Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The effects of urethritis on seminal plasma HIV-1 RNA loads in homosexual men not receiving antiretroviral therapy

Objectives: To examine the effects of urethritis and its treatment on semen plasma HIV-1 RNA load in HIV-1 infected men not receiving antiretroviral therapy (ART), in a developed world setting. Methods: Prospective case-control study. HIV-1 infected homosexual men, not receiving ART for at least 3 months, with (cases) and without (controls) symptomatic urethritis, were recruited. Blood and semen were collected for HIV-1 RNA quantification at presentation, before antibiotic therapy, and at 1 and 2 weeks. Results: 20 cases (13 gonococcal urethritis and/or chlamydial urethritis (GU/CU) and seven non-specific urethritis (NSU)) and 35 controls were recruited. Baseline characteristics and blood plasma viral load were similar in cases and controls. Mean log semen plasma viral loads were higher among those with GU/CU compared with controls (4.27 log versus 3.55 log respectively; p = 0.01) but not in those with NSU (3.48 log; p = 0.82). Following antibiotics, semen plasma viral loads fell by a mean of 0.25 log (95% CI: 0.03 to 0.47) in those with GU/CU. Semen plasma viral loads did not fall in those with NSU. Conclusions: In this study of 55 homosexual men not on ART, semen plasma viral loads were approximately fivefold higher in those with GU/CU, but not NSU, compared with controls. Treatment of GU/CU resulted in reduction in semen plasma viral loads. Although absolute effects were considerably lower when compared to patients from a similar study from sub-Saharan Africa, our data demonstrate the potential for sexually transmitted infections to enhance HIV infectivity of men not receiving ART in the developed world.
Cloudy Transactions: Cooperative XML Authoring on Amazon S3

Over the last few years cloud computing has received great attention in the research community. Customers are entitled to rent infrastructure, storage, and even software in form of services. This way they just have to pay for the actual use of these components or services. Cloud computing also comes with great opportunities for distributed design applications, which often require multiple users to work cooperatively on shared data. In order to enable cooperation, strict consistency is necessary. However, cloud storage services often provide only eventual consistency. In this paper, we propose a system that allows for strict consistent and cooperative XML authoring in distributed environments based on Amazon S3. Our solution makes use of local and distributed transactions, which are synchronized in an optimistic fashion, in order to ensure correctness. An important contribution of this paper is the evaluation of our system in a real deployment scenario upon Amazon S3. We show the strong impact of write operations to S3 on the transaction throughput. Furthermore, we show that fragmenting data increases write performance and reduces storage costs.
The beginning of the end: Links between ancient retroelements and modern telomerases

Molecular and evolutionary biologists have long debated the origin of telomerases, the enzymes that maintain chromosome ends (1, 2). These ends, called telomeres, are nucleoprotein structures that consist of repetitive DNA sequences bound by specific proteins. Telomeres serve two basic functions: they distinguish chromosome termini from double-strand breaks, and they counteract the erosion of linear chromosomes from their ends. Telomerase, a ribonucleoprotein (RNP) composed of a reverse transcriptase (RT) and an RNA encoded by a different gene (3, 4), synthesizes the telomeric DNA repeats by using the 3′-OH at the end of the chromosome as a primer and telomerase RNA as a template (Fig. 1 A). It is assumed that linear eukaryotic chromosomes have coevolved with telomerase. But the question remains, how did their association arise?
Story-Telling in the Service of Society: Exploring the Utilitarian Values of Nigerian Folktales

This paper explores the utilitarian values of Niger ian folktales. This is with a view to assessing the role of this quintessential a spect of the country’s folklore in the overall development of the nation and her people. I n the main, the paper reveals that Nigerian folktales are very useful in developing th e country socially, educationally, spiritually, psychologically, and the like. It is d iscovered that the Nigerian folktale performer is the sensitive point of his/her communi ty because he/she expresses the longings, failings and successes of his/her people. It is further established that folktale is an early source of the imagination in Nigerian comm unities, and it has therapeutic, emotional, cathartic, didactic and socializing usef ulness in the societies. The paper is concluded on an optimistic note that despite the pr eponderance of modern means of relaxation in the country, storytelling still persi sts in Nigeria. Contemporary Nigerian folktales are imaginatively refined for the purpose of injecting new meanings, new ideas and new values, based on the nation’s contemporary historical experiences and relations Folktale is one of the forms of Nigerian folklore. Others include myth, legend, proverb, aphorism, reminiscence, anecdote and joke. In the m ain, folktales comprise various kinds of narrative prose literature found in the oral tra ditions of the world. They are heard, remembered and are subject to various alterations i n the course of retelling. This paper is set to prove that folktales perform a legion of fun ctions in Nigerian societies, including entertainment, keeping of records, and instructing younger generations. For instance, through folktales, Nigerian culture, history, philo sophy, mores, kinship systems, moral disposition, and the like could be exposed to the o utsiders and the uninitiated insiders (who are yet to imbibe this culture). Therefore, th is paper supports the assertion of Ezekiel Mphahlele that the African oral artist, inc luding the folktale performer, is “the sensitive point of his community and the cultural i mpacts about him must, if he has the make-up of an artist, teach him to express his long ings, failings, and successes of his people” 1 . It is further argued that folktale is an early s ource of the imagination in Nigerian communities. It has therapeutic, emotional , cathartic, didactic, and socializing usefulness in Nigerian societies, and it gives an i ntimate account of their values.
- 1-EngineRoom : A Comparative Development Environment For Volume Rendering Engines

This paper describes Engine Room, a unifying system architecture for comparative volume rendering, fast prototyping of system components, and teaching. Engine Room’s manager-driven architecture is able to: (i) dynamically dock or link multiple thirdparty volume rendering engines to a common environment, (ii) allow each linked engine to utilize the common environment’s core functions; (iii) concurrently load, display, and navigate multiple volume datasets in separate windows using one or more of the rendering engines currently docked to the common environment; (iv) perform real time volume pre-viewing within the common environment for quick navigation and transfer function setup; and (v) share volume viewing parameters across renderers, allowing users to compare the relative quality of different rendering techniques in unbiased side-by-side window comparisons.
Accurate Approximation Series for Optimal Targeting Regions in a Neural Growth Model with a Low –branching Probability

Understanding the complex growth process of dendritic arbors is essential for the medical field and disciplines like Biology and Neurosciences. The establishment of the dendritic patterns has received increasing attention from experimental researchers that seek to determine the cellular mechanisms that play a role in the growth of neural trees. Our goal in this thesis was to prove the recurrence formula for the probability distribution of all possible neural trees, as well as the formulas of the expected number of active branches and their variances. We also derived formulas for the spatial locations of the optimal targeting region for a tree with branching probability. These formulas were necessary for the simplified stochastic computational model that Osan et al have developed in order to examine how changes in branching probability influence the success of targeting neurons located at different distances away from a starting point. INDEX WORDS: Growth of neural trees, Computational model, Stochastic branching probability, Expected number of active branches, Variances, Recurrence formula. ACCURATE APPROXIMATION SERIES FOR OPTIMAL TARGETING REGIONS IN A NEURAL GROWTH MODEL WITH A LOW –BRANCHING PROBABILITY
Increasing sulphite formation in Saccharomyces cerevisiae by overexpression of MET14 and SSU1

Saccharomyces cerevisiae produces sulphite as an intermediate product during the assimilatory reduction of sulphate to sulphide. Three genes, MET3, MET14 and MET16, are essential for this reduction. We investigated the level of transcription of these genes in strains of S. cerevisiae with high, medium and low sulphite formation. The level of MET14‐ and MET16‐mRNA varied with sulphite production, whereas the level of MET3‐mRNA was very weak in almost all strains. We also analysed the effect of overexpression of MET14 and MET16 on sulphite formation. Two strains with low sulphite production were transformed with high‐copy plasmids containing either or both MET14 and MET16. The overexpression of these two genes leads to a two‐ to three‐fold sulphite formation. In addition, inactivation of MET10, encoding a subunit of the sulphite reductase, also leads to a distinct increase in sulphite formation; however, the cells became methionine auxotroph. The overexpression of SSU1, a gene encoding a putative sulphite pump, yields a slight increase in sulphite accumulation, whereas overexpression of SSU1, together with MET14, increases sulphite formation up to 10‐fold. Furthermore, sulphite formation strongly depends on growth conditions, e.g. yeast transformants growing in wort produce much higher amounts of sulphite when compared to growth in minimal media. The addition of glucose can also increase the sulphite formation in strains overexpressing MET14 and/or SSU1 under oxygen‐limiting conditions, while the addition of glucose has no significant effect under aerobic conditions. Copyright © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Cascaded Network Body Channel Model for Intrabody Communication

Intrabody communication has been of great research interest in recent years. This paper proposes a novel, compact but accurate body transmission channel model based on RC distribution networks and transmission line theory. The comparison between simulation and measurement results indicates that the proposed approach accurately models the body channel characteristics. In addition, the impedance-matching networks at the transmitter output and the receiver input further maximize the power transferred to the receiver, relax the receiver complexity, and increase the transmission performance. Based on the simulation results, the power gain can be increased by up to 16 dB after matching. A binary phase-shift keying modulation scheme is also used to evaluate the bit-error-rate improvement.
Syncope with Surprise: An Unexpected Finding of Huge Gastric Diverticulum

A gastric diverticulum is a pouch protruding from the gastric wall. The vague long clinical history ranging between dyspepsia, postprandial fullness, and upper gastrointestinal bleeding makes this condition a diagnostic challenge. We present a case of large gastric diverticulum that has been diagnosed during clinical investigations for suspected cardiovascular issues in a patient admitted at the medical ward for syncope. A 51-year-old man presented to the medical department due to a syncopal episode occurring while he was resting on the beach after having his lunch, with concomitant vague epimesogastric gravative pain without any other symptom. A diagnosis of neuromediated syncopal episode was made by the cardiologist. Due to the referred epimesogastric pain, an abdominal ultrasound scan was carried out, showing perisplenic fluid. A CT scan of the abdomen was performed to exclude splenic lesions. The CT scan revealed a large diverticulum protruding from the gastric fundus. The upper gastrointestinal endoscopy visualized a large diverticular neck situated in the posterior wall of the gastric fundus, partially filled by undigested food. The patient underwent surgery, with an uneventful postoperative course. Histologic examination showed a full-thickness stomach specimen, indicative of a congenital diverticulum. At the 2nd month of follow-up, the patient was asymptomatic.
Hardware/Software Co-Design of Memory Page Translation for Mobile Virtualization

Virtualization has been a well-studied topic for traditional servers. As the demand for the support of virtualization on mobile devices emerged, it again became a popular research topic. However, most research work focused on the applications of mobile virtualization. Detailed knowledge of the characteristics of mobile devices is still lacking. In this paper, we focus on the memory management of mobile virtualization, and propose an optimized page translation oPT with hardware/software co-design. The usage pattern of mobile devices is also considered in the design so it is optimal in terms of the hit ratio of the second stage. The variability of translation time in the second stage is eliminated to provide nearly the same behavior as the non-virtualized architecture. We verify the correctness and feasibility of oPT with a formal proof and a comprehensive evaluation based on both software emulation and hardware implementation. The results indicate oPT can outperform the most popular method. The number of memory accesses is reduced by 51.38 to 56.01 percent, and the average translation time is reduced by 78.63 percent. In addition, the power consumption of the hardware unit in oPT is only about one third that of the traditional method.
Parenting for Autism, Language, And Communication Evaluation Study (PALACES): protocol for a pilot randomised controlled trial

Introduction Children with autistic spectrum disorder (ASD) often have associated behavioural difficulties that can present a challenge for parents and parenting. There are several effective social learning theory-based parenting programmes for dealing with behavioural difficulties, including the Incredible Years (IY) parent programmes. However, these programmes typically do not specifically target parents of children with ASD. Recently, a new addition to the IY suite of programmes known as the IY Autistic Spectrum and Language Delays (IY-ASLD) parent programme was developed. The main aims of the present study are to examine the feasibility of delivering this programme within child health services and to provide initial evidence for effectiveness and economic costs. Methods and analysis The Parenting for Autism, Language, And Communication Evaluation Study (PALACES) trial is a pragmatic, multicentre, pilot randomised controlled trial comparing the IY-ASLD programme with a wait-list control condition. 72 parents of children with ASD (aged 3–8 years) will be randomly allocated to either the intervention or control condition. Data will be collected prior to randomisation and 6 months postrandomisation for all families. Families in the intervention condition only will also be followed up at 12 and 18 months postrandomisation. This study will provide initial evidence of effectiveness for the newly developed IY-ASLD parenting programme. It will also add to the limited economic evidence for an intervention targeting parents of children with ASD and provide longer term data, an important component for evaluations of parenting programmes. Ethics and dissemination Approval for the study was granted by the Research Ethics Committee at the School of Psychology, Bangor University (reference number: 2016–15768) and the North Wales Research Ethics Committee, UK (reference number: 16/WA/0224). The findings will be disseminated through research conferences and peer-reviewed journals. Trial registration number ISRCTN57070414; Pre-results.
Taguchi methodology for the optimization of n + pp + type silicon solar photovoltaic conversion efficiency

Taguchi methodology for the optimization of n + pp + type silicon solar photovoltaic conversion efficiency. This study deals with n + pp + type crystalline silicon solar cells performances using the Taguchi method in its optimum. We; then, discuss physical parameters influence on efficiency solar cell, and also, we determine photovoltaic parameters of our structure by numeric simulation (PC1D). Most previous work has used relatively low wafer resistivities (0.1-0.5Ωcm). The modeling in this work showed that high efficiencies could also be achieved with 1.0 Ωcm in the p-region and the flexibility in front junction depth and back junction depth. I – INTRODUCTION The photovoltaic cells production with crystalline silicon represents the most dominant technology [1,2] compared to other technologies (thin layers). Nowadays, industrial priorities for high quality and lower investment cost require knowledge and quantification of every different physical material parameter influence level. Because of the great number of tests required, the use of classical method is fastidious and time consuming. To overcome this problem we propose in this paper to use the Taguchi method in its optimum [3, 4] to study n + pp + type silicon solar cells performances with thickness W=200 μm, with following characteristics: cell area of 1cm 2 , front surface textured with inverted pyramids (angle 54.74°), and rear surface no textured and antireflection layer is not used. We studied material parameters influence on the efficiency conversion: Minority carrier diffusion length L D , emitter sheet resistance R n+ , wafer resistivity R p , back resistivity R p+ , front junction depth J 1 , back junction depth J 2 , front-surface recombination velocity S F and back-surface recombination velocity S R. Photovoltaic parameters calculation is obtained by means of the software PC1D [5, 6], which solves the fully coupled time-dependent non-linear equations for the quasi-one-dimensional transport of electrons and the hole in crystalline semiconductor devices. Most previous work has used relatively low wafer resistivities (0.1-0.5Ωcm). The modeling in this work showed that high efficiencies could also be achieved with 1.0 Ωcm material. II – TAGUCHI METHODOLOGY This method consists of carrying out a series of organized and reduced tests according to a well defined logic. II-1 – Definition of features to study and of survey modes The efficiency (η)  of a solar cell is deduced out of the three photovoltaic parameters: open-circuit voltage (Voc), short-circuit current (Isc) and fill factor (FF).
Review: Electrodermal Responses: What Happens in the Brain

Electrodermal activity (EDA) is now the preferred term for changes in electrical conductance of the skin, including phasic changes that have been referred to as galvanic skin responses (GSR), that result from sympathetic neuronal activity. EDA is a sensitive psychophysiological index of changes in autonomic sympathetic arousal that are integrated with emotional and cognitive states. Until recently there was little direct knowledge of brain mechanisms governing generation and control of EDA in humans. However, studies of patients with discrete brain lesions and, more recently, functional imaging techniques have clarified the contribution of brain regions implicated in emotion, attention, and cognition to peripheral EDA responses. Moreover, such studies enable an understanding of mechanisms by which states of bodily arousal, indexed by EDA, influence cognition and bias motivational behavior.
The Quick Mild Cognitive Impairment (Qmci) screen: developing a new screening test for mild cognitive impairment and dementia

16 Publications and abstracts arising from the thesis.17 Section 1: Introduction and Background Chapter 1: Introduction 1.1 Overall objective.18 1.2 Specific aims.18-19 1.3 Overview of the structure of the thesis.20 Chapter 2: Background 2.1 Neurocognitive disorders.21 2.1.1 Major neurocognitive disorders.24 2.1.2 Minor neurocognitive disorders.27 2.2 Principles of cognitive screening.31 2.2.1 Characteristics of an ideal short cognitive screens.31 2.2.2 Challenges and potential benefits of cognitive screening.39 2.3 Overview of existing cognitive screenings instruments.42 2.4 The Quick Mild Cognitive Impairment screen.52 2.5 The Memory Clinic.58 2.6 Rationale for the study.61 Section 2: Development of the Qmci Chapter 3: Validation of the Qmci: Comparison of the Qmci to the Standardised MMSE 3.
Discovering latent commercial networks from online financial news articles

Unlike most online social networks where explicit links among individual users are defined, the relations among commercial entities (e.g. firms) may not be explicitly declared in commercial Web sites. One main contribution of this article is the development of a novel computational model for the discovery of the latent relations among commercial entities from online financial news. More specifically, a CRF model which can exploit both structural and contextual features is applied to commercial entity recognition. In addition, a point-wise mutual information (PMI)-based unsupervised learning method is developed for commercial relation identification. To evaluate the effectiveness of the proposed computational methods, a prototype system called CoNet has been developed. Based on the financial news articles crawled from Google finance, the CoNet system achieves average F-scores of 0.681 and 0.754 in commercial entity recognition and commercial relation identification, respectively. Our experimental results confirm that the proposed shallow natural language processing methods are effective for the discovery of latent commercial networks from online financial news.
Presentation of depression in autism and Asperger syndrome

Depression is common in autism and Asperger syndrome, but despite this, there has been little research into this issue. This review considers the current literature on the prevalence, presentation, treatment and assessment of depression in autism and Asperger syndrome. There are diagnostic difficulties when considering depression in autism and Asperger syndrome, as the characteristics of these disorders, such as social withdrawal and appetite and sleep disturbance, are also core symptoms of depression. Impaired verbal and non-verbal communication can mask the symptoms of depression. Symptoms associated with autism and Asperger syndrome such as obsessionality and self-injury may be increased during an episode of depression. There is a clear need to develop specific tools both for diagnostic purposes and for measurement of depression in autism and Asperger syndrome in order to help alleviate the distress caused by this treatable illness.
Systematically Retrieving Research: A Case Study Evaluating Seven Databases

Objective: Developing the scientific underpinnings of social welfare requires effective and efficient methods of retrieving relevant items from the increasing volume of research. Method: We compared seven databases by running the nearest equivalent search on each. The search topic was chosen for relevance to social work practice with older people. Results: Highest sensitivity was achieved by Medline (52%), Social Sciences Citation Index (46%) and Cumulative Index of Nursing and Allied Health Literature (CINAHL) (30%). Highest precision was achieved by AgeInfo (76%), PsycInfo (51%) and Social Services Abstracts (41%). Each database retrieved unique relevant articles. Conclusions: Comprehensive searching requires the development of information management skills. The social work profession would benefit from having a dedicated international database with the capability and facilities of major databases such as Medline, CINAHL, and PsycInfo.