Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The generational effect on age disparate partnerships and the risk for human immunodeficiency virus and sexually transmitted infections acquisition

In South Africa, a large proportion of young women are in age disparate relationships, which is believed to be a risk factor for human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). The aim of this study was to determine the generational effect of age disparity on HIV and sexually transmitted infection (STI) incidence. Socio-demographic and behavioural data were collected from women, aged 16 and older, who were followed for up to 24 months. Women who reported having a steady sexual partner older than themselves were categorised into: (1) non-age disparate partnerships (age difference between partners was 0–4 years); (2) intra-generational age disparate partnerships (5–9 year age gap between sexual partners); and (3) inter-generational age disparate partnerships (age gap of 10 years or more between sexual partners). Of the 1355 women included in the analysis, 759, 429 and 167 were in non-age disparate, intra-generational age disparate and inter-generational age disparate partnerships, respectively. Strong predictors of inter-generational age disparate partnerships include age, marital status and concurrency of sexual partners. No significant relationship between age disparity and risk of HIV acquisition was found. The highest crude STI incidence was observed among those in intra-generational age disparate relationships followed by those in non-age disparate relationships (31.86 [26.41–38.44] and 25.60 [21.92–29.91] per 100 person-years, respectively). Reduction of multiple partnerships remains key to HIV prevention; however, in light of partner concurrency being more prevalent than individual concurrency partnerships, female-initiated HIV prevention options remain critical.
Automatic placement of identical unit capacitors to improve capacitance matching

Capacitance matching is a critical issue in several analog and mixed-signal designs such as switched-capacitor filters, A/D and D/A converters. Using identical unit capacitors in parallel to implement each capacitor in the design, combined with a careful layout, is the best technique to achieve a good capacitance matching. Common-centroid geometry is the most widely used layout technique for matching capacitors, because this placement improves the immunity against process gradients. However, the common-centroid geometry is not the only possible placement that has this feature. In this paper, other possible placements, which are also immune to process gradients, are presented. These alternative geometries are specially suitable for layouts where the number of unit capacitors do not allow a perfect common-centroid placement. Since finding these alternative layouts is a very difficult task, this paper proposes an automated method to find the optimal placement for an array of unit capacitors.
Use of azoxymethane-induced foci of aberrant crypts in rat colon to identify potential cancer chemopreventive agents.

Foci of aberrant and/or hexosaminidase-negative crypts in rat colon are putative precancerous lesions that have been proposed as biomarkers for short-term bioassays for chemical carcinogens and chemopreventive agents. The ability of a substance to reduce the yield of azoxymethane (AOM)-induced foci in the colon of male Fischer 344 rats, was evaluated as a screening assay for chemopreventive agents. Twenty-eight test agents were administered continuously in the diet from the start of the experiments until the animals were killed 35 days later. AOM was s.c. administered either as 15 mg/kg body wt on days 7 and 14 or as 30 mg/kg body wt on day 7 of the experiment. Foci of aberrant crypts were evaluated in whole mounts of methylene blue-stained colons. AOM induced twice as many foci when administered between 8.40 and 11.00 a.m. than between 2.45 and 5.55 p.m. Calcium salts of carbonate, chloride and glucarate decreased the yield of AOM-induced foci while the acidic salts of lactate and phosphate did not inhibit the formation of foci. Dimethyl-fumarate, fumaric acid, genistein, piroxicam, simethicone, sodium suramin and sulindac reduced the yield of AOM-induced foci of aberrant crypts, with genistein being the most potent. Only piroxicam of this group has previously been shown to inhibit colon cancer, while the rest have yet to be evaluated. Ibuprofen did not inhibit the formation of foci, although it has been reported to inhibit AOM-induced colon cancer in rats. Piroxicam and sulindac appeared to reduce preferentially hexosaminidase-negative foci of aberrant crypts, compared with those of apparently normal morphology. The AOM-induced foci of aberrant crypts assay appears suitable for screening chemicals for chemopreventive action.
The experiment research of subconjunctival injections with etoposide for the treatment of retinoblastoma mice.

PURPOSE To evaluate the efficacy of subconjunctival injections of Etoposide for retinoblastoma(RB) mice. METHOD Twenty-five RB mice were divided into 5 groups for the study(GO-G4). GO for control group received 0.9% sodium chloride injection subconjunctival. G1: 5 RB mice for systemic delivery received 6 systemic administration of Etoposide 150 microg and Cyclosporin A (CSA ) 1.0mg at 3 days intervals, respectively. G2-G4: 5 RB mice in each group received 6 subconjunctival delivery of Etoposide in 50, 75, 150 microg at 3 days intervals, respectively.To observe the changes of the volume of RB in anterior chamber and the part of conjunctiva for injections of chemotherapeutic drugs. All eyes and conjunctiva and scleras of the part for drugs injections were obtained at 6 weeks after experiment for histopathologic examination. The findings under the light microscope were analysed with software to measure the areas of RB in anterior chambers and the tumor inhibition rate. RESULTS The volume of RB in anterior chambers for G1 and G2 increase quickly and none of the mice exhibited tumor control. The RB volume increase slowly in G3 and exhibit tumor control in G4. The areas of tumors in GO-G4 are 0.710,0.659,0.634, 0.515,0.235 mm(2), respectively. The rate for tumor inhibition in GO-G4 are 0.0%, 7.18%, 10.70%, 27.43% , 66.90%, respectively. There are statistical significant difference between the G1 and G4 for the volumes of tumors and the rate of tumor inhibition. The pathologic examination of subconjunctiva and sclera for the injective sites showed no pathologic changes. CONCLUSIONS There are significant effects for the method of subconjunctival delivery of Etoposide in RB control, demonstrating a positive dose-related relationship. Subconjunctival injection of Etoposide reached better efficacy in controlling and inhibiting RB cells than systemic delivery of Etoposide for the same dose. The pathologic results showed the subconjunctival delivery of etoposide were safety for conjunctiva and sclera. It would be one of effective and safety method of chemotherapy for RB.
Data from: Optimizing management to enhance multifunctionality in a boreal forest landscape

Summary The boreal biome, representing approximately one-third of remaining global forests, provides a number of crucial ecosystem services. A particular challenge in forest ecosystems is to reconcile demand for an increased timber production with provisioning of other ecosystem services and biodiversity. However, there is still little knowledge about how forest management could help solve this challenge. Hence, studies that investigate how to manage forests to reduce trade-offs between ecosystem services and biodiversity are urgently needed to help forest owners and policy makers take informed decisions. We applied seven alternative forest management regimes using a forest growth simulator in a large boreal forest production landscape. First, we estimated the potential of the landscape to provide harvest revenues, store carbon and maintain biodiversity across a 50-year time period. Then, we applied multiobjective optimization to identify the trade-offs between these three objectives and to identify the optimal combination of forest management regimes to achieve these objectives. It was not possible to achieve high levels of either carbon storage or biodiversity if the objective of forest management was to maximize timber harvest revenues. Moreover, conflicts between biodiversity and carbon storage became stronger when simultaneously targeting high levels of timber revenues. However, with small reductions in timber revenues, it was possible to greatly increase the multifunctionality of the landscape, especially the biodiversity indicators. Forest management actions, alternative to business-as-usual management, such as reducing thinnings, extending the rotation period and increasing the amount of area set aside from forestry may be necessary to safeguard biodiversity and non-timber ecosystem services in Fennoscandia. Synthesis and applications. Our results show that no forest management regime alone is able to maximize timber revenues, carbon storage and biodiversity individually or simultaneously and that a combination of different regimes is needed to resolve the conflicts among these objectives. We conclude that it is possible to reduce the trade-offs between different objectives by applying diversified forest management planning at the boreal landscape level and that we need to give up the all-encompassing objective of very intensive timber production, which is prevailing particularly in Fennoscandian countries.
Prevalence and Psychosocial Correlates of Current Smoking Among Adolescent Students in Thailand, 2005

This article examines the prevalence of current smoking and associated psychosocial correlates and whether these correlates differ by sex among adolescent students in Thailand. Data were analyzed from the Thailand Global Youth Tobacco Survey (GYTS), a school-based, cross-sectional survey conducted in 2005 and completed by Mathayom 1, 2, and 3 (U.S. seventh through ninth grades) students. Weighted prevalence estimates of the percentage of students who were current smokers (smoked on ≥1 day during the past 30 days) and noncurrent smokers were calculated for the sample and for each psychosocial variable. Separate logistic regression models were calculated for males and females to examine the independent association of the psychosocial correlates of current smoking. Significant correlates for both males and females included close peer smoking, secondhand smoke exposure, being offered a free cigarette by a tobacco industry representative, and belief that smoking is not harmful. These correlates are examined in the context of comprehensive tobacco control laws in Thailand.
Sketching shadows and highlights to position lights

In inverse shading, a user provides information about the desired shading as she/he would like it to appear in the final image. The computer then interprets this information to identify the best values for the various shading parameters that would lead to the desired visual effect. The authors introduce an approach based on sketching in order to position light sources. Point light sources are positioned by sketches of shadows or highlights. Extended light sources are positioned by sketches of umbra or penumbra. The resulting system allows one to quickly position light sources and to refine their positions interactively and more intuitively.
Household opportunity costs of protecting and developing forest lands in Son La and Hoa Binh Provinces, Vietnam

Vietnam has pilot-tested a payment for forest environmental services (PFES) program in an effort to restore and protect forest areas, some of which have been severely degraded by the excessive cutting of trees by small-scale farmers planting annual crops on steep, sloping lands. The pilot program implemented in southern Vietnam seems to be successful, yet the program in northern Vietnam has not produced the desired rates of planting and maintaining forest areas. The reasons for these mixed results include differences in socio-economic characteristics and also the production and marketing opportunities available to rural households in the project areas. To gain insight regarding program participation, we examine the household-level opportunity costs of planting and ­maintaining small plots of forest trees in northern Vietnam. We find that small-scale farmers in Hoa Binh Province, with limited financial resources, prefer the annual revenue stream provided by crops such as maize and cassava, rather than waiting for 7 years to obtain revenue from a forest planting. Farmers in Son La Province, with limited access to markets, prefer annual crops because they are not able to sell bamboo shoots and other forest products harvested from their small plots. In both provinces, the payments offered for planting and maintaining forest trees are smaller than the opportunity costs of planting and harvesting annual crops. Thus, most households likely would choose not to participate in the PFES program, at current payment rates, if given the opportunity to decline.
Phosphorylation of Nephrin Triggers Ca2+ Signaling by Recruitment and Activation of Phospholipase C-γ1*

A specialized intercellular junction between podocytes, known as the slit diaphragm (SD), forms the essential structural frame-work for glomerular filtration in the kidney. In addition, mounting evidence demonstrates that the SD also plays a crucial role as a signaling platform in physiological and pathological states. Nephrin, the major component of the SD, is tyrosine-phosphorylated by a Src family tyrosine kinase, Fyn, in developing or injured podocytes, recruiting Nck to Nephrin via its Src homology 2 domain to regulate dynamic actin remodeling. Dysregulated Ca2+ homeostasis has also been implicated in podocyte damage, but the mechanism of how podocytes respond to injury is largely unknown. Here we have identified phospholipase C-γ1 (PLC-γ1) as a novel phospho-Nephrin-binding protein. When HEK293T cells expressing a chimeric protein consisting of CD8 and Nephrin cytoplasmic domain (CD) were treated with anti-CD8 and anti-mouse antibodies, clustering of Nephrin and phosphorylation of Nephrin-CD were induced. Upon this clustering, PLC-γ1 was bound to phosphorylated Nephrin Tyr-1204, which induced translocation of PLC-γ1 from cytoplasm to the CD8/Nephrin cluster on the plasma membrane. The recruitment of PLC-γ1 to Nephrin activated PLC-γ1, as detected by phosphorylation of PLC-γ1 Tyr-783 and increase in inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate level. We also found that Nephrin Tyr-1204 phosphorylation triggers the Ca2+ response in a PLC-γ1-dependent fashion. Furthermore, PLC-γ1 is significantly phosphorylated in injured podocytes in vivo. Given the profound effect of PLC-γ in diverse cellular functions, regulation of the Ca2+ signaling by Nephrin may be important in modulating the glomerular filtration barrier function.
Standardization of femtocells in 3GPP2

Driven by the need for multivendor interoperability of femtocell devices and their supporting infrastructure equipment, the cdma2000reg standards community has been undertaking a large-scale and comprehensive effort to develop industry standards for femtocell devices and systems based on the cdma2000 family of radio access technologies. This article describes those standardization activities and provides an overview of the femtocell system architecture that has been developed within 3GPP2.
Detection of tRNA-like Structure through RNase P Cleavage of Viral Internal Ribosome Entry Site RNAs Near the AUG Start Triplet*

The 9600-base RNA genome of hepatitis C virus (HCV) has an internal ribosome entry site (IRES) in its first 370 bases, including the AUG start triplet at bases 342–344. Structural elements of this and other IRES domains substitute for a 5′ terminal cap structure in protein synthesis. Recent work (Nadal, A., Martell, M., Lytle, J. R., Lyons, A. J., Robertson, H. D., Cabot, B., Esteban, J. I., Esteban, R., Guardia, J., and Gomez, J. (2002) J. Biol. Chem. 277, 30606–30613) has demonstrated that the host pre-tRNA processing enzyme, RNase P, can cleave the HCV RNA genome at a site in the IRES near the AUG initiator triplet. Although this step is unlikely to be part of the HCV life cycle, such a reaction could indicate the presence of a tRNA-like structure in this IRES. Because susceptibility to cleavage by mammalian RNase P is a strong indicator of tRNA-like structure, we have conducted the studies reported here to test whether such tRNA mimicry is unique to HCV or is a general property of IRES structure. We have assayed IRES domains of several viral RNA genomes: two pestiviruses related to HCV, classical swine fever virus and bovine viral diarrhea virus; and two unrelated viruses, encephalomyocarditis virus and cricket paralysis virus. We have found similarly placed RNase P cleavage sites in these IRESs. Thus a tRNA-like domain could be a general structural feature of IRESs, the first IRES structure to be identified with a functional correlate. Such tRNA-like features could be recognized by pre-existing ribosomal tRNA-binding sites as part of the IRES initiation cycle.
Extending Cloud-based Object Storage with Content Centric Services

Content centric storage refers to a paradigm where data objects are accessed by applications through information about their content, rather than their path in a hierarchical structure. Applications are relieved from having knowledge about the data store organization or the place in a (physical) storage hierarchy. Instead, applications can use metadata associated with objects in order to to query for the desired content. In this paper, we explain the new functionality added to our first version of the content centric storage (Jaeger et al., 2012): We present a new REST API for the management of relations and the ability to use schemas for enforcing metadata. The need for such a content centric storage is presented with examples from the media production domain.
Impact of CSR & TQM on Employee’s Turnover Intention: Mediating role of Organizational Commitment

The study is aimed at exploring the relationship between CSR & TQM and their simultaneous impact on employee’s turnover intention. Further the mediating role of organizational commitment between TQM, CSR and employee’s turnover intention is also explained. The paper is based on empirical study undertaken on textile-base firms operating in Pakistan, involving the application of CSR & TQM practices and their simultaneous impact on employee’s turnover intentions. A theoretical grounded conceptual model is developed to organize a mechanism through which TQM & CSR impact on employee’s turnover intention with the mediation of OC. With the help of this model 8 hypotheses were developed. To test the hypothesized relationship path analyses were conducted and results were elaborated in SEM. These hypotheses were tested with the help of data collected through questionnaires that were filled from a sample of 100 employees of a dominant firm in textile industry of Pakistan. Theory, and the data collected from employees verified the proposed hypotheses and suggested that if management of an organization wants to sustain its human capital they should incorporate CSR and TQM in their corporate strategy as these variables significantly influence the employee’s intention to leave the organization.
Optimization Based Production Planning With Hybrid Dynamics and Constraints

Optimizing production planning has tremendous economic impact for many industrial production systems. In this paper, the planning problem of a class of production systems with hybrid dynamics and constraints is considered with practical background of power generation planning and other applications. The problem is solved within the Lagrangian relaxation framework, with the system wide demand and resource limit constraints relaxed by Lagrange multipliers. A new method is developed in this paper to obtain the exact optimal solutions to the subproblems with hybrid dynamics and constraints efficiently without discretizing the continuous production levels or introducing intermediate levels of relaxation. A novel definition of the discrete state associated with a consecutive time span is introduced so that solving each subproblem is converted into solving a number of continuous optimization problems and a discrete optimization problem separately. An efficient double dynamic programming (DP) method is developed to solve these subproblems and the principle of optimality is guaranteed for both the continuous and discrete problem. The production levels in a consecutive running span with non-convex piecewise linear cost functions are determined in a DP forward sweep without discretization. The DP method is then applied to determine the optimal discrete operating states across time efficiently. Numerical testing results demonstrate that the new method is efficient and effective for optimization based production planning with the complex hybrid dynamics and constraints.
STATISTICAL ANALYSIS OF DISCONTINUITIES IN SOLAR WIND ACE DATA AND COMPARISON WITH INTERMITTENT MHD TURBULENCE

The comparison between Advanced Composition Explorer (ACE) solar wind data and simulations of magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) turbulence shows a good agreement in the waiting-time analysis of magnetic field increments. Similarity between classical discontinuity identification and intermittency analysis suggests a dynamical connection between solar wind discontinuities and intermittent MHD turbulence. Probability distribution functions of increments in ACE data and in simulations reveal a robust structure consisting of small random currents, current cores, and intermittent current sheets. This adds to evidence that solar wind magnetic structures may emerge fast and locally from MHD turbulence.
Characteristics of puumala and Dobrava infections in Croatia *

In this study, two different hantaviruses, Puumala virus (PUUV) and Dobrava virus (DOBV), were demonstrated for the first time to coexist and cause hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome (HFRS) in Croatia. Phylogenetic analysis showed some differences among the nucleotide sequences of PUUV originating from Dinara mountain, which was more closely related to Austrian PUUV than other Croatian PUUV from Mala Kapela mountain. More consistency was found among the Croatian DOBV. HFRS was verified in 85 of 201 suspected cases recorded in 1995 during the largest HFRS outbreak in Croatia. Most of these cases were soldiers. With the exception of the coastal region and islands, all of Croatia was found to be an area endemic for HFRS. A statistically significantly higher proportion of DOBV‐infected patients had acute renal failure, visual disturbance, severe thrombocytopenia, and elevated levels of nonsegmented leukocytes, creatine, and total bilirubin. The prevalence of gastrointestinal and electrocardiography disorders also was greater in DOBV‐infected patients. Interestingly, significantly more PUUV‐infected patients had elevated systolic blood pressure on admission to the hospital. Further prospective studies are necessary to shed more light on differences in HFRS severity associated with PUU and DOB viruses. J. Med. Virol. 66:542–551, 2002. © 2002 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.