Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Animal model analysis of genetic (co)variances for growth traits in Japanese quail.

Records of 1,530 Japanese quail were used to estimate heritabilities and genetic correlations based on a derivative-free restricted maximum likelihood (REML) method with an animal model and ANOVA. The animal model included fixed effects of hatch and sex, random effects of additive genetic value of the bird, and common environmental effect of the dam. Heritabilities estimated from REML for body weights at hatch, 7, 14, 21, and 28 d of age were . 38, . 12, . 31, . 12, and . 44, respectively. Heritabilities estimates from the sire component of variance for the same traits were . 57, . 08, . 28, . 15, and . 47. These values indicate that genetic progress can be made by selecting for either 14-d or 28-d body weight. Genetic correlation (REML) of . 76 between body weights at 14 and 28 d of age indicates the possibility of improving body weight at 28 d of age by selecting for body weight at 14 d of age.
A 150-Year Conundrum: Cranial Robusticity and Its Bearing on the Origin of Aboriginal Australians

The origin of Aboriginal Australians has been a central question of palaeoanthropology since its inception during the 19th Century. Moreover, the idea that Australians could trace their ancestry to a non-modern Pleistocene population such as Homo erectus in Southeast Asia have existed for more than 100 years, being explicitly linked to cranial robusticity. It is argued here that in order to resolve this issue a new program of research should be embraced, one aiming to test the full range of alternative explanations for robust morphology. Recent developments in the morphological sciences, especially relating to the ontogeny of the cranium indicate that character atomisation, an approach underpinning phylogenetic reconstruction, is fraught with difficulties. This leads to the conclusion that phylogenetic-based explanations for robusticity should be reconsidered and a more parsimonious approach to explaining Aboriginal Australian origins taken. One that takes proper account of the complex processes involved in the growth of the human cranium rather than just assuming natural selection to explain every subtle variation seen in past populations. In doing so, the null hypothesis that robusticity might result from phenotypic plasticity alone cannot be rejected, a position at odds with both reticulate and deep-time continuity models of Australian origins.
Low-Loss D-Band SIW Power Divider for Integrated Systems

This paper demonstrates a novel approach to the design of D-band power dividers, capitalizing on the benefits of Substrate Integrated Waveguide (SIW) technology in 100-μm thick SiC substrate. By leveraging the unique characteristics of SIW and utilizing silicon carbide as the substrate material, an average insertion loss as low as 0.26 dB, and average return loss of up to 24 dB has been achieved in simulation in D-band. Although D-band dividers employing coplanar waveguides and microstrip lines have been reported, to the best of our acknowledge, this is the first work on D-band SIW power dividers. The SIW technology is compatible with GaN-on-SiC MMIC fabrication process flows, and provides a novel platform for the integration of low-loss millimeter-wave combiners with III-N based electronics.
Estimation of the rate of oxygen consumption of the common eider duck (Somateria mollissima), with some measurements of heart rate during voluntary dives.

The relationship between heart rate (f(H)) and rate of oxygen consumption (V(O2)) was established for a marine diving bird, the common eider duck (Somateria mollissima), during steady-state swimming and running exercise. Both variables increased exponentially with speed during swimming and in a linear fashion during running. Eleven linear regressions of V(O2) (ml kg(-1 )min(-1)) on f(H) (beats min(-1)) were obtained: five by swimming and six by running the birds. The common regression was described by V(O2)=10.1 + 0.15f(H) (r(2)=0.46, N=272, P<0.0001). The accuracy of this relationship for predicting mean V(O2) was determined for a group of six birds by recording f(H) continuously over a 2-day period and comparing estimated V(O2) obtained using the common regression with (i) V(O2) estimated using the doubly labelled water technique (DLW) and (ii) V(O2) measured using respirometry. A two-pool model produced the most accurate estimated V(O2) using DLW. Because of individual variability within mean values of V(O2) estimated using both techniques, there was no significant difference between mean V(O2) estimated using f(H) or DLW and measured V(O2) values (P>0.2), although individual errors were substantially less when f(H) was used rather than DLW to estimate V(O2). Both techniques are, however, only suitable for estimating mean V(O2) for a group of animals, not for individuals. Heart rate and behaviour were monitored during a bout of 63 voluntary dives by one female bird in an indoor tank 1.7 m deep. Tachycardia occurred both in anticipation of and following each dive. Heart rate decreased before submersion but was above resting values for the whole of the dive cycle. Mean f(H) at mean dive duration was significantly greater than f(H) while swimming at maximum sustainable surface speeds. Heart rate was used to estimate mean V(O2) during the dive cycle and to predict aerobic dive limit (ADL) for shallow dives.
BAT X-Ray Survey. I. Methodology and X-Ray Identification

We applied the maximum likelihood (ML) method, as an image reconstruction algorithm, to the BAT X-Ray Survey (BXS). This method was specifically designed to preserve the full statistical information in the data and to avoid mosaicking of many exposures with different pointing directions, thus reducing systematic errors when co-adding images. We reconstructed, in the 14-170 keV energy band, the image of a 90 × 90 deg2 sky region, centered on (R .A ., decl .) = (105°, − 25°) , which BAT surveyed with an exposure time of ~1 Ms (in 2005 November). The best sensitivity in our image is ~0.85 mcrab or 2.0 × 10−11 ergs cm−2. We detect 49 hard X-ray sources above the 4.5 σ level; of these, only 12 were previously known as hard X-ray sources (>15 keV). Swift XRT observations allowed us to firmly identify the counterparts for 15 objects, while 2 objects have Einstein IPC counterparts (Harris et al. 1990); in addition to those, we found a likely counterpart for 13 objects by correlating our sample with the ROSAT All-Sky Survey Bright Source Catalog (Voges et al. 1999). Seven objects remain unidentified. Analysis of the noise properties of our image shows that ~75% of the area is surveyed to a flux limit of ~1 mcrab. This study shows that the coupling of the ML method to the most sensitive, all-sky surveying, hard X-ray instrument, BAT, is able to probe for the first time the hard X-ray sky to the millicrab flux level. The successful application of this method to BAT demonstrates that it could also be applied with advantage to similar instruments such as INTEGRAL IBIS.
Distribution of Th1- and Th2-induced Anti-factor VIII IgG Subclasses in Congenital and Acquired Hemophilia Patients

Summary Development of antibodies (Ab) that inhibit the procoagulant function of factor VIII (fVIII) seriously complicates the treatment of hemophilia A patients. It also causes acquired hemophilia, a rare yet serious autoimmune disease. The design of effective fVIII-specific tolerizing procedures will require elucidation of the role of the different CD4+ T cell subsets that drive inhibitor synthesis. To examine the contribution of Th1 and Th2 cells in the anti-fVIII Ab response, we measured the concentration of Th1- and Th2-driven anti-fVIII IgG subclasses in 17 patients with severe hemophilia A and 18 patients with acquired hemophilia. We found that both congenital and acquired hemophilia patients had similar and comparable proportions of Th1- and Th2-induced anti-fVIII Ab, suggesting a more important role of Th1 cells in the immune response to fVIII than previously appreciated. The distribution of anti-fVIII IgG subclasses was stable for periods of up to six months. More intense anti-fVIII Ab responses and higher inhibitor titers correlated with a predominance of Th2-driven subclasses. In contrast, Th1-driven anti-fVIII Ab were predominant in patients who had low anti-fVIII Ab concentrations, even when this was the result of successful immune tolerance or immunosuppressive therapy, which had caused drastic reduction or disappearance of inhibitors. Thus, synthesis of Th2-driven inhibitors occurs when the anti-fVIII Ab response is intense, while Th1 cells may be involved in the long-term maintenance of anti-fVIII Ab synthesis.
CFD Analysis of the Influence of Guide Vanes

Advances in wind power and tidal power have grown considerably to offer a clean and sustainable energy alternative. Nevertheless, distributed small-scale energy production from wind in urban areas has been disappointing due to very low turbine efficiencies. Hence, it is the objective of this thesis to study and analyze the performance of a novel wind turbine design, a seven bladed Savonius vertical axis wind turbine (VAWT), which is horizontally oriented inside a diffuser-shaped shroud with a flange and attached with four deflectable guide vanes, mounted on the top of a building, which is shown to have the potential to achieve higher efficiencies. The flow field over the turbine is analyzed by using Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) Software Package of Star CCM+, on a three-dimensional (3D) grid for multiple tip speed ratio (TSR) at four different guide vane angles of 35°, 45°, 55° and 65°, while keeping all vanes open. Another case was analyzed where selected vanes would be open while closing others. In this work, the wind flow directly facing the turbine is studied to compute the coefficient of power Cp. The coefficient of power with detachable guide vane attached was found to be 0.333 at vane angle of 55°. Finally, the most effective case is when the bottom vane is closed compared to the bottom two vanes closed. This case with only one closed vane achieves a maximum Cp value of 0.398.
Simulating heavy tailed processes using delayed hazard rate twisting

Consider the problem of estimating the small probability that the maximum of a random walk exceeds a large threshold, when the process has a negative drift and the underlying random variables may have heavy tailed distributions. We consider one class of such problems that has applications in estimating the ruin probability associated with insurance claim processes with subexponentially distributed claim sizes, and in estimating the probability of large delays in single server M/G/1 queues with subexponentially distributed service times. Significant work has been done on analogous problems for the light tailed case (when the moment generating function exists in a neighborhood around zero, so that the tail decreases at an exponential rate or faster) involving importance sampling methods that use exponential twisting. However, for the subexponential case, moment generating functions do not exist in the pertinent regions making exponential twisting infeasible. We introduce importance sampling techniques where the new probability measure is obtained by twisting the hazard rate of the original distribution. For subexponential distributions this amounts to twisting at a subexponential rate. We also introduce the technique of "delaying" the change of measure and show that the combination of the two techniques produces asymptotically optimal estimates of the small probabilities mentioned above for a large class of subexponential distributions.
Comparison of Documentation and Evidence-Based Medicine Use for Non-St-Segment Elevation Myocardial Infarction Among Cardiology, Teaching, and Nonteaching Teams

Non-ST-segment elevation myocardial infarctions (NSTEMI) are common and cause significant morbidity and mortality. Following evidence-based medicine (EBM) guidelines is one way to ensure that these patients are cared for appropriately. This pilot study examined data from patients with NSTEMI to assess both documentation quality and use of EBM across multiple teams. Medical records were reviewed for significant differences in documentation quality in areas including history and physical exam, treatment, and inpatient mortality. While total documentation quality and mortality were not significantly different between groups, cardiology teams adhered to evidence-based recommendations more often than other teams.
Prediction of Metabolic Syndrome by Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease in Northern Urban Han Chinese Population: A Prospective Cohort Study

Objectives To explore the relationship between non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) and the metabolic syndrome (MetS), and evaluate the value of NAFLD as a marker for predicting the risk of MetS in a large scale prospective cohort from northern urban Han Chinese population. Materials and Methods A total of 17,920 MetS-free at baseline cohort members was included in the current study between 2005 and 2011. The baseline characteristics of the cohort were compared by NAFLD status at baseline, MetS status after follow-up. Cox proportional hazards models were used to estimate the unadjusted or adjusted hazard ratios (HRs) for NAFLD at baseline predicting the risk of MetS. Results 2,183 (12.18%) new cases of MetS occurred between 2005 and 2011. In unadjusted model, HRs (95% CIs) for NAFLD predicting MetS was 3.65 (3.35, 3.97). After adjusting the confounding factors of age, gender, the metabolic factors, smoke and exercise, the HRs (95% CIs) was 1.70 (1.55, 1.87). Gender difference was observed, adjusted HRs (95% CIs) of NAFLD for predicting MetS were 2.06(1.72, 2.46) and 1.55(1.39, 1.72) in female and male population, respectively. Moreover, 163 participants developed MetS among participants without any MetS component at baseline, and its adjusted HRs was still significant, 1.87 (1.12, 3.13). Conclusion The present study indicates that NAFLD is an independent risk factor for predicting the risk of MetS in northern urban Han Chinese population, and the people with NAFLD should initiate weight and dietary control to prevent the occurrence of MetS.
Large-Scale Low-Resolution ADC MIMO Detection with Bandwidth-Efficient Superposition ASK Modulation Scheme

We investigate Tanner-graph-based signal detection of the large-scale multiple-input multiple-output (LS-MIMO)communication systems with low-resolution analog-to-digital converters (ADC) when higher-order modulation schemes such as amplitude shift keying (ASK) constellation is employed to attain high-bandwidth efficiency. The high-order modulation scheme combined with a large number of antennas imposes the complexity issue for the signal detector at the receiver end. This paper also performs the mathematical derivation to transform such a high-order superposition modulation channel model into the equivalent binary modulation channel model to exploit the advantages of the graph-based signal detection algorithm previously designed for the binary modulated scheme. Once the equivalent channel model is established, a framework to optimize 2L-ASK constellations for various MIMO configurations and resolution levels of the ADCs is developed. Our simulation results show that the constellations optimized for a specific resolution level of the ADCs outperform the conventional and equal-weight superposition constellations.
Streptococcus Isotype Responses to Protein- and Polysaccharide-Specific Ig B7 Requirements for Primary and Secondary

The requirements for B7 costimulation during an in vivo humoral response to an intact extracellular bacteria have not been reported. In this study we immunized mice with Streptococcus pneumoniae (R36A) to determine the B7 requirements for induction of Ig, speciﬁc for two determinants on R36A, the phosphorylcholine (PC) determinant of C-polysaccharide and pneumococcal surface protein A (PspA). We show that the primary anti-PspA response, the development of PspA-speciﬁc memory, and the induction of the secondary anti-PspA response in primed mice were completely dependent upon B7 costimulation. Of note, costimulation was required only brieﬂy after the secondary immunization compared with after the primary immunization for optimal induction of Ig. Blockade of B7 costimulation at the time of secondary immunization also completely abrogated the established state of memory, but did not induce tolerance. In contrast to the anti-PspA response, the primary anti-PC response involved only a very short period of B7 costimulation. Whereas B7-2 alone was required for induction of the primary anti-PspA and anti-PC responses, a redundant role for B7-1 and B7-2 was noted for the PspA-speciﬁc secondary response. CTLA4Ig blocked both the anti-PC and anti-PspA responses equally well over a wide range of bacterial doses. These studies demonstrate a critical, but variable, role for B7-dependent costimulation during an Ig response to an extracellular bacteria. The Journal of Immunology, 2000, 165: 6840–6848.
Parallel Driving and Modulatory Pathways Link the Prefrontal Cortex and Thalamus

Pathways linking the thalamus and cortex mediate our daily shifts from states of attention to quiet rest, or sleep, yet little is known about their architecture in high-order neural systems associated with cognition, emotion and action. We provide novel evidence for neurochemical and synaptic specificity of two complementary circuits linking one such system, the prefrontal cortex with the ventral anterior thalamic nucleus in primates. One circuit originated from the neurochemical group of parvalbumin-positive thalamic neurons and projected focally through large terminals to the middle cortical layers, resembling ‘drivers’ in sensory pathways. Parvalbumin thalamic neurons, in turn, were innervated by small ‘modulatory’ type cortical terminals, forming asymmetric (presumed excitatory) synapses at thalamic sites enriched with the specialized metabotropic glutamate receptors. A second circuit had a complementary organization: it originated from the neurochemical group of calbindin-positive thalamic neurons and terminated through small ‘modulatory’ terminals over long distances in the superficial prefrontal layers. Calbindin thalamic neurons, in turn, were innervated by prefrontal axons through small and large terminals that formed asymmetric synapses preferentially at sites with ionotropic glutamate receptors, consistent with a driving pathway. The largely parallel thalamo-cortical pathways terminated among distinct and laminar-specific neurochemical classes of inhibitory neurons that differ markedly in inhibitory control. The balance of activation of these parallel circuits that link a high-order association cortex with the thalamus may allow shifts to different states of consciousness, in processes that are disrupted in psychiatric diseases.
An Asymmetric Checkpointing and Rollback Error Recovery Scheme for Embedded Processors

This paper presents a checkpointing scheme for rollback error recovery, called Asymmetric Checkpointing and Rollback Recovery (ACRR) which stores the processor states in an asymmetric manner. In this way, error recovery latency and the number of checkpoints are reduced to increase the probability of timely task completion for soft real-time applications. To evaluate the ACRR, this scheme was studied analytically. The analytical results show that the recovery latency is reduced as non-uniformity of the checkpoint increases. As a case study, the ACRR is implemented and simulated on a behavioral VHDL model of LEON2 processor. The simulation results follow the results obtained in the analytical study.
MRI measures of middle cerebral artery diameter in conscious humans during simulated orthostasis.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE The relationship between middle cerebral artery (MCA) flow velocity (CFV) and cerebral blood flow (CBF) is uncertain because of unknown vessel diameter response to physiological stimuli. The purpose of this study was to directly examine the effect of a simulated orthostatic stress (lower body negative pressure [LBNP]) as well as increased or decreased end-tidal carbon dioxide partial pressure (P(ET)CO(2)) on MCA diameter and CFV. METHODS Twelve subjects participated in a CO(2) manipulation protocol and/or an LBNP protocol. In the CO(2) manipulation protocol, subjects breathed room air (normocapnia) or 6% inspired CO(2) (hypercapnia), or they hyperventilated to approximately 25 mm Hg P(ET)CO(2) (hypocapnia). In the LBNP protocol, subjects experienced 10 minutes each of -20 and -40 mm Hg lower body suction. CFV and diameter of the MCA were measured by transcranial Doppler and MRI, respectively, during the experimental protocols. RESULTS Compared with normocapnia, hypercapnia produced increases in both P(ET)CO(2) (from 36+/-3 to 40+/-4 mm Hg, P<0.05) and CFV (from 63+/-4 to 80+/-6 cm/s, P<0.001) but did not change MCA diameters (from 2.9+/-0.3 to 2.8+/-0.3 mm). Hypocapnia produced decreases in both P(ET)CO(2) (24+/-2 mm Hg, P<0.005) and CFV (43+/-7 cm/s, P<0.001) compared with normocapnia, with no change in MCA diameters (from 2.9+/-0.3 to 2.9+/-0.4 mm). During -40 mm Hg LBNP, P(ET)CO(2) was not changed, but CFV (55+/-4 cm/s) was reduced from baseline (58+/-4 cm/s, P<0.05), with no change in MCA diameter. CONCLUSIONS Under the conditions of this study, changes in MCA diameter were not detected. Therefore, we conclude that relative changes in CFV were representative of changes in CBF during the physiological stimuli of moderate LBNP or changes in P(ET)CO(2).
On average throughput and alphabet size in network coding

We examine the throughput benefits that network coding offers with respect to the average throughput achievable by routing, where the average throughput refers to the average of the rates that the individual receivers experience. We relate these benefits to the integrality gap of a standard linear programming formulation for the directed Steiner tree problem. We describe families of configurations over which network coding at most doubles the average throughput, and analyze a class of directed graph configurations with N receivers where network coding offers benefits proportional to /spl radic/N. We also discuss other throughput measures in networks, and show how in certain classes of networks, average throughput bounds can be translated into minimum throughput bounds, by employing vector routing and channel coding. Finally, we show configurations where use of randomized coding may require an alphabet size exponentially larger than the minimum alphabet size required.
Chapter 6 Discrimination Data Analysis : A Multi-disciplinary Bibliography

Discrimination data analysis has been investigated for the last fifty years in a large body of social, legal, and economic studies. Recently, discrimination discovery and prevention has become a blooming research topic in the knowledge discovery community. This chapter provides a multi-disciplinary annotated bibliography of the literature on discrimination data analysis, with the intended objective to provide a common basis to researchers from a multi-disciplinary perspective. We cover legal, sociological, economic and computer science references.
A sector-based, frequency-domain approach to detection and localization of multiple speakers

Detection and localization of speakers with microphone arrays is a difficult task due to the wideband nature of speech signals, the large amount of overlap between speakers in spontaneous conversations, and the presence of noise sources. Many existing audio multi-source localization methods rely on prior knowledge of the sectors containing active sources and/or the number of active sources. The paper proposes sector-based, frequency-domain approaches that address both detection and localization problems by measuring relative phases between microphones. The first approach is similar to delay-sum beamforming. The second approach is novel: it relies on systematic optimization of a centroid in phase space, for each sector. It provides a major, systematic improvement over the first approach as well as over previous work. Very good results are obtained on more than one hour of recordings in real meeting room conditions, including cases with up to 3 concurrent speakers.