223 research outputs found
The Impact of GB Virus C co-infection on Mother to Child transmission of Human Immunodeficiency Virus
No full textBhanich Supapol W, Remis RS, Raboud J, Millson M, Tappero J, Kaul R, Kulkarni P, McConnell MS, Mock PA, Culnane M, McNicholl J, Roongpisuthipong A, Chotpitayasunondh T, Shaffer N, Butera S. 2008. Reduced mother-to-child transmission of HIV associated with infant but not maternal GB virus C infection. J Infect Dis 197(10):1369-1377.
Bhanich Supapol W, Remis RS, Raboud J, Millson M, Tappero JW, Kaul R, Kulkarni P, McConnell MS, Mock PA, McNicholl JM, Vanprarar N, Asavapiriayanont S, Shaffer N, Butera ST. 2009. Mother-to-child transmission of GB virus C in a cohort of women coinfected with GB virus C and HIV in Bangkok, Thailand. J Infect Dis 200:227-235.GB virus C (GBV-C) is a common, apathogenic virus that can inhibit human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) replication in vitro. Persistent coinfection with GBV-C
has been associated with improved survival among HIV-infected adults while loss of
GBV-C viremia has been associated with poor survival. If GBV-C does inhibit HIV
replication, it is possible that GBV-C infection may reduce mother-to-child-transmission (MTCT) of HIV. This study investigated whether maternal or infant GBV-C infection was associated with reduced MTCT of HIV infection. The study population consisted of 1,783 pregnant women from three Bangkok perinatal HIV transmission studies (1992-94, 1996-7, 1999-2004). We tested plasma collected at delivery for GBV-C RNA, GBV-C antibody, and GBV-C viral genotype. If maternal GBV-C RNA was detected, the four- or six-month infant specimen was tested for GBV-C RNA. Rates of MTCT of HIV in GBV-C-infected and GBV-C-uninfected women and infants were compared using multiple logistic regression as were associations with MTCT of GBV-C and prevalence of GBV-C infection.
The prevalence of GBV-C infection (i.e. presence of RNA or antibody) was 33%
among HIV-infected women and 15% among HIV-uninfected women. Forty-one percent
of GBV-C-RNA-positive women transmitted GBV-C to their infants. Only two of 101
(2.0%) GBV-C-RNA-positive infants acquired HIV infection compared to 162 (13.2%)
of 1,232 of GBV-C-RNA-negative infants (RR 0.15, p<0.0001). This association
remained after adjustment for maternal HIV viral load, antiretroviral prophylaxis, CD4+
count and other covariates. MTCT of HIV was not associated with presence of maternal
GBV-C RNA or maternal GBV-C antibody. Maternal receipt of antiretroviral therapy
was associated with increased MTCT of GBV-C, as was high GBV-C viral load, vaginal
delivery and absence of infant HIV infection. GBV-C infection among women was
independently associated with more than one lifetime sexual partner, intravenous drug
use and HIV-infection.
We observed a higher prevalence of GBV-C infection among HIV-infected compared to HIV-uninfected pregnant women in Thailand, likely due to common risk factors. Antiretroviral therapy appears to increase MTCT of GBV-C. Infant GBV-C acquisition, but not maternal GBV-C infection, was significantly associated with reduced MTCT of HIV. Mechanisms for these later two associations are unknown.Ph
The Impact of GB Virus C co-infection on Mother to Child transmission of Human Immunodeficiency Virus
No full textBhanich Supapol W, Remis RS, Raboud J, Millson M, Tappero J, Kaul R, Kulkarni P, McConnell MS, Mock PA, Culnane M, McNicholl J, Roongpisuthipong A, Chotpitayasunondh T, Shaffer N, Butera S. 2008. Reduced mother-to-child transmission of HIV associated with infant but not maternal GB virus C infection. J Infect Dis 197(10):1369-1377.
Bhanich Supapol W, Remis RS, Raboud J, Millson M, Tappero JW, Kaul R, Kulkarni P, McConnell MS, Mock PA, McNicholl JM, Vanprarar N, Asavapiriayanont S, Shaffer N, Butera ST. 2009. Mother-to-child transmission of GB virus C in a cohort of women coinfected with GB virus C and HIV in Bangkok, Thailand. J Infect Dis 200:227-235.GB virus C (GBV-C) is a common, apathogenic virus that can inhibit human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) replication in vitro. Persistent coinfection with GBV-C
has been associated with improved survival among HIV-infected adults while loss of
GBV-C viremia has been associated with poor survival. If GBV-C does inhibit HIV
replication, it is possible that GBV-C infection may reduce mother-to-child-transmission (MTCT) of HIV. This study investigated whether maternal or infant GBV-C infection was associated with reduced MTCT of HIV infection. The study population consisted of 1,783 pregnant women from three Bangkok perinatal HIV transmission studies (1992-94, 1996-7, 1999-2004). We tested plasma collected at delivery for GBV-C RNA, GBV-C antibody, and GBV-C viral genotype. If maternal GBV-C RNA was detected, the four- or six-month infant specimen was tested for GBV-C RNA. Rates of MTCT of HIV in GBV-C-infected and GBV-C-uninfected women and infants were compared using multiple logistic regression as were associations with MTCT of GBV-C and prevalence of GBV-C infection.
The prevalence of GBV-C infection (i.e. presence of RNA or antibody) was 33%
among HIV-infected women and 15% among HIV-uninfected women. Forty-one percent
of GBV-C-RNA-positive women transmitted GBV-C to their infants. Only two of 101
(2.0%) GBV-C-RNA-positive infants acquired HIV infection compared to 162 (13.2%)
of 1,232 of GBV-C-RNA-negative infants (RR 0.15, p<0.0001). This association
remained after adjustment for maternal HIV viral load, antiretroviral prophylaxis, CD4+
count and other covariates. MTCT of HIV was not associated with presence of maternal
GBV-C RNA or maternal GBV-C antibody. Maternal receipt of antiretroviral therapy
was associated with increased MTCT of GBV-C, as was high GBV-C viral load, vaginal
delivery and absence of infant HIV infection. GBV-C infection among women was
independently associated with more than one lifetime sexual partner, intravenous drug
use and HIV-infection.
We observed a higher prevalence of GBV-C infection among HIV-infected compared to HIV-uninfected pregnant women in Thailand, likely due to common risk factors. Antiretroviral therapy appears to increase MTCT of GBV-C. Infant GBV-C acquisition, but not maternal GBV-C infection, was significantly associated with reduced MTCT of HIV. Mechanisms for these later two associations are unknown.Ph
Treatment of histologically mild hepatitis C virus infection with interferon and ribavirin: a multicentre randomized controlled trial
No full textCurrent guidelines advocate no treatment for patients with histologically mild hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection. This was a UK multicentre randomized controlled trial comparing alpha-interferon (3 MU thrice weekly) + ribavirin (1000-1200 mg/day) for 48 weeks with no treatment in treatment naive, adult patients with histologically mild chronic HCV infection. The aim was to compare benefits, safety and efficacy of combination therapy with alpha-interferon 2b and ribavirin for 48 weeks with no treatment (current standard management) in this patient group. In the treatment group 32 of 98 (33%) patients achieved a sustained virological response (SVR). Patients infected with genotype 1 had a lower SVR than those infected with genotype non-1 (18% vs 49% P = 0.02). No patients who failed to achieve a 2-log drop in viral load at 12 weeks achieved SVR. Improvements in quality of life 24 weeks postcessation of therapy compared with baseline using the SF-36 questionnaire measures were observed in the treated group. For patients with mild HCV infection with viral genotype non-1, the results are sufficiently good to suggest that therapeutic decisions should no longer be biopsy-driven. For patients infected with genotype 1, a liver biopsy is still indicated as the low chance of SVR is outweighed by an unacceptable burden of side-effects. Patients who fail to respond by 12 weeks of therapy should have their treatment curtailed early.</p
The Relative Lie Algebra Cohomology of the Weil Representation
No full textWe study the relative Lie algebra cohomology of with values in the Weil representation of the dual pair \mathrm{Sp}(2k, \R) \times \OO(p,q). Using the Fock model defined in Chapter \ref{Introchapter}, we filter this complex and construct the associated spectral sequence. We then prove that the resulting spectral sequence converges to the relative Lie algebra cohomology and has term, the associated graded complex, isomorphic to a Koszul complex, see Section \ref{defofkoszulsection}. It is immediate that the construction of the spectral sequence of Chapter \ref{spectralchapter} can be applied to any reductive subalgebra . By the Weil representation of \OO(p,q), we mean the twist of the Weil representation of the two-fold cover \widetilde{\OO(p,q)} by a suitable character. We do this to make the center of \widetilde{\OO(p,q)} act trivially. Otherwise, all relative Lie algebra cohomology groups would vanish, see Proposition \ref{genuineprop}.
In case the symplectic group is large relative to the orthogonal group (), the term is isomorphic to a Koszul complex defined by a regular sequence, see \ref{defofkoszulsection}. Thus, the cohomology vanishes except in top degree. This result is obtained without calculating the space of cochains and hence without using any representation theory. On the other hand, in case , we know the Koszul complex is not that of a regular sequence from the existence of the class of Kudla and Millson, see \cite{KM2}, a nonzero element of the relative Lie algebra cohomology of degree .
For the case of \SO_0(p,1) we compute the cohomology groups in these remaining cases, namely . We do this by first computing a basis for the relative Lie algebra cochains and then splitting the complex into a sum of two complexes, each of whose term is then isomorphic to a Koszul complex defined by a regular sequence.
This thesis is adapted from the paper, \cite{BMR}, this author wrote with his advisor John Millson and Nicolas Bergeron of the University of Paris
Ceramics of the Tyne-Forth Region, C. 3500-1500 BC.
No full textSince the beginnings of archaeology, the study of the past in the Tyne-Forth region has been shadowed by the influence of the political boundary that divides it. Although it has long been acknowledged by archaeologists that the modern polities of Scotland and England did not exist in the past, this divide has continued to affect research design, interpretation and publication. In addition to this, the focus on 'core areas', such as Wessex and Orkney, have long been used to interpret the findings in this region, although the remains found between the Tyne and Forth continue to demonstrate that this area was unique and did not necessarily adhere to the same lifeways as these distant lands. For too long this has caused the area to be seen as a periphery. This research has attempted to consider the Neolithic and Bronze Age of this area as a whole, by ignoring the Anglo-Scottish border and by considering the archaeological remains of the entire region using a single methodology and the data was evaluated to establish the norms for the region first, before relating it to what is known nationally. Experimental work was first carried out to learn more about the material and the ways ceramics can be studied in order to design the research so that it would yield the greatest amount of data. A provenance study of the archaeological remains was then carried out. A total of 333 vessels from the Middle Neolithic to the Middle Bronze Age, including: Impressed Ware, Grooved Ware, Beaker, Food Vessel, Vase Urns, Collared Urns, Cordoned Urns and Bucket Urns were examined. The resulting data were statistically analysed and evidence for cultural interaction, particularly during the introduction of Beakers, was found. The presence local influence on some pottery (previously identified as Neolithic-derived pottery by Millson et al. 2012 in the Milfield Basin, Northumberland) was also recorded throughout the region. Both of these important findings were considered in-depth and a better understanding of the Late Neolithic/Bronze Age transition is proposed for this region
Tubes, Cohomology with Growth Conditions and an Application to the Theta Correspondence
No full textIn this paper we continue our effort [11], [12], [13], [14] to interpret geometrically the harmonic forms on certain locally symmetric spaces constructed by using the theta correspondence. The point of this paper is to prove an integral formula, Theorem 2.1, which will allow us to generalize the results obtained in the above papers to the finite volume case (the previous papers treated only the compact case). We then apply our integral formula to certain finite volume quotients of symmetric spaces of orthogonal groups. The main result obtained is Theorem 4.2 which is described below. We let (,) denote the bilinear form associated to a quadratic form with integer coefficients of signature (p, q). We assume that the fundamental group Γ ⊂ SO(p, q) of our locally symmetric space is the subgroup of the integral isometries of (,) congruent to the identity matrix modulo some integer N. We assume that N is chosen large enough so that Γ is neat (the multiplicative subgroup of C* generated by the eigenvalues of the elements of Γ has no torsion), Borel [2], 17.1 and that every element in Γ has spinor norm 1, Millson-Raghunathan [15], Proposition 4.1. These conditions are needed to ensure that our cycles Cx (see below) are orientable. The methods we will use apply also to unitary and quaternion unitary locally symmetric spaces, see [13].</jats:p
Fig. 5. Scanning electron micrographs. All scale bars are 100 in Cainozoic and from Recent Deep Sea Cytherurid Ostracoda the South Western Pacific and Eastern Indian Oceans, Part Cytherurinae
No full textFig. 5. Scanning electron micrographs. All scale bars are 100!lm. A-E, Eucytherura multituberculata n.sp., A, external lateral view of adult left valve (OS 14073), Early Pleistocene, B, ventral view of same specimen, C, internal view of adult left valve (MA/IP/404) from DSDP Site 209, core 2, section 2, Early Pleistocene, D, external lateral view of adult left valve (SD/WPP/329) from DSDP Site 207A, core 3, section 1, Early Pliocene, E, external lateral view of adult right valve (SD/WPP/330) from DSDP Site 207A, core 3, section 5, Early Pliocene; F-L, Hemiparacytheridea leopardina (Ruan & Hao, 1988), F, external lateral view of adult right valve (OS 14079), Late Pleistocene, G, external lateral view of adult left valve (OS 14077), Early Pleistocene, H, external lateral view of adult right valve (MA/IP/409) from DSDP Site 209, core 1, section 1, Late Pleistocene, I, external lateral view of adult left valve (SD/WPP/337) from DSDP SitePublished as part of Ayress, M. A., Whatley, R., Downing, S. E. & Millson, K. J., 1995, Cainozoic and from Recent Deep Sea Cytherurid Ostracoda the South Western Pacific and Eastern Indian Oceans, Part Cytherurinae, pp. 203-223 in Records of the Australian Museum 47 (2) on page 214, DOI: 10.3853/j.0067-1975.47.1995.237, http://zenodo.org/record/466062
The Trade-Off Between Sustainability And Outreach: The Experience Of Commercial Microfinance Institutions
No full textThe paper examines the recent trend of commercialization in the Microfinance Industry in a cross-country analysis. More specifically, the paper seeks to analyze the effects of commercialization on the sustainability and outreach of individual Microfinance Institutions (MFIs). The author uses data on 854 MFIs in 102 developing countries from the Microfinance Information eXchange (MIX). The author employs fixed effects and OLS econometrics techniques, with the later accounting for endogeneity, to estimate the effects of commercialization. Ultimately, the paper finds that commercialization increases MFI sustainability and decreases outreach. The latter provides evidence of mission drift. Ultimately, if MFIs aim to alleviate poverty and provide financial services to the poorest, then commercialization may not be the solution
Théorie de Hodge mixte et variétés des représentations des groupes fondamentaux des variétés algébriques complexes
No full textThe mixed Hodge theory of Deligne provides additional structures on the cohomology groups of complex algebraic varieties. Since then, mixed Hodge structures have been constructed on the rational homotopy groups of such varieties by Morgan and Hain. In this vein, we construct mixed Hodge structures on invariants associated to linear representations of fundamental groups of smooth complex algebraic varieties. The starting point is the theory of Goldman and Millson that relates the deformation theory of such representations to the deformation theory via differential graded Lie algebras. This was reviewed by P. Eyssidieux and C. Simpson in the case of compact Kähler manifolds. In the non-compact case, and for representations with finite image, Kapovich and Millson constructed only non-canonical gradings. In order to construct mixed Hodge structures in the non-compact case and unify it with the compact case treated by Eyssidieux-Simpson, we re-write the classical Goldman-Millson theory using more modern ideas from derived deformation theory and a construction of L-infinity algebras due to Fiorenza and Manetti. Our mixed Hodge structure comes then directly from the H^0 of an explicit mixed Hodge complex, in a similar way as the method of Hain for the fundamental group, and whose functoriality appears clearly.La théorie de Hodge mixte de Deligne fournit des structures supplémentaires sur les groupes de cohomologie des variétés algébriques complexes. Depuis, des structures de Hodge mixtes ont été construites sur les groupes d'homotopie rationnels de telles variétés par Morgan et Hain. Dans cette lignée, nous construisons des structures de Hodge mixtes sur des invariants associés aux représentations linéaires des groupes fondamentaux des variétés algébriques complexes lisses. Le point de départ est la théorie de Goldman et Millson qui relie la théorie des déformations de telles représentations à la théorie des déformations via les algèbres de Lie différentielles graduées. Ceci a été relu par P. Eyssidieux et C. Simpson dans le cas des variétés kählériennes compactes. Dans le cas non compact, et pour des représentations d'image finie, Kapovich et Millson ont construit seulement des graduations non canoniques. Pour construire des structures de Hodge mixtes dans le cas non compact et l'unifier avec le cas compact traité par Eyssidieux-Simpson, nous ré-écrivons la théorie de Goldman-Millson classique en utilisant des idées plus modernes de la théorie des déformations dérivée et une construction d'algèbres L-infini due à Fiorenza et Manetti. Notre structure de Hodge mixte provient alors directement du H^0 d'un complexe de Hodge mixte explicite, de façon similaire à la méthode de Hain pour le groupe fondamental, et dont la fonctorialité apparaît clairement
Mixed Hodge theory and representation varieties of fundamental groups of complex algebraic varieties
No full textLa théorie de Hodge mixte de Deligne fournit des structures supplémentaires sur les groupes de cohomologie des variétés algébriques complexes. Depuis, des structures de Hodge mixtes ont été construites sur les groupes d'homotopie rationnels de telles variétés par Morgan et Hain. Dans cette lignée, nous construisons des structures de Hodge mixtes sur des invariants associés aux représentations linéaires des groupes fondamentaux des variétés algébriques complexes lisses. Le point de départ est la théorie de Goldman et Millson qui relie la théorie des déformations de telles représentations à la théorie des déformations via les algèbres de Lie différentielles graduées. Ceci a été relu par P. Eyssidieux et C. Simpson dans le cas des variétés kählériennes compactes. Dans le cas non compact, et pour des représentations d'image finie, Kapovich et Millson ont construit seulement des graduations non canoniques. Pour construire des structures de Hodge mixtes dans le cas non compact et l'unifier avec le cas compact traité par Eyssidieux-Simpson, nous ré-écrivons la théorie de Goldman-Millson classique en utilisant des idées plus modernes de la théorie des déformations dérivée et une construction d'algèbres L-infini due à Fiorenza et Manetti. Notre structure de Hodge mixte provient alors directement du H^0 d'un complexe de Hodge mixte explicite, de façon similaire à la méthode de Hain pour le groupe fondamental, et dont la fonctorialité apparaît clairement.The mixed Hodge theory of Deligne provides additional structures on the cohomology groups of complex algebraic varieties. Since then, mixed Hodge structures have been constructed on the rational homotopy groups of such varieties by Morgan and Hain. In this vein, we construct mixed Hodge structures on invariants associated to linear representations of fundamental groups of smooth complex algebraic varieties. The starting point is the theory of Goldman and Millson that relates the deformation theory of such representations to the deformation theory via differential graded Lie algebras. This was reviewed by P. Eyssidieux and C. Simpson in the case of compact Kähler manifolds. In the non-compact case, and for representations with finite image, Kapovich and Millson constructed only non-canonical gradings. In order to construct mixed Hodge structures in the non-compact case and unify it with the compact case treated by Eyssidieux-Simpson, we re-write the classical Goldman-Millson theory using more modern ideas from derived deformation theory and a construction of L-infinity algebras due to Fiorenza and Manetti. Our mixed Hodge structure comes then directly from the H^0 of an explicit mixed Hodge complex, in a similar way as the method of Hain for the fundamental group, and whose functoriality appears clearly
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