Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Genetic contributions to precocity traits in racing Thoroughbreds

Adaptation to early training and racing (i.e. precocity), which is highly variable in racing Thoroughbreds, has implications for the selection and training of horses. We hypothesised that precocity in Thoroughbred racehorses is heritable. Age at first sprint training session (work day), age at first race and age at best race were used as phenotypes to quantify precocity. Using high-density SNP array data, additive SNP heritability (hSNP2) was estimated to be 0.17, 0.14 and 0.17 for the three traits respectively. In genome-wide association studies (GWAS) for age at first race and age at best race, a 1.98-Mb region on equine chromosome 18 (ECA18) was identified. The most significant association was with the myostatin (MSTN) g.66493737C>T SNP (P = 5.46 × 10-12 and P = 1.89 × 10-14 respectively). In addition, two SNPs on ECA1 (g.37770220G>A and g.37770305T>C) within the first intron of the serotonin receptor gene HTR7 were significantly associated with age at first race and age at best race. Although no significant associations were identified for age at first work day, the MSTN:g.66493737C>T SNP was among the top 20 SNPs in the GWAS (P = 3.98 × 10-5 ). Here we have identified variants with potential roles in early adaptation to training. Although there was an overlap in genes associated with precocity and distance aptitude (i.e. MSTN), the HTR7 variants were more strongly associated with precocity than with distance. Because HTR7 is closely related to the HTR1A gene, previously implicated in tractability in young Thoroughbreds, this suggests that behavioural traits may influence precocity.
Tunnel barriers for spin injection into graphene

This thesis describes the fabrication and characterisation of tunnel barriers on graphene for spintronic devices. Tunnel barriers are ultrathin, smooth, homogeneous and electrically insulating layers and a prerequisite for successful spintronic experiments, since they prevent the conductivity mismatch between a spin transport material and its ferromagnetic contacts. During the course of this thesis, which constitutes the first systematic graphene spintronics study in our group, we experimented with the oxides Al2O3 (grown by atomic layer deposition/ALD) and MgO (grown by physical vapour deposition/PVD) as barrier materials. A detailed description of the fabrication process with all the recipes we used is given in the thesis. Before and after the barrier fabrication, the samples were characterised with Raman spectroscopy, allowing the determination of the quality of graphene below its top layer, and with AFM measurements from which we extracted the barrier’s smoothness and homogeneity. Finally, we fabricated graphene spin valves in a non-local geometry by depositing permalloy (Ni80Fe20) contacts onto the covered graphene flakes. In order to further investigate the performance of these devices, we conducted charge and spin transport (i. e., non-local resistance and Hanle spin precession) measurements. We successfully achieved spin injection with both oxides. Compared with the literature, most of our results hint at pinhole-dominated or transparent barriers in the devices. In a novel approach, we deposited thin exfoliated layers of the semiconductor MoS2 onto graphene using an in-house-built transfer microscope, where MoS2 acted as tunnel barrier between the ferromagnetic contacts and graphene. Using three-terminal measurements on the MoS2-graphene samples, we observed large magnetic-field-dependent jumps in the MoS2 barrier resistance. Finally, we also present the first spin signals achieved with a multilayer MoS2 barrier.
Joint User Association and Spectrum Allocation for Small Cell Networks With Wireless Backhauls

Heterogenous networks and massive MIMO can significantly enhance spectral and energy efficiencies of wireless networks and have recently attracted lots of attention. In this letter, we investigate joint user association and spectrum allocation to further improve spectral efficiency for massive MIMO enabled heterogeneous networks with full-duplex wireless backhauls. The optimization problem is formulated as a mixed-integer nonlinear programming problem, and therefore, is nonconvex and combinational. To solve the problem efficiently, the original optimization problem is divided into two subproblems that can be solved with low-computational-complexity methods. The simulation results confirm our theoretical analysis and demonstrate the performance improvement of the proposed algorithm.
Using Contact Theory to Assess Staff Perspectives on Training Initiatives of an Intergenerational Programming Intervention.

Background and Objectives Project TRIP (Transforming Relationships through Intergenerational Programs) was developed as a sustainable intergenerational community project involving child care participants and elders attending an elder care program or volunteering at the children's program. The project focused on staff development of evidence-based intergenerational practices. To enhance available intervention research, contact theory provided a theoretical framework to explore how staff members' and administrators' perceptions of the intervention influenced their ability to implement programming in social care settings. Research Design and Methods We used a directed content analysis approach to analyze small group and individual interviews with 32 participants from 6 program sites over 5 years. Results Participants highlighted inherent challenges and subsequent benefits of academic-community partnerships. Greater on-site presence, open communication, and relationship-building proved critical to improve community partnerships, project fidelity, and program sustainability. When interactions reflected contact theory tenets, collaborators reported positive attitudes toward and interactions with research partners. Discussion and Implications Contact theory provided a useful framework to understand the researcher-practitioner partnership. Researchers should plan for partnerships that: (a) are supported by authority figures, including staff and participants, (b) utilize a shared expertise approach where partners have equal group status, (c) involve close cooperation; (d) align research and program goals, and (e) foster positive communication through frequent contact using practitioners' preferred methods and including in-person contact. We recommend future intergenerational programming interventions build on a foundation of both theory and practice.
Psychopathy and Pride: Testing Lykken’s Hypothesis Regarding the Implications of Fearlessness for Prosocial and Antisocial Behavior

Despite widespread assumptions that psychopathy is associated with serious and repeated law-breaking, individuals with psychopathic personality traits do not invariably become chronic criminal offenders. As a partial explanation for this finding, Lykken (1995) ventured that a fearless temperament underlies both psychopathic traits and heroic behavior, and that heroic individuals’ early exposure to effective socializing forces such as warm parenting or healthy self-esteem often fosters a characteristic adaption that tends to beget “successful” behaviors, thereby differentiating heroes from convicts. In this study, we investigate relations between psychopathy, principally its fearless dominance dimension, pride, and prosocial and antisocial behavior in a community sample (N = 339). Fearless dominance and self-centered impulsivity components of psychopathy yielded differential relations with authentic and hubristic pride (Tracy and Robins, 2004), such that fearless dominance was significantly positively correlated with both facets of pride while self-centered Impulsivity was significantly negatively correlated with authentic pride and significantly positively correlated with hubristic pride. Further, authentic pride moderated (potentiated) the relation between fearless dominance and transformational leadership, one of the two outcome measures for prosocial behavior employed in our investigation. Authentic pride did not moderate the relations between fearless dominance and either our other measure of prosocial behavior (heroism) or antisocial behavior, nor did positive parenting moderate the relations between psychopathy components and social behavior. Unexpectedly, hubristic pride significantly moderated the relation between impulsive-antisocial features and antisocial behavior in a protective manner.
Oseltamivir Use Among Children and Adults Hospitalized With Community-Acquired Pneumonia

Abstract Background. Data on oseltamivir treatment among hospitalized community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) patients are limited. Methods. Patients hospitalized with CAP at 6 hospitals during the 2010−2012 influenza seasons were included. We assessed factors associated with oseltamivir treatment using logistic regression. Results. Oseltamivir treatment was provided to 89 of 1627 (5%) children (<18 years) and 143 of 1051 (14%) adults. Among those with positive clinician-ordered influenza tests, 39 of 61 (64%) children and 37 of 48 (77%) adults received oseltamivir. Among children, oseltamivir treatment was associated with hospital A (adjusted odds ratio [aOR], 2.76; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.36−4.88), clinician-ordered testing performed (aOR, 2.44; 95% CI, 1.47−5.19), intensive care unit (ICU) admission (aOR, 2.09; 95% CI, 1.27−3.45), and age ≥2 years (aOR, 1.43; 95% CI, 1.16−1.76). Among adults, oseltamivir treatment was associated with clinician-ordered testing performed (aOR, 8.38; 95% CI, 4.64−15.12), hospitals D and E (aOR, 3.46−5.11; 95% CI, 1.75−11.01), Hispanic ethnicity (aOR, 2.06; 95% CI, 1.18−3.59), and ICU admission (aOR, 2.05; 95% CI, 1.34−3.13). Conclusions. Among patients hospitalized with CAP during influenza season, oseltamivir treatment was moderate overall and associated with clinician-ordered testing, severe illness, and specific hospitals. Increased clinician education is needed to include influenza in the differential diagnosis for hospitalized CAP patients and to test and treat patients empirically if influenza is suspected.
Efficacy of 13 Commercial Household Aerosol Insecticides Against Aedes aegypti (Diptera: Culicidae) From Morelos, Mexico

Abstract In Mexico, Aedes aegypti (L.) (Diptera: Culicidae) is the primary vector of Dengue, Zika, and Chikungunya viruses. Control programs include community participation using personal protection such as household aerosol insecticides. In both, urban or rural areas, the use of aerosol insecticides is a common practice to avoiding mosquito biting. Thus, information on the efficacy of commercial products must be available. This study reports the efficacy of 13 household aerosol insecticides against Ae. aegypti from an endemic dengue area in Mexico.To test each insecticide, six netting cages, containing 10 non-blood fed female mosquitoes each one, were placed in different locations inside a bedroom. Readings at 30 min and 24 h after exposure were recorded. No products showed 100% mortality after 30 min of exposure. Only three products killed the 100% of the individuals 24 h after exposure. Results showed a high mortality variance among insecticides. Location in the room also impacts the insecticide efficacy. Mosquitoes located inside cabinets or with behind an obstacle (preventing an accurate insecticide exposure) showed lower mortalities. Products and spraying methods could and should be improved.
A generic individual-based model to simulate morphogenesis, C–N acquisition and population dynamics in contrasting forage legumes

Background and Aims Individual-based models (IBMs) are promising tools to disentangle plant interactions in multi-species grasslands and foster innovative species mixtures. This study describes an IBM dealing with the morphogenesis, growth and C-N acquisition of forage legumes that integrates plastic responses from functional-structural plant models. Methods A generic model was developed to account for herbaceous legume species with contrasting above- and below-ground morphogenetic syndromes and to integrate the responses of plants to light, water and N. Through coupling with a radiative transfer model and a three-dimensional virtual soil, the model allows dynamic resolution of competition for multiple resources at individual plant level within a plant community. The behaviour of the model was assessed on a range of monospecific stands grown along gradients of light, water and N availability. Key Results The model proved able to capture the diversity of morphologies encountered among the forage legumes. The main density-dependent features known about even-age plant populations were correctly anticipated. The model predicted (1) the 'reciprocal yield' law relating average plant mass to density, (2) a self-thinning pattern close to that measured for herbaceous species and (3) consistent changes in the size structure of plant populations with time and pedo-climatic conditions. In addition, plastic changes in the partitioning of dry matter, the N acquisition mode and in the architecture of shoots and roots emerged from the integration of plant responses to their local environment. This resulted in taller plants and thinner roots when competition was dominated by light, and shorter plants with relatively more developed root systems when competition was dominated by soil resources. Conclusions A population dynamic model considering growth and morphogenesis responses to multiple resources heterogeneously distributed in the environment was presented. It should allow scaling plant-plant interactions from individual to community levels without the inconvenience of average plant models.
The Novel KLF4/MSI2 Signaling Pathway Regulates Growth and Metastasis of Pancreatic Cancer

Purpose: Musashi 2 (MSI2) is reported to be a potential oncoprotein in cases of leukemia and several solid tumors. However, its expression, function, and regulation in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) cases have yet to be demonstrated. Therefore, in the current study, we investigated the clinical significance and biologic effects of MSI2 expression in PDAC cases and sought to delineate the clinical significance of the newly identified Krüppel-like factor 4 (KLF4)/MSI2 regulatory pathway. Experimental Design: MSI2 expression and its association with multiple clinicopathologic characteristics in human PDAC specimens were analyzed immunohistochemically. The biological functions of MSI2 regarding PDAC cell growth, migration, invasion, and metastasis were studied using gain- and loss-of-function assays both in vitro and in vivo. Regulation of MSI2 expression by KLF4 was examined in several cancer cell lines, and the underlying mechanisms were studied using molecular biologic methods. Results: MSI2 expression was markedly increased in both PDAC cell lines and human PDAC specimens, and high MSI2 expression was associated with poor prognosis for PDAC. Forced MSI2 expression promoted PDAC proliferation, migration, and invasion in vitro and growth and metastasis in vivo, whereas knockdown of MSI2 expression did the opposite. Transcriptional inhibition of MSI2 expression by KLF4 occurred in multiple PDAC cell lines as well as mouse models of PDAC. Conclusions: Lost expression of KLF4, a transcriptional repressor of MSI2 results in overexpression of MSI2 in PDACs, which may be a biomarker for accurate prognosis. A dysregulated KLF4/MSI2 signaling pathway promotes PDAC progression and metastasis. Clin Cancer Res; 23(3); 687–96. ©2016 AACR.
Hemodynamic Responses to Tracheal Intubation in Elderly Patients: Intravenous or Spray of Lidocaine versus Fentanyl

Introduction Laryngoscopy and tracheal intubation are known to increase sympathetic activity that may be detrimental to patients with preexisting ischaemic or hypertensive heart disease. Aim The aim of this study was to compare of intravenous and oropharyngeal spray of lidocaine and high dose of fentanyl on systolic and diastolic blood pressures and heart rate of patients over 65 years during tracheal intubation. Material and Methods In this clinical trial, 160 patients over 65 yrs who were randomly divided into five groups of 32 patients. For group one lidocaine spray 10%, group two intravenous lidocaine 1.5 mg/kg, group three lidocaine spray along with intravenous lidocaine 0.75 mg/kg, and for group four fentanyl 5μg/kg were administered and group five patients were controls which were given 1 mg of midazolam along with 2 μg/kg fentanyl. Systolic and diastolic blood pressures and heart rate were measured before and after anesthesia and intubation. ANOVA, Scheffe’s and Repeated measure tests were used for data comparison and P<0.05 was considered significant. Results No significant difference was detected in terms of gender among the understudy groups. The mean (SD) age of patients in all groups were 69 ±3.5 yrs. (65-80 yrs.) and there is no significant difference was detected between the mean age and other basic variables of under study groups (P<0.328). Study results showed that the kind of surgery hasn’t different between groups. The table showed that no difference between male and female. No significant difference was observed between groups with different sizes of tracheal tube in terms of systolic and diastolic blood pressures and heart rate. No significant difference was detected in terms of systolic and diastolic blood pressures and heart rate among groups prior to the induction of anesthesia. Conclusion All methods were effective for efficient blood pressure control during laryngoscopy and tracheal intubation.
Relationships among Socioeconomic Factors and Self-rated Health in Japanese Adults: NIPPON DATA2010

Background The distributions of socioeconomic status (SES) factors have been changing in Japan. We examined the relationships among SES and self-rated health (SRH) in Japanese adults. Methods We analyzed 1,178 men and 1,555 women. We showed the distribution of SRH by sex and age and examined cross-sectional relationships among educational attainment, marital/living statuses, working status, household income and expenditure, and fine SRH (defined as excellent, very good, or good). We adjusted for age, subjective symptoms, visiting doctors, monthly equivalent household expenditure (EHE), and living in their own house. Results The age-standardized prevalence of fine SRH was 79% and 73% among men and women, respectively. Among men, graduating from high school (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] 1.53; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.07–2.19, relative to graduating from elementary or junior high school) and university or junior college (aOR 1.74; 95% CI, 1.15–2.62) was associated with fine SRH. Among women, graduating from university or junior college was associated with fine SRH (aOR 1.65; 95% CI, 1.12–2.46). Neither marital/living status nor working status was associated with SRH after adjustments for age in either sex. Among women, high EHE and income were associated with fine SRH (the highest expenditure group: aOR 1.80; 95% CI, 1.22–2.65; the highest income group: aOR 2.15; 95% CI, 1.34–3.46, relative to the corresponding lowest group). These simple relationships were not observed for men. Conclusions High educational attainment was associated with fine SRH. Relationships among household income, EHE, and fine SRH differed by sex.
Pilot Study of the Tart Cherry Juice for the Treatment of Insomnia and Investigation of Mechanisms

Background: Insomnia is common in the elderly and is associated with chronic disease, but use of hypnotics increases the incidence of falls. Montmorency tart cherry juice has improved insomnia by self-report questionnaire. Study Question: Is insomnia confirmed by polysomnography and is tryptophan availability a potential mechanism for treating insomnia? Study Design: A placebo-controlled balanced crossover study with subjects older than 50 years and insomnia were randomized to placebo (2 weeks) or cherry juice (2 weeks) (240 mL 2 times/d) separated by a 2-week washout. Measures and Outcomes: Sleep was evaluated by polysomnography and 5 validated questionnaires. Serum indoleamine 2,3-dioxygenase (IDO), the kynurenine-to-tryptophan ratio, and prostaglandin E2 were measured. In vitro, Caco-2 cells were stimulated with interferon-gamma, and the ability of cherry juice procyanidin to inhibit IDO which degrades tryptophan and stimulates inflammation was measured. The content of procyanidin B-2 and other major anthocyanins in cherry juice were determined. Results: Eleven subjects were randomized; 3 with sleep apnea were excluded and referred. The 8 completers with insomnia increased sleep time by 84 minutes on polysomnography (P = 0.0182) and sleep efficiency increased on the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (P = 0.03). Other questionnaires showed no significant differences. The serum kynurenine-to-tryptophan ratio decreased, as did the level of prostaglandin E2 (both P < 0.05). In vitro, cherry juice procyanidin B-2 dose-dependently inhibited IDO. Conclusions: Cherry juice increased sleep time and sleep efficiency. Cherry juice procyanidin B-2 inhibited IDO, increased tryptophan availability, reduced inflammation, and may be partially responsible for improvement in insomnia.
Matchability of heterogeneous networks pairs.

We consider the problem of graph matchability in non-identically distributed networks. In a general class of edge-independent networks, we demonstrate that graph matchability can be lost with high probability when matching the networks directly. We further demonstrate that under mild model assumptions, matchability is almost perfectly recovered by centering the networks using universal singular value thresholding before matching. These theoretical results are then demonstrated in both real and synthetic simulation settings. We also recover analogous core-matchability results in a very general core-junk network model, wherein some vertices do not correspond between the graph pair.
Dependence of RFID Reader Antenna Design on Read Out Distance

The design of a reader antenna is described for usage in radio frequency identification (RFID) systems at 13.56 MHz, as defined in the ISO-14443a standard. It presents the theory, with emphasis on the effect of the read out distance on the design, but also describes measurements on concrete designs to validate the formulas and statements. We also comment on practical problems that were encountered during the design process. The major contribution of this work is the generalization of the design theory for large read out distances where the conventional assumption of constant loop current no longer holds.