Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Pedal Claw Curvature in Birds, Lizards and Mesozoic Dinosaurs – Complicated Categories and Compensating for Mass-Specific and Phylogenetic Control

Pedal claw geometry can be used to predict behaviour in extant tetrapods and has frequently been used as an indicator of lifestyle and ecology in Mesozoic birds and other fossil reptiles, sometimes without acknowledgement of the caveat that data from other aspects of morphology and proportions also need to be considered. Variation in styles of measurement (both inner and outer claw curvature angles) has made it difficult to compare results across studies, as have over-simplified ecological categories. We sought to increase sample size in a new analysis devised to test claw geometry against ecological niche. We found that taxa from different behavioural categories overlapped extensively in claw geometry. Whilst most taxa plotted as predicted, some fossil taxa were recovered in unexpected positions. Inner and outer claw curvatures were statistically correlated, and both correlated with relative claw robusticity (mid-point claw height). We corrected for mass and phylogeny, as both likely influence claw morphology. We conclude that there is no strong mass-specific effect on claw curvature; furthermore, correlations between claw geometry and behaviour are consistent across disparate clades. By using independent contrasts to correct for phylogeny, we found little significant relationship between claw geometry and behaviour. ‘Ground-dweller’ claws are less curved and relatively dorsoventrally deep relative to those of other behavioural categories; beyond this it is difficult to assign an explicit category to a claw based purely on geometry.
School attendance and juvenile chronic arthritis.

We studied the school attendance of 113 children and adolescents (mean age 11 yr, S.D. 3.8, range 3-18 yr) with juvenile chronic arthritis (73 with pauci- and 40 with polyarthritis). The mean attendance rate for the group was 92% (equivalent to 15 absent days a year) with a median of 97%. Attendance was significantly lower in the more severely affected poly group (90% vs 98% in the pauci group; P = 0.03). We found associations of school absence (i) with decreased compliance with physical treatments (r = -0.35, P < 0.05 for compliance with physiotherapy) in the poly group and (ii) with child psychological deviance (r = 0.36 for parentally rated and r = 0.42 for teacher-rated psychological deviance; both P < 0.05) in the pauci group. We conclude that school attendance can be good in severely affected children. Severity of illness, treatment compliance and psychological problems in the child may affect school attendance.
Effect of early training on the jumping technique of horses.

OBJECTIVE To investigate the effects of early training for jumping by comparing the jumping technique of horses that had received early training with that of horses raised conventionally. ANIMALS 40 Dutch Warmblood horses. PROCEDURE The horses were analyzed kinematically during free jumping at 6 months of age. Subsequently, they were allocated into a control group that was raised conventionally and an experimental group that received 30 months of early training starting at 6 months of age. At 4 years of age, after a period of rest in pasture and a short period of training with a rider, both groups were analyzed kinematically during free jumping. Subsequently, both groups started a 1-year intensive training for jumping, and at 5 years of age, they were again analyzed kinematically during free jumping. In addition, the horses competed in a puissance competition to test maximal performance. RESULTS Whereas there were no differences in jumping technique between experimental and control horses at 6 months of age, at 4 years, the experimental horses jumped in a more effective manner than the control horses; they raised their center of gravity less yet cleared more fences successfully than the control horses. However, at 5 years of age, these differences were not detected. Furthermore, the experimental horses did not perform better than the control horses in the puissance competition. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE Specific training for jumping of horses at an early age is unnecessary because the effects on jumping technique and jumping capacity are not permanent.
Comparison of feedforward and recurrent neural network language models

Research on language modeling for speech recognition has increasingly focused on the application of neural networks. Two competing concepts have been developed: On the one hand, feedforward neural networks representing an n-gram approach, on the other hand recurrent neural networks that may learn context dependencies spanning more than a fixed number of predecessor words. To the best of our knowledge, no comparison has been carried out between feedforward and state-of-the-art recurrent networks when applied to speech recognition. This paper analyzes this aspect in detail on a well-tuned French speech recognition task. In addition, we propose a simple and efficient method to normalize language model probabilities across different vocabularies, and we show how to speed up training of recurrent neural networks by parallelization.
Analyzing Online Teacher Networks

The authors argue that conceptual and methodological limitations in existing research approaches severely hamper theory building and empirical exploration of teacher learning and collaboration through cyber-enabled networks. They conclude that new frameworks, tools, and techniques are needed to understand and maximize the benefits of teacher networks. The paper presents preliminary data to illuminate both the power and limitations of current tools and techniques for studying cyber-enabled networks using data from a large, mature online network of K-12 educators. The findings raise fundamental questions that are beyond the capability of most education researchers and evaluators to address rigorously and cost-effectively. The authors propose a research agenda designed to create and validate a new generation of research tools and techniques that enable researchers ask more incisive and convergent research questions and help school leaders and teachers support, learn, and collaborate with one another more effectively in cyber-enabled professional communities.
Indoor Tanning and Risk of Melanoma: A Case-Control Study in a Highly Exposed Population

Background: Indoor tanning has been only weakly associated with melanoma risk; most reports were unable to adjust for sun exposure, confirm a dose-response, or examine specific tanning devices. A population-based case-control study was conducted to address these limitations. Methods: Cases of invasive cutaneous melanoma, diagnosed in Minnesota between 2004 and 2007 at ages 25 to 59, were ascertained from a statewide cancer registry; age-matched and gender-matched controls were randomly selected from state driver's license lists. Self-administered questionnaires and telephone interviews included information on ever use of indoor tanning, types of device used, initiation age, period of use, dose, duration, and indoor tanning–related burns. Odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) were adjusted for known melanoma risk factors. Results: Among 1,167 cases and 1,101 controls, 62.9% of cases and 51.1% of controls had tanned indoors (adjusted OR 1.74; 95% CI, 1.42-2.14). Melanoma risk was pronounced among users of UVB-enhanced (adjusted OR, 2.86; 95% CI, 2.03-4.03) and primarily UVA-emitting devices (adjusted OR, 4.44; 95% CI, 2.45-8.02). Risk increased with use: years (P < 0.006), hours (P < 0.0001), or sessions (P = 0.0002). ORs were elevated within each initiation age category; among indoor tanners, years used was more relevant for melanoma development. Conclusions: In a highly exposed population, frequent indoor tanning increased melanoma risk, regardless of age when indoor tanning began. Elevated risks were observed across devices. Impact: This study overcomes some of the limitations of earlier reports and provides strong support for the recent declaration by the IARC that tanning devices are carcinogenic in humans. Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev; 19(6); 1557–68. ©2010 AACR.
Amoeba-Cache: Adaptive Blocks for Eliminating Waste in the Memory Hierarchy

The fixed geometries of current cache designs do not adapt to the working set requirements of modern applications, causing significant inefficiency. The short block lifetimes and moderate spatial locality exhibited by many applications result in only a few words in the block being touched prior to eviction. Unused words occupy between 17 -- 80% of a 64K L1 cache and between 1% -- 79% of a 1MB private LLC. This effectively shrinks the cache size, increases miss rate, and wastes on-chip bandwidth. Scaling limitations of wires mean that unused-word transfers comprise a large fraction (11%) of on-chip cache hierarchy energy consumption. We propose Amoeba-Cache, a design that supports a variable number of cache blocks, each of a different granularity. Amoeba-Cache employs a novel organization that completely eliminates the tag array, treating the storage array as uniform and morph able between tags and data. This enables the cache to harvest space from unused words in blocks for additional tag storage, thereby supporting a variable number of tags (and correspondingly, blocks). Amoeba-Cache adjusts individual cache line granularities according to the spatial locality in the application. It adapts to the appropriate granularity both for different data objects in an application as well as for different phases of access to the same data. Overall, compared to a fixed granularity cache, the Amoeba-Cache reduces miss rate on average (geometric mean) by 18% at the L1 level and by 18% at the L2 level and reduces L1 -- L2 miss bandwidth by ? 46%. Correspondingly, Amoeba-Cache reduces on-chip memory hierarchy energy by as much as 36% (mcf) and improves performance by as much as 50% (art).
Fluid Dynamics of Biomimetic Pectoral Fin Propulsion Using Immersed Boundary Method

Numerical simulations are carried out to study the fluid dynamics of a complex-shaped low-aspect-ratio pectoral fin that performs the labriform swimming. Simulations of flow around the fin are achieved by a developed immersed boundary (IB) method, in which we have proposed an efficient local flow reconstruction algorithm with enough robustness and a new numerical strategy with excellent adaptability to deal with complex moving boundaries involved in bionic flow simulations. The prescribed fin kinematics in each period consists of the power stroke and the recovery stroke, and the simulations indicate that the former is mainly used to provide the thrust while the latter is mainly used to provide the lift. The fin wake is dominated by a three-dimensional dual-ring vortex wake structure where the partial power-stroke vortex ring is linked to the recovery-stroke ring vertically. Moreover, the connection of force production with the fin kinematics and vortex dynamics is discussed in detail to explore the propulsion mechanism. We also conduct a parametric study to understand how the vortex topology and hydrodynamic characteristics change with key parameters. The results show that there is an optimal phase angle and Strouhal number for this complicated fin. Furthermore, the implications for the design of a bioinspired pectoral fin are discussed based on the quantitative hydrodynamic analysis.
Nitric Oxide, a Mediator of Inflammation, Suppresses Tumorigenesis

Inflammation influences the development of cancer. The nitric oxide synthase (NOS2) is induced by inflammatory cytokines, e.g., tumor necrosis factor α and interleukin 1β, and produces nitric oxide (NO·), a critical mediator of the inflammatory response. Because p53 governs NO· production by transcriptionally transrepressing NOS2, we used a genetic strategy to determine whether NO· and p53 cooperatively regulate tumorigenesis. Lymphomas developed more rapidly in p53−/−NOS2−/− or p53−/−NOS2+/− mice than in p53−/−NOS2+/+ mice that were cross-bred into a >95% C57BL6 background and maintained in a pathogen-free condition. Likewise, sarcomas and lymphomas developed faster in p53+/−NOS2−/− or p53+/−NOS2+/− than in p53+/−NOS2+/+ mice. When compared with the double knockout mice, p53−/−NOS2+/+ mice showed a higher apoptotic index and a decreased proliferation index with an increased expression of death receptor ligands, CD95-L and tumor necrosis factor-related apoptosis-inducing ligand, and the cell cycle checkpoint protein, p21waf1, in the spleen and thymus before tumor development. Furthermore, mice deficient in both p53 and NOS2 produced a high level of anti-inflammatory interleukin 10 when compared with p53-deficient mice. These studies provide genetic and mechanistic evidence that NO· can suppress tumorigenesis.
A New Look at Ichthyosaur Long Bone Microanatomy and Histology: Implications for Their Adaptation to an Aquatic Life

Background Ichthyosaurs are Mesozoic reptiles considered as active swimmers highly adapted to a fully open-marine life. They display a wide range of morphologies illustrating diverse ecological grades. Data concerning their bone microanatomical and histological features are rather limited and suggest that ichthyosaurs display a spongious, “osteoporotic-like” bone inner structure, like extant cetaceans. However, some taxa exhibit peculiar features, suggesting that the analysis of the microanatomical and histological characteristics of various ichthyosaur long bones should match the anatomical diversity and provide information about their diverse locomotor abilities and physiology. Methodology/Principal Findings The material analyzed for this study essentially consists of mid-diaphyseal transverse sections from stylopod bones of various ichthyosaurs and of a few microtomographic (both conventional and synchrotron) data. The present contribution discusses the histological and microanatomical variation observed within ichthyosaurs and the peculiarities of some taxa (Mixosaurus, Pessopteryx). Four microanatomical types are described. If Mixosaurus sections differ from those of the other taxa analyzed, the other microanatomical types, characterized by the relative proportion of compact and loose spongiosa of periosteal and endochondral origin respectively, seem to rather especially illustrate variation along the diaphysis in taxa with similar microanatomical features. Our analysis also reveals that primary bone in all the ichthyosaur taxa sampled (to the possible exception of Mixosaurus) is spongy in origin, that cyclical growth is a common pattern among ichthyosaurs, and confirms the previous assumptions of high growth rates in ichthyosaurs. Conclusions/Significance The occurrence of two types of remodelling patterns along the diaphysis, characterized by bone mass decrease and increase respectively is described for the first time. It raises questions about the definition of the osseous microanatomical specializations bone mass increase and osteoporosis, notably based on the processes involved, and reveals the difficulty in determining the true occurrence of these osseous specializations in ichthyosaurs.
A cryptochrome‐like protein is involved in the regulation of photosynthesis genes in Rhodobacter sphaeroides

Blue light receptors belonging to the cryptochrome/photolyase family are found in all kingdoms of life. The functions of photolyases in repair of UV‐damaged DNA as well as of cryptochromes in the light‐dependent regulation of photomorphogenetic processes and in the circadian clock in plants and animals are well analysed. In prokaryotes, the only role of members of this protein family that could be demonstrated is DNA repair. Recently, we identified a gene for a cryptochrome‐like protein (CryB) in the α‐proteobacterium Rhodobacter sphaeroides. The protein lacks the typical C‐terminal extension of cryptochromes, and is not related to the Cry DASH family. Here we demonstrate that CryB binds flavin adenine dinucleotide that can be photoreduced by blue light. CryB binds single‐stranded DNA with very high affinity (Kd∼10−8 M) but double‐stranded DNA and single‐stranded RNA with far lower affinity (Kd∼10−6 M). Despite of that, no in vitro repair activity for pyrimidine dimers in single‐stranded DNA could be detected. However, we show that CryB clearly affects the expression of genes for pigment‐binding proteins and consequently the amount of photosynthetic complexes in R. sphaeroides. Thus, for the first time a role of a bacterial cryptochrome in gene regulation together with a biological function is demonstrated.
Hydraulic artificial muscles

This article presents hydraulic artificial muscles as a viable alternative to pneumatic artificial muscles. Despite the actuation mechanism being similar to its pneumatic counterpart, hydraulic artificial muscles have not been widely studied. Hydraulic artificial muscles offer all the same advantages of pneumatic artificial muscles, such as compliance, light weight, low maintenance, and low cost, when compared to traditional fluidic cylinder actuators. Muscle characterization in isometric and isobaric conditions are discussed and compared to pneumatic artificial muscles. A quasi-static model incorporating the effect of mesh angle, friction, and muscle volume change throughout actuation is presented. This article also discusses the use of hydraulic artificial muscles for low-pressure hydraulic mesoscale robotic leg.
Cross-species functional analyses reveal shared and separate roles for Sox11 in frog primary neurogenesis and mouse cortical neuronal differentiation

ABSTRACT A well-functioning brain requires production of the correct number and types of cells during development; cascades of transcription factors are essential for cellular coordination. Sox proteins are transcription factors that affect various processes in the development of the nervous system. Sox11, a member of the SoxC family, is expressed in differentiated neurons and supports neuronal differentiation in several systems. To understand how generalizable the actions of Sox11 are across phylogeny, its function in the development of the frog nervous system and the mouse cerebral cortex were compared. Expression of Sox11 is largely conserved between these species; in the developing frog, Sox11 is expressed in the neural plate, neural tube and throughout the segmented brain, while in the mouse cerebral cortex, Sox11 is expressed in differentiated zones, including the preplate, subplate, marginal zone and cortical plate. In both frog and mouse, data demonstrate that Sox11 supports a role in promoting neuronal differentiation, with Sox11-positive cells expressing pan-neural markers and becoming morphologically complex. However, frog and mouse Sox11 cannot substitute for one another; a functional difference likely reflected in sequence divergence. Thus, Sox11 appears to act similarly in subserving neuronal differentiation but is species-specific in frog neural development and mouse corticogenesis. Summary: Sox11 acts to designate neurons in both mouse and frog brains, but orthologs are not functionally redundant. These data show evolutionary conservation of Sox11 function with molecular divergence.
Accelerated partial breast irradiation with iridium-192 multicatheter PDR/HDR brachytherapy. Preliminary results of the German-Austrian multicenter trial.

PURPOSE To evaluate perioperative morbidity, toxicity, and cosmetic outcome in patients treated with interstitial brachytherapy to the tumor bed as the sole irradiation modality after breast-conserving surgery. PATIENTS AND METHODS From November 1, 2000 to January 31, 2004, 176 women with early-stage breast cancer became partakers in a protocol of tumor bed irradiation alone using pulsed-dose-rate (PDR) or high-dose-rate (HDR) interstitial multicatheter implants. Patients became eligible, if their tumor was an infiltrating carcinoma < or = 3 cm in diameter, the surgical margins were clear by at least 2 mm, the axilla was surgically staged node-negative, the tumor was estrogen and/or progesterone receptor-positive, well or moderately differentiated (G1/2), the tumor did not contain an extensive intraductal component (EIC) and the patient's age was > 35 years. Implants were positioned using a template guide, delivering either 49.8 Gy in 83 consecutive hours (PDR) or 32.0 Gy in two daily fractions over 4 days (HDR). Perioperative morbidity, toxicity, and cosmetic outcome were assessed. Interim findings of the first 69 patients, who were treated in this multicenter trial, after a median follow-up of 24 months (range, 15-39 months) are presented. RESULTS One of the 69 patients (1.4%) developed a bacterial infection of the implant. No other perioperative complications, for example bleeding or hematoma, were observed. Acute toxicity was low: 2.9% of the patients (2/69) experienced mild radiodermatitis. Late toxicity: hypersensation/mild pain 7.2% (5/69), intermittent but tolerable pain 1.4% (1/69), mild dyspigmentation 10.1% (7/69), mild fibrosis 11.6% (8/69), moderate fibrosis 1.4% (1/69), mild telangiectasia (< 1 cm(2)) 11.6% (8/69), and moderate teleangiectasia (1-4 cm(2)) 1.4% (1/69). Good to excellent cosmetic results were observed in 92.4% of the patients evaluated. All patients (n = 176) remained disease-free to the date of evaluation. CONCLUSION This analysis indicates that accelerated partial breast irradiation with iridium-192 interstitial multicatheter PDR/HDR implants is feasible with low perioperative morbidity, low acute and mild late toxicity, and does not significantly affect cosmetic results at a median follow-up of 24 months.
Correlated Electrophysiological and Ultrastructural Studies of a Crustacean Motor Unit

Structural and functional interrelationships between the pre- and postsynaptic elements of a singly motor innervated crab muscle (stretcher of Hyas araneus L.) were examined using electrophysiological and electron microscopic techniques. Excitatory postsynaptic potential (EPSP) amplitude at 1 Hz was found to be inversely related to the extent of facilitation, and directly related both to the amount of transmitter released at 1 Hz and the muscle fiber input resistance (R in). The extent of facilitation (Fe), taken as the ratio of the EPSP amplitude at 10 Hz to that 1 Hz, was inversely related to muscle fiber R in, τm, and sarcomere length. Sarcomere length was directly related to R in and τm. The excitatory nerve terminals of low Fe muscle fibers had larger neuromuscular synapses than did those of high Fe fibers. Inhibitory axo-axonal synapses were more often found in low Fe muscle fibers. These structural features may account for the greater release of transmitter at low frequencies from the low Fe nerve terminals as well as provide for a greater amount of presynaptic inhibition of low Fe muscle fibers. The implications of these findings for the development and physiological performance of the crustacean motor unit are discussed. It is proposed that both nerve and muscle fiber properties may be determined by the developmental pattern of nerve growth.
Distinct acto/myosin-I structures associate with endocytic profiles at the plasma membrane

Endocytosis in yeast requires actin and clathrin. Live cell imaging has previously shown that massive actin polymerization occurs concomitant with a slow 200-nm inward movement of the endocytic coat (Kaksonen, M., Y. Sun, and D.G. Drubin. 2003. Cell. 115:475–487). However, the nature of the primary endocytic profile in yeast and how clathrin and actin cooperate to generate an endocytic vesicle is unknown. In this study, we analyze the distribution of nine different proteins involved in endocytic uptake along plasma membrane invaginations using immunoelectron microscopy. We find that the primary endocytic profiles are tubular invaginations of up to 50 nm in diameter and 180 nm in length, which accumulate the endocytic coat components at the tip. Interestingly, significant actin labeling is only observed on invaginations longer than 50 nm, suggesting that initial membrane bending occurs before initiation of the slow inward movement. We also find that in the longest profiles, actin and the myosin-I Myo5p form two distinct structures that might be implicated in vesicle fission.