcommitment was an independent risk factor for both mental and physical health. No further contribution was made to the variance in either outcome by the other effort-reward ratios independently or by their interactions with overcommitment. Interventions are suggested that have potential to reduce extrinsic and intrinsic efforts and increase rewards in the university sector.
Idiosyncratic Risk and the Cross-Section of Realized Returns: Reconciling the Aggregate Returns’ Predictability Evidence

Whether idiosyncratic volatility has increased over time and whether it is a good predictor of future returns is a matter of active debate. We show formally through central limit arguments that there is a direct relationship between the dynamics of the cross-sectional variance of realized returns and the dynamics of average idiosyncratic variance. A key advantage of this measure is its observability at any frequency, while previous approaches have been limited to use monthly estimations. Another is that the concept extends naturally to cross-sectional higher-order moments. We confirm previous results obtained with other measures and provide new evidence on the time-series properties and predictive power of idiosyncratic risk on the market return that could not have been obtained with traditional measures. In particular, we find that the use of daily estimations and the introduction of robust proxies for higher-order moments induce a very substantial increase in the explanatory power of idiosyncratic risk on the average market portfolio return. Additionally, we provide some criteria for the choice of the weighting scheme used on the measure of idiosyncratic variance and find that taking a consistent weighting for the idiosyncratic variance measure and the market portfolio, leads to robust conclusions on the predictability exercise across different sample periods. This suggests that one important source of debate around the relationship between the market portfolio return and idiosyncratic volatility is precisely related to inconsistent choices on the weighting scheme.