Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
DO LARVAL TRAITS RE‐EVOLVE? EVIDENCE FROM THE EMBRYOGENESIS OF A DIRECT‐DEVELOPING SALAMANDER, PLETHODON CINEREUS

Recent molecular phylogenies suggest the surprising reacquisition of posthatching metamorphosis within an otherwise direct‐developing clade of lungless salamanders (family Plethodontidae). Metamorphosis was long regarded as plesiomorphic for plethodontids, yet the genus Desmognathus, which primarily includes metamorphosing species, is now nested within a much larger clade of direct‐developing species. The extent to which the putative reacquisition of metamorphosis in Desmognathus represents a true evolutionary reversal is contingent upon the extent to which both larva‐specific features and metamorphosis were actually lost during the evolution of direct development. In this study we analyze development of the hyobranchial skeleton, which is dramatically remodeled during salamander metamorphosis, in the direct‐developing red‐backed salamander, Plethodon cinereus. We find dramatic remodeling of the hyobranchial skeleton during embryogenesis in P. cinereus and the transient appearance of larva‐specific cartilages. Hyobranchial development in this direct‐developing plethodontid is highly similar to that in metamorphosing plethodontids (e.g., Desmognathus). The proposed reacquisition of hyobranchial metamorphosis within Desmognathus does not represent the “re‐evolution” of a lost phenotype, but instead the elaboration of an existing developmental sequence.
An investigation of co-movements among the growth rates of the G-7 countries

Early in 2000, after a decade of economic expansion, growth began to slow simultaneously in the large, advanced economies known as the Group of Seven (G-7)--Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom, and the United States. The general slide in GDP growth fueled speculation that a period was emerging in which broad movements in the economies of the industrialized countries would be more closely linked. Proponents of this view argued that greater trade in goods and financial markets was leading to a greater synchronization of national economies. A rise in the co-movement of GDP among countries would have important implications for the making of national economic policies. Governments, for example, would need to take closer account of forecasts for conditions abroad in formulating forecasts for their domestic economies. The authors find, first, that the degree to which enhanced trade and financial linkages might be expected to increase the co-movement, or correlation, of economic growth among countries is far from clear. Then, examining the period from 1970 to the first quarter of 2002, the authors find that, indeed, the estimated correlation of growth across the G-7 has been higher in the current downturn than during the expansion of the 1990s. Rather than signaling a future of permanently higher synchronization, however, the rise is shown to be typical of business cycles over the past thirty years. Furthermore, estimates of correlation have not yet reached the peaks attained after earlier recessions. Overall, despite many changes in the international economy, the evidence does not reveal the arrival of a permanently higher correlation of growth rates among the G-7.
Numerical simulation of the intermetallic compound cracking in solder joint

The microcracking behavior of the IMC layer is investigated numerically, and the effect of the thickness of the IMC layer on the overall response and failure mode of the solder joint is studied using qualitative numerical simulations. The results show that the thicker IMC layer results in lower overall strength. When the IMC layer is thin, the microcracks tend to start at the valley of the rough solder/IMC interface and propagate across the root of the protruding Cu6Sn5 grains; when the IMC layer is thick, the microcracks tend to occur within the IMC layer. These predictions agree well with experimental observations.
Clinical Features of Adult/Adolescent Atopic Dermatitis and Chinese Criteria for Atopic Dermatitis

Background:Atopic dermatitis (AD) is an inflammatory skin disease characterized by chronic recurrent dermatitis with profound itching. Most patients have personal and/or family history of atopic diseases. Several criteria have been proposed for the diagnosis of AD. Although the clinical features of childhood AD have been widely studied, there has been less large-scale study on adult/adolescent AD. The aim of this study was to investigate the clinical features of adult/adolescent patients with chronic symmetrical eczema/AD and to propose Chinese diagnostic criteria for adult/adolescent AD. Methods:A hospital-based study was performed. Forty-two dermatological centers participated in this study. Adult and adolescent patients (12 years and over) with chronic symmetrical eczema or AD were included in this study. Questionnaires were completed by both patients and investigators. The valid questionnaires were analyzed using EpiData 3.1 and SPSS 17.0 software. Results:A total of 2662 valid questionnaires were collected (1369 male and 1293 female). Of all 2662 patients, 2062 (77.5%) patients had the disease after 12 years old, while only 600 (22.5%) patients had the disease before 12 years old, suggesting late-onset eczema/AD is common. Two thousand one hundred and thirty-nine (80.4%) patients had the disease for more than 6 months. One thousand one hundred and forty-four (43.0%) patients had a personal and/or family history of atopic diseases. One thousand five hundred and forty-eight (58.2%) patients had an elevated total serum IgE and/or eosinophilia and/or positive allergen-specific IgE. Based on these clinical and laboratory features, we proposed Chinese criteria for adult/adolescent AD. Of all 2662 patients, 60.3% were satisfied with our criteria, while only 48.2% satisfied with Hanifin Rajka criteria and 32.7% satisfied with Williams criteria, suggesting a good sensitivity of our criteria in adult/adolescent AD patients. Conclusion:Late-onset of eczema or AD is common. The clinical manifestations of AD are heterogeneous. We have proposed Chinese diagnostic criteria for adolescent and adult AD, which are simple and sensitive for diagnosis of adult/adolescent AD.
Policy Representation by Party Leaders and Followers: What Drives UK Prime Minister’s Questions?

This article demonstrates how party leaders (frontbenchers) and backbenchers use their access to UK Prime Minister’s Questions (PMQs) to represent the policy agenda. Building on comparative research on parliamentary questions and agenda-setting as well as taking account of the particular context of PMQs, we argue that party leaders and followers draw attention to different kinds of policy topics with the express purpose of influencing the government. Based on a content analysis of over 9,000 questions between 1997 and 2008, we demonstrate how the posing of questions affects subsequent agenda, varying according to whether questions come from the front or backbench, from government and opposition and from different parties. The findings demonstrate that PMQs helps both the opposition and backbenchers draw attention to issues that the government and opposition party leadership does not always wish to attend to.
Are peritoneal dialysis patients with and without residual renal function equivalent for survival study? Insight from a retrospective review of the cause of death.

BACKGROUND It remains unknown whether results of survival studies in anuric patients can be extrapolated to those who still have significant urine output. It is possible that after a prolonged period on dialysis, anuric patients are qualitatively different from patients with residual renal function. METHODS We performed a retrospective review to study the cause of death of 296 peritoneal dialysis patients of our centre over a 7 year period, and compared the mortality and distribution of cause of death between patients with and without residual renal function. RESULTS One hundred and forty-two cases (48.0%) died of vascular diseases, 82 cases (27.7%) died of infections and 72 cases (24.3%) died of other causes. Anuric patients had a higher overall mortality rate than non-anuric patients (14.9 vs 9.9%, P=0.0005), and the difference was almost completely attributed to the difference in mortality from vascular diseases (8.0 vs 4.1%, P<0.0001). Vascular disease was a more common cause of death in anuric patients than those with residual renal function (55.3 vs 40.8%, P=0.011). The difference was largely explained by the higher prevalence of sudden cardiac death in anuric patients (39 in 149 vs 19 in 147 cases). Patients without pre-existing cardiovascular disease more commonly died of vascular disease after they became anuric (47.4 vs 34.0%, P=0.017). The difference could not be explained by the longer duration of dialysis in anuric patients because there was no significant change in the distribution of cause of death with time on dialysis (chi-square test, P=0.341). CONCLUSIONS Our observation suggests that peritoneal dialysis patients with and without residual renal function are qualitatively different. Studies on peritoneal dialysis adequacy and survival in anuric patients should only be extrapolated to the general dialysis population with caution.
Fourth class of convex equilateral polyhedron with polyhedral symmetry related to fullerenes and viruses

Significance The Greeks described two classes of convex equilateral polyhedron with polyhedral symmetry, the Platonic (including the tetrahedron, octahedron, and icosahedron) and the Archimedean (including the truncated icosahedron with its soccer-ball shape). Johannes Kepler discovered a third class, the rhombic polyhedra. Some carbon fullerenes, inorganic cages, icosahedral viruses, protein complexes, and geodesic structures resemble these polyhedra. Here we add a fourth class, “Goldberg polyhedra. ” Their small (corner) faces are regular 3gons, 4gons, or 5gons, whereas their planar 6gonal faces are equilateral but not equiangular. Unlike faceted viruses and related carbon fullerenes, the icosahedral Goldberg polyhedra are nearly spherical. The reasoning and techniques presented here will enable discovery of still more classes of convex equilateral polyhedron with polyhedral symmetry. The three known classes of convex polyhedron with equal edge lengths and polyhedral symmetry––tetrahedral, octahedral, and icosahedral––are the 5 Platonic polyhedra, the 13 Archimedean polyhedra––including the truncated icosahedron or soccer ball––and the 2 rhombic polyhedra reported by Johannes Kepler in 1611. (Some carbon fullerenes, inorganic cages, icosahedral viruses, geodesic structures, and protein complexes resemble these fundamental shapes.) Here we add a fourth class, “Goldberg polyhedra,” which are also convex and equilateral. We begin by decorating each of the triangular facets of a tetrahedron, an octahedron, or an icosahedron with the T vertices and connecting edges of a “Goldberg triangle. ” We obtain the unique set of internal angles in each planar face of each polyhedron by solving a system of n equations and n variables, where the equations set the dihedral angle discrepancy about different types of edge to zero, and the variables are a subset of the internal angles in 6gons. Like the faces in Kepler’s rhombic polyhedra, the 6gon faces in Goldberg polyhedra are equilateral and planar but not equiangular. We show that there is just a single tetrahedral Goldberg polyhedron, a single octahedral one, and a systematic, countable infinity of icosahedral ones, one for each Goldberg triangle. Unlike carbon fullerenes and faceted viruses, the icosahedral Goldberg polyhedra are nearly spherical. The reasoning and techniques presented here will enable discovery of still more classes of convex equilateral polyhedra with polyhedral symmetry.
Problem Description

v List of figures . xi List of formulas . xii List of tables . xii Abbreviations . xiii Nomenclature . xiv Introduction . 1 Chapter 1: Separators . 3 1.1 Function . 3 1.1.1 Inlet diverter . 4 1.1.2 Liquid collection section . 4 1.1.3 Gravity settling section . 5 1.1.4 Mist extractor section . 5 1.2 Configurations . 5 1.2.1 Horizontal separator . 6 1.2. 2 Vertical separators . 7 1.2. 3 Centrifugal separators . 8 1.3 Three-phase separators . 9 1.4 Operation problems . 9 1.4. 1 Sand deposition . 10 1.4. 2 Plugging of mist extractor . 10 1.4. 3 Foaming . 11 1.4. 4 Carry-over of liquid through the gas outlet . 11 1.4. 5 Carry-under of gas through the liquid outlet . 11 1.5 New technology – inline separation . 11 1.5. 1 The CDS-Gasunie cyclone . 12 1.5. 2 The Twister BV supersonic separator . 14 Chapter 2: Glycol regeneration system . 15 2.1 The different units` operation . 16 2.1.1 Filters . 16
Is my new tracker really better than yours?

The problem of visual tracking evaluation is sporting an abundance of performance measures, which are used by various authors, and largely suffers from lack of consensus about which measures should be preferred. This is hampering the cross-paper tracker comparison and faster advancement of the field. In this paper we provide an overview of the popular measures and performance visualizations and their critical theoretical and experimental analysis. We show that several measures are equivalent from the point of information they provide for tracker comparison and, crucially, that some are more brittle than the others. Based on our analysis we narrow down the set of potential measures to only two complementary ones that can be intuitively interpreted and visualized, thus pushing towards homogenization of the tracker evaluation methodology.
Technological Opportunity and Spillovers of R&D: Evidence from Firms' Patents, Profits and Market Value

This paper presents evidence that firms' patents, profits and market value are systematically related to the"technological position" of firms' research programs. Further, firms are seen to "move" in technology space in response to the pattern of contemporaneous profits at different positions. These movements tend to erode excess returns. "Spillovers" of R&D are modelled by examining whether the R&D of neighboring firms in technology space has an observable impact on the firm's R&D success. Firms whose neighbors do much R&D produce more patents per dollar of their own R&D,with a positive interaction that gives high R&D firms the largest benefit from spillovers. In terms of profit and market value, however, their are both positive and negative effects of nearby firms' R&D. The net effect is positive for high R&D firms, but firms with R&D about one standard deviation below the mean are made worse off overall by the R&D of others.
New challenges emerging on the design of VLSI circuits made of MOSFETs using new gate dielectric materials

While Quality Electronic Design issues regarding typical MOSFETs constructed by well established techniques and made of SiO/sub 2/ gate dielectrics are yet to optimised, new issues regarding the implementation of MOSFETs having gates made of high-k dielectric materials other than SiO/sub 2/ are being raised during the last years. Parameters such as the high dielectric constant values, extra oxide charges and process related defects have to be taken into account. In this paper, such issues are addressed. The case replacing commonly used parameters of the MOSFET modelling with new ones that will take into account the presence of a material with different properties than that of SiO/sub 2/ is presented and proposals are made. Moreover, a case study is presented, where a memory device is examined. An overall estimation of the proposed procedure is attempted and further work is proposed.
Interferon-induced transmembrane protein-3 rs12252-C is associated with rapid progression of acute HIV-1 infection in Chinese MSM cohort

Background:The interferon-inducible transmembrane protein-3 (IFITM3) is a protein that restricts multiple pathogenic viruses such as influenza virus. The single-nucleotide polymorphism rs12252-C, which is rare in Caucasian populations, but much more common in the Han Chinese population, has been found in much higher homozygous frequency in patients with severe acute influenza. Until now, there has been no study on the effect of this genetic variant on the clinical control of other viral infections. Objectives:To investigate the impact of IFITM3-rs12252 genotypes on primary HIV-1 infection progression in an acute HIV-1-infected cohort in Beijing (PRIMO), China. Design and methods:We identified IFITM3-rs12252 genotypes of 178 acute HIV-1-infected patients and 196 HIV-negative candidates from the PRIMO cohort. HIV-1 viral load and CD4+ T-cell counts were monitored at multiple time points during the first year of infection, and the association between IFITM3-rs12252 genotype and disease progression was evaluated. Results:The current study shows that the IFITM3-rs12252 genetic variant affects the progression of HIV-1 infection, but not the acquisition. A significantly higher frequency of the CC/CT genotypes was found in rapid progressors compared to nonprogressors. Patients with CC/CT genotypes showed an elevated peak viremia level and significantly lower CD4+ T-cell count at multiple time points during the first year of primary infection, and a significantly higher risk of rapid decline of the CD4+ T-cell count to below 350 cells/&mgr;l. Conclusion:A novel association between IFITM3 gene polymorphism and rapid disease progression is reported in an acute HIV-1-infected MSM cohort in China.
Placebo in Surgical Research: A Case-Based Ethical Analysis and Practical Consequences

Placebo is a form of simulated medical treatment intended to deceive the patient/subject who believes that he/she received an active therapy. In clinical medicine, the use of placebo is allowed in particular circumstances to assure a patient that he is taken care of and that he/she receives an active drug, even if this is not the case. In clinical research placebo is widely used, as it allows a baseline comparison for the active intervention. If the use of placebo is highly regulated in pharmacological trials, surgery studies have a series of particularities that make its use extremely problematic and regarded less favorably. The purpose of this paper is to present three famous cases of placebo use in surgical trials and to perform an ethical analysis of their acceptability using the Declaration of Helsinki as a main regulatory source.
Neo-adjuvant treatment of rectal cancer with capecitabine and oxaliplatin in combination with radiotherapy: a phase II study.

BACKGROUND Preoperative chemoradiation is now standard treatment for stages II-III rectal cancer. Capecitabine (CAP) and oxaliplatin (OX) are synergistic with radiotherapy (RT) and active in colorectal neoplasms. PATIENTS AND METHODS Two cycles of CAP 825 mg/m(2) b.i. d. (days 1-14) and OX 50 mg/m(2) (days 1 and 8) every 3 weeks were given concomitantly with pelvic conformal RT (45 Gy). Patients with a > or =T3 and/or node-positive rectal tumour were eligible. The pathologic tumour response was defined according to the tumour regression grade (TRG) scale. RESULTS Forty-six patients were enrolled. Gastrointestinal adverse events were mostly G1-G2; only two patients experienced G3 vomiting and diarrhoea and six patients had G1 peripheral neuropathy. Haematological toxicity was rare. G2 proctitis and anal pain occurred in two patients. Pathological complete response (TRG1) was observed in nine patients (20.9%; 95% CI 8.7%-33.1%); TRG2 in 19 patients (44.2%); TRG3 in 12 patients (27.9%); and TRG4 in three patients (7%). Overall, nine patients recurred: five with distant metastases, one with local recurrence, and three with both local recurrence and distant metastases. CONCLUSIONS CAP-OX-RT as preoperative treatment for rectal cancer induces a remarkable rate of complete or near-complete pathologically documented response and is well tolerated.
Accelerating Applications at Scale Using One-Sided Communication

The lower overhead associated with one-sided messaging as compared to traditional two-sided communication has the potential to increase the performance at scale of scientific applications by increasing the effective network bandwidth and reducing synchronization overheads. In this work, we investigate both the programming effort required to modify existing MPI applications to exploit one-sided messaging using PGAS languages, and the resulting performance implications. In particular, we modify the MILC and IMPACT-T applications to use the one-sided communication features of Unified Parallel C (UPC) and coarray Fortran (CAF) languages respectively. Only modest modifications to the source code are required where fewer than 100 lines of the source code out of 70,000 need to be changed for each application. We show that performance gains of more than 50% can be achieved at scale, with the largest benefits realized at the highest concurrencies (32,768 cores).
O R I G I N a L C O N T R I B U T I O N Open Access

Restraint use and risky driving behaviors across drug types and drug and alcohol combinations for drivers involved in a fatal motor vehicle collision on U.S. roadways Abstract Background: While driving impaired is a well-recognized risk factor for motor vehicle (MV) crash, recent trends in recreational drug use and abuse may pose increased threats to occupant safety. This study examines mechanisms through which drug and/or alcohol combinations contribute to fatal MV crash.
Strategic Management of Public and Third Sector Organizations: A Handbook for Leaders

PrefaceThe Authors Part One: The Importance of Strategy in the Public and Nonprofit Sectors 1. The Need for Strategic Management 2. Why Strategic Management Is Different in Public and Third Sector Organizations Part Two: An Overview of Strategic Concepts and Issues 3. Types of Strategy and Their Uses 4. Applying Strategic Approaches to Public and Third Sector Organizations 5. Understanding Strategic Issues Part Three: The Strategic Management Process 6. Organizing the Process 7. Formulating and Implementing Strategy: A Step-by-Step Approach 8. Tailoring the Process for Specific Needs Part Four: Useful Support Techniques 9. Search Techniques for Uncovering Information and New Ideas 10. Making Sense of Information: Synthesis Techniques 11. Techniques for Setting Strategic Priorities 12. Combining Techniques to Match Types of Strategy Part Five: Strategy in Practice 13. Strategic Challenges to a Nonprofit Social Services Agency 14. Innovation in Local Government 15. Forging a New Mission for a State Health Agency.
Corporate bankruptcy prediction models applied to emerging economies

Purpose – The paper's aim is to test the usefulness of ratio analysis to predict bankruptcy in a period of stability of an emerging economy, such as the case of Argentina in the 1990s.Design/methodology/approach – Financial profiles of 22 bankrupt and healthy companies are examined and a model is built using the multiple discriminant analysis technique, thus providing comparability with previous studies.Findings – The set of models tested in this paper show that the financial data of Argentine companies in the 1990s do have information content, but the model to use depends on the preferences of the decision maker. Comparing models it is observed a common use of solvency ratios in terms of total assets and profitability ratios in terms of sales.Research limitations/implications – Data availability constitutes the primary limitation of this and similar studies, here is reflected in the sample size: 11 healthy and 11 bankrupt.Practical implications – The model can be used to assist investors, creditors, and .
Hierarchical k-Means for Unsupervised Learning

In this paper we investigate how to accelerate k-means based unsupervised learning algorithms with hierarchical k-means. We show that hierarchical k-means significantly speeds up k-means based learning approaches in both the training and query phases at minimal cost to test accuracy. This speedup allows for much larger numbers of centroids to be used, which in turn leads to much better learning. We evaluate the quality of the learned features by performing image classification on natural images.