Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Male mating strategies and reproductive constraints in a group of wild tufted capuchin monkeys (Cebus apella nigritus)

Tufted capuchin monkeys (Cebus apella) provide an extreme example of active female sexual solicitation of males. In spite of being targeted by females for sex, males may delay copulation for hours or days. Data were collected on the sexual interactions in one wild capuchin group at the Estação Biológica de Caratinga in Brazil from September 1996 to August 1997. All successful conceptions during this year occurred in the dry season, yet sexual behavior was observed during 9 months of the year. This study tested whether male sexual response to female proceptivity was seasonally‐mediated. Male consortship participation, solicitation of females, latency to copulation, and copulation frequency were compared between fertile and nonconceptive females. Seasonal patterns in copulation interference, mating style, and alternative mating strategies were also examined. Thirty‐two copulations were observed. The alpha male was solicited for significantly more consortship days per female, but his mating success, in terms of copulation frequency, did not differ from that of two other adult males in the group. In the dry season, when the females were fertile, the males showed increased contest competition for mates, a higher frequency of alternative mating strategies against copulation interference, and increased monitoring of the females' condition. However, contrary to expectations, the alpha male's latency to copulation was significantly longer in the fertile season than in the nonconceptive months, and no males were observed to mate more than one time per day, even at the conceptive peak. Male mating strategies were affected by both season and rank, and there was evidence for reproductive constraints on males throughout the year. Limited male ejaculatory capacity and male choice in the timing of copulations within female proceptive phases may both be important factors in driving the sexual dynamics of this species. Am. J. Primatol. 67:313–328, 2005. © 2005 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Aspects of adaptive host response in periodontitis.

OBJECTIVE To review host response in periodontitis with respect to cellular composition of lesions, T cell receptor (TCR) gene expression, cytokine profiles of T-helper (Th) cells and autoimmune components. MATERIAL AND METHODS The studies included were confined to human material (biopsies, gingival crevicular fluid, blood from subjects with periodontitis). RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS In periodontitis lesions, plasma cells are the most common cell type and represent about 50% of all cells, while B cells comprise about 18%. The proportion of B cells is larger than that of T cells and Th cells occur in larger numbers than T cytotoxic cells. Polymorphonuclear cells and macrophages are found in fractions of less than 5% of all cells. Lesions in aggressive and chronic forms of periodontitis exhibit similar cellular composition. Differences in disease severity, however, may reflect increases in plasma cell and B cell densities. B cells serve as important antigen-presenting cells in periodontitis. The periodontitis lesion expresses a unique TCR gene repertoire that is different from that in blood. The role of superantigens in periodontitis is unclear. There are few studies using comparative designs and unbiased quantitative methods regarding Th-1 and Th-2 cells in periodontitis. The relative dominance of B cells and plasma cells in periodontitis lesions cannot entirely be explained by enhanced Th-2 functions but maybe because of an imbalance between Th-1 and Th-2. Autoimmune reactions are evident in periodontitis lesions. The role of auto-antibodies in the regulation of host response in periodontitis, however, needs to be clarified. Auto-reactive B cells occur in larger proportions in subjects with periodontitis than in healthy controls.
Specifying Concurrent Program Modules

A method for specifying program modules in a concurrent program is described. It is based upon temporal logic, but uses new kinds of temporal assertions to make the specifications simpler and easier to understand. The semantics of the specifications is described informally, and a sequence of examples are given culminating in a specification of three modules comprising the alternating-bit communication protocol. A formal semantics is given in the appendix.
BEILINSON ’ S CONJECTURES

We give a survey of Beilinson’s conjectures about special values of Lfunctions, with emphasis on the underlying philosophy of mixed motives and motivic cohomology. Introduction. In his seminal paper [1], A.A. Beilinson formulated far reaching conjectures about values of motivic L-functions at integers, and produced a compelling body of evidence in their favour by making ingenious calculations in several special cases. The main gist of [1] was a construction of “higher regulators”, expected to explain these L-values in the same spirit as the (slightly modified) classical Dirichlet regulator r : O∗ F ⊕ Z −→ R12 does for the zeta function of a number field F at s = 0 (resp. s = 1). In this case, ζF (s) satisfies a functional equation relating its values at s and 1− s. It has a simple pole at s = 1 and a zero of order r1 + r2 − 1 at s = 0. Its leading Taylor coefficient at s = 0 is equal to lim s−→0 ζF (s)s−(r1+r2−1) = − ]Pic(OF ) ·R ](O∗ F )tors , (0.1) where R denotes the covolume of the lattice Im(r) in R12 . The quest for higher regulators, extending (0.1) to other values of ζF (s), has been initiated by Lichtenbaum [47]. He observed that for m > 1, the order dm of vanishing of ζF (s) at s = 1 −m is equal to the dimension of the higher K-group K2m−1(F )⊗Q. This led to a conjecture that the leading coefficient lim s−→1−m ζF (s)(s+m− 1)−dm should be equal, up to a rational factor, to the covolume of Im(rm) for a certain map rm : K2m−1(F ) −→ Rm 1991 Mathematics Subject Classification. Primary 19F27, 11G40, 14A20; Secondary 14C35, 14G10. 1Miller Fellow Typeset by AMS-TEX 1
Outcome Measures for Baro-Challenge-Induced Eustachian Tube Dysfunction: A Systematic Review.

OBJECTIVES Baro-challenge-induced Eustachian tube dysfunction (baro-induced ETD) is characterized by failure of the Eustachian tube (ET) to open adequately to permit middle-ear pressure regulation during ambient pressure changes. There are no well-characterized tests for identifying the condition, which makes both patient diagnosis and research into treatment efficacy challenging. This systematic review evaluates ET function tests as potential outcome measures for baro-induced ETD. DATA SOURCES MEDLINE and CENTRAL were searched (database inception to March 2017) and reference lists reviewed for all relevant English Language articles. STUDY SELECTION Tests in included studies were required to measure ET function in patients reporting baro-induced ear symptoms or barotrauma. DATA EXTRACTION Data were extracted in a standardized manner, and studies assessed according to Standards for Reporting of Diagnostic Accuracy Studies (STARD) criteria. The primary outcome of interest was the accuracy of ET function tests. DATA SYNTHESIS Heterogeneity of subject demographics, ET function test methodology, and reference standards only permitted narrative systematic review. CONCLUSION Sixteen studies involving seven different types of ET function tests were identified. The nine-step test was the most commonly used outcome measure, with overall test sensitivity and specificity ranges of 37 to 100% and 57 to 100%, respectively. Tympanometry test sensitivity was consistently poor (0-50%) while specificity was higher (52-97%). Published accuracy data for other ET function tests and test combinations were limited. Currently, no single test can be recommended for use in clinical practice. A combination of the nine-step test with other objective tests or patient-reported measures appears most promising as a core set of outcome measures for baro-induced ETD.
Androgens and bone.

Androgen receptors are present at low densities in osteoblasts. Androgens are also metabolized in bone. (Non)aromatizable androgens probably induce proliferation of osteoblasts and differentiation. A direct effect of androgens on osteoclasts has not been demonstrated. Androgens may however inhibit bone resorption indirectly, by an inhibition of the recruitment of osteoclast precursors from bone marrow, by decreased secretion of interleukin-6 and/or prostaglandin E2, and/or by an increased sensitivity of marrow cells or osteoblasts for bone resorption stimulating factors such as PTH. The recent demonstration of androgen receptors in bone marrow stromal and osteoclast-like cells opens new perspectives in this respect. During puberty, androgens stimulate bone growth both directly and indirectly. Observations in androgen-resistant animals clearly demonstrated that the sexual dimorphism of bone depends on the presence of a functional androgen receptor. Optimal peak bone mass seems related to an appropriately timed androgen secretion. In adults, androgens are also involved in maintenance of the male skeleton. Androgen replacement may prevent further bone loss in hypogonadal men, however, it seems difficult to fully correct bone mass in these men.
End-to-End Learning of Geometry and Context for Deep Stereo Regression

We propose a novel deep learning architecture for regressing disparity from a rectified pair of stereo images. We leverage knowledge of the problem’s geometry to form a cost volume using deep feature representations. We learn to incorporate contextual information using 3-D convolutions over this volume. Disparity values are regressed from the cost volume using a proposed differentiable soft argmin operation, which allows us to train our method end-to-end to sub-pixel accuracy without any additional post-processing or regularization. We evaluate our method on the Scene Flow and KITTI datasets and on KITTI we set a new stateof-the-art benchmark, while being significantly faster than competing approaches.
Opposite Effects of KCTD Subunit Domains on GABAB Receptor-mediated Desensitization*

Background: GABAB receptors in the brain assemble with auxiliary KCTD8, 12, 12b, and 16 subunits that influence the receptor response in distinct ways. Results: Distinct KCTD domains exert opposing effects on desensitization of the receptor response. Conclusion: KCTD12 and -12b acquired desensitizing properties by disposing of a C-terminal inhibitory domain. Significance: This study defines the domains and motifs in KCTD proteins that generate functionally distinct GABAB receptor subtypes. GABAB receptors assemble from principle and auxiliary subunits. The principle subunits GABAB1 and GABAB2 form functional heteromeric GABAB(1,2) receptors that associate with homotetramers of auxiliary KCTD8, -12, -12b, or -16 (named after their K+ channel tetramerization domain) subunits. These auxiliary subunits constitute receptor subtypes with distinct functional properties. KCTD12 and -12b generate desensitizing receptor responses while KCTD8 and -16 generate largely non-desensitizing receptor responses. The structural elements of the KCTDs underlying these differences in desensitization are unknown. KCTDs are modular proteins comprising a T1 tetramerization domain, which binds to GABAB2, and a H1 homology domain. KCTD8 and -16 contain an additional C-terminal H2 homology domain that is not sequence-related to the H1 domains. No functions are known for the H1 and H2 domains. Here we addressed which domains and sequence motifs in KCTD proteins regulate desensitization of the receptor response. We found that the H1 domains in KCTD12 and -12b mediate desensitization through a particular sequence motif, T/NFLEQ, which is not present in the H1 domains of KCTD8 and -16. In addition, the H2 domains in KCTD8 and -16 inhibit desensitization when expressed C-terminal to the H1 domains but not when expressed as a separate protein in trans. Intriguingly, the inhibitory effect of the H2 domain is sequence-independent, suggesting that the H2 domain sterically hinders desensitization by the H1 domain. Evolutionary analysis supports that KCTD12 and -12b evolved desensitizing properties by liberating their H1 domains from antagonistic H2 domains and acquisition of the T/NFLEQ motif.
Insulin-Like Factor 3 and the HPG Axis in the Male

The hypothalamic–pituitary–gonadal (HPG) axis comprises pulsatile GnRH from the hypothalamus impacting on the anterior pituitary to induce expression and release of both LH and FSH into the circulation. These in turn stimulate receptors on testicular Leydig and Sertoli cells, respectively, to promote steroidogenesis and spermatogenesis. Both Leydig and Sertoli cells exhibit negative feedback to the pituitary and/or hypothalamus via their products testosterone and inhibin B, respectively, thereby allowing tight regulation of the HPG axis. In particular, LH exerts both acute control on Leydig cells by influencing steroidogenic enzyme activity, as well as chronic control by impacting on Leydig cell differentiation and gene expression. Insulin-like peptide 3 (INSL3) represents an additional and different endpoint of the HPG axis. This Leydig cell hormone interacts with specific receptors, called RXFP2, on Leydig cells themselves to modulate steroidogenesis, and on male germ cells, probably to synergize with androgen-dependent Sertoli cell products to support spermatogenesis. Unlike testosterone, INSL3 is not acutely regulated by the HPG axis, but is a constitutive product of Leydig cells, which reflects their number and/or differentiation status and their ability therefore to produce various factors including steroids, together this is referred to as Leydig cell functional capacity. Because INSL3 is not subject to the acute episodic fluctuations inherent in the HPG axis itself, it serves as an excellent marker for Leydig cell differentiation and functional capacity, as in puberty, or in monitoring the treatment of hypogonadal patients, and at the same time buffering the HPG output.
SUDDEN CARDIAC DEATH AND GEOMAGNETIC ACTIVITY: LINKS TO AGE, GENDER AND AGONY TIME

BACKGROUND In previous studies, we analyzed sudden cardiac death (SCD) of shorter and longer agony time with geomagnetic activity (GMA) levels, with controversial results. The goals of the present study were (1) to study SCD at ages below 65 and 65 and older for each gender on days of low (Io) and higher (IIo-IVo) GMA; (2) to compare links between SCD and GMA with death at 1 h and from 1 to 24 h. METHODS We studied 1327 SCD, 392 (29.5%) females and 935 (70.5%) males, from the Kaunas Registry (part of the MONICA Study): 785 deaths during 1826 consecutive days (1994-1998) at ages 25 to 64 years and 524 deaths at ages 65 and older during 732 consecutive days (1996-1997). Of these, 261 SCD occurred at 1 h, 1076 between 1 h and 24 h without prodromes. GMA data were obtained from the National Geophysical Data Center and the National Space Services Center, USA. Student t-test and its probabilities for daily SCD at Io and IIo-IVo GMA were compared. RESULTS The daily number of SCD was significantly different for most of the compared groups at lowest and higher GMA levels. For all SCD, both at age <65 and at >65, the frequency was significantly higher on days of IIo-IVo GMA than on days of Io GMA (p=0.00067-0.03). A strong trend for more SCD on days of Io GMA was seen in males aged <65 who died within 1 h (p=0.06); females aged <65 who died within >1 h to 24 h (p=0.06), and females >65 who died within 1 h (p=0.0267). Females below the age of 65 who died in less than 1 h showed a trend toward higher SCD frequency at IIo-IVo GMA that did not achieve significance (p=0.057). CONCLUSIONS The distribution of SCD, with short (< or =1h) and longer (1-24 h) time of death, on days of lowest (Io) GMA differs from that on days of unsettled, active, or stormy (IIo-IVo) GMA. Despite the general trend to higher SCD frequency at IIo-IVo GMA, certain rapidly dying groups (< 65 y males, > 65 y females) showed a strong trend toward higher numbers of SCD at the lowest GMA.
A BE-based Multi-document Summarizer with Sentence Compression

This paper describes a multi-document summarizer based on basic elements (BE), head-modifier-relation representation of document content developed at ISI. To increase the coverage of automatically created summaries at a given length, we first generate a summary about twice of the intended length, then apply compression techniques to make sure the resulting summaries fall within the length constraint of target summaries. Our initial results show that the BE-based summarizer with compression achieved 0.0654 in BE-F score that was significantly better than the BE-F score of 0.0542 without compression.
Deficient eNOS Phosphorylation Is a Mechanism for Diabetic Vascular Dysfunction Contributing to Increased Stroke Size

Background and Purpose— Phosphorylation of eNOS, an important post-translational modulator of its enzymatic activity, is reduced in diabetes mellitus. We hypothesized that modulation of eNOS phosphorylation could overcome diabetic vascular dysfunction and improves the outcome to stroke. Methods— We used the db/db mouse model of type 2 diabetes mellitus. We mated db/db mice with eNOS knock-in mice that carry single amino acid mutations at the S1176 phosphorylation site; the phosphomimetic SD mutation (serine replaced by aspartate) shows increased eNOS enzymatic activity, whereas the unphosphorylatable SA mutation (serine replaced by alanine) shows decreased eNOS activity. We characterized the vascular anatomy, baseline physiological parameters, and vascular reactivity. We used the middle cerebral artery occlusion model of stroke and measured infarct volume and neurological deficits. Results— db/db mice showed diminished eNOS phosphorylation at S1176. eNOS SD and SA mutations do not change the vascular anatomy at the Circle of Willis, brain capillary density, heart rate, or arterial blood gases of db/db mice. The eNOS SD mutation, but not the SA mutation, lowers blood pressure and improves vascular reactivity to acetylcholine in db/db mice. The eNOS SD mutation reduces stroke size and neurological deficit after middle cerebral artery occlusion. Conclusions— Diminished eNOS phosphorylation is a mechanism of vascular dysfunction in db/db mice. We show here that modulation of the eNOS S1176 phosphorylation site in db/db mice is associated with improved vascular reactivity and improved outcome to stroke after middle cerebral artery occlusion.
Investment Climate and Firm Performance in Developing Economies

Drawing on recently completed firm‐level surveys in Bangladesh, China, India, and Pakistan, this article investigates the relationship between the investment climate and firm performance. These standardized surveys of large, random samples of firms in common sectors reveal that objective measures of the investment climate vary significantly across countries and across locations within these countries. We focus primarily on measures of the time or monetary cost of different bottlenecks (e.g., days to clear goods through customs, days to get a telephone line, and sales lost to power outages). For many of these costs, the obstacles are lower in China than in Bangladesh or India, which in turn are higher than in Pakistan. There is also systematic variation across cities within countries. We estimate a production function for garment firms and show that total factor productivity is systematically related to the investment climate indicators. Factor returns (wages for a given quality of human capital and rate of profit) are also higher where investment climate is better. These higher returns then have dynamic effects: accumulation and growth at the firm level are higher where the investment climate is better.
Broadband Electromagnetic Cloaking Realized With Transmission-Line and Waveguiding Structures

Electromagnetic cloaking, or, in other words, techniques making objects “invisible” to the electromagnetic radiation, has attracted much attention in the last few years. Several different concepts have been proposed and studied analytically, numerically, and even experimentally. To make objects, especially strong scatterers, invisible to the impinging electromagnetic radiation is not an easy task. In this paper, we explain how the concept of transmission-line metamaterials, developed in the beginning of the 21st century, can be used in the creation of a special class of electromagnetic cloaking devices. We also make an overview of other approaches to electromagnetic cloaking.
Effect of Chitosan as a Biological Sanitizer for Salmonella Typhimurium and Aerobic Gram Negative Spoilage Bacteria Present on Chicken Skin

Two experiments were conducted to evaluate the effect of chitosan as a biological sanitizer on chicken skin during storage. For experiment 1 (two trials) five skin samples of equal size were dipped into a solution containing 10 cfu/mL of Salmonella Typhimurium (ST) for 30s. Skin samples were then removed 6 and dipped into a solution containing PBS or 0.5% chitosan for 30s. In experiment 2, aerobic Gram negative spoilage bacteria were used as indicators instead of ST. In both experiments, all samples were placed in individual bags and kept at 4°C. In experiment 1, dipping ST contaminated skin samples in a solution of 0.5% chitosan reduced (p<0.05) the recovery of ST by 24 h. In experiment 2, 0.5% chitosan treatment solution reduced (p<0.05) the presence of spoilage-causing psychrotrophic bacteria below detectable levels. These results suggest that 0.5% chitosan has a potential for use in an intervention technology for the control of foodborne pathogens on the surface of chicken skin contaminated with bacteria during storage.
Respiratory Impairment and Systemic Inflammation in Cedar Asthmatics Removed from Exposure

Background Prior research has shown that removing occupational asthmatics from exposure does not routinely lead to significant improvements in respiratory impairment. These studies were of limited duration and factors determining recovery remain obscure. Our objective was to evaluate residual respiratory impairment and associated sputum and blood biomarkers in subjects with Western red cedar asthma after exposure cessation. Methods Subjects previously diagnosed with cedar asthma, and removed from exposure to cedar dust for at least one year, were recruited. Subjects completed a questionnaire and spirometry. PC20 (methacholine concentration that produces 20% fall in FEV1 (forced expiratory volume at 1 second)) sputum cellularity and select Th1/Th2 (T helper cells 1 and 2) cytokine concentrations in peripheral blood were determined. The asthma impairment class was determined and multivariate analyses were performed to determine its relationship with sputum cell counts and serum cytokines. Results 40 non-smoking males (mean age 62) were examined at a mean interval of 25 years from cedar asthma diagnosis and 17 years from last cedar exposure. 40% were in impairment class 2/3. On average, the PC20 had increased by 2.0 mg/ml; the FEV1 decreased by 1.5 L, with greater decrease in those with greater impairment. Higher impairment was associated with serum interferon-gamma (mean = 1.3 pg/ml in class 2/3 versus 0.62 pg/ml in class 0/1, p = 0.04), mainly due to the FEV1 component (correlation with interferon-gamma = −0.46, p = 0.005). Conclusion Years after exposure cessation, patients with Western red cedar asthma have persistent airflow obstruction and respiratory impairment, associated with systemic inflammation.
Recursive decoding of Reed-Muller codes

We use the Plotkin (u,u+v)-construction for general Reed-Muller codes (m,r) and relegate decoding to the two constituent RM codes. First, we use the better protected code (m-1,r-1) to find a subblock v. Then we proceed with the block u from the code (m-l,r). We repeat this recursion on both halves and recalculate the reliabilities of the received symbols. In the end, we perform maximum likelihood decoding on the biorthogonal codes.