Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Performance Persistence in Institutional Investment Management

Using new, survivorship-bias free data, we examine performance persistence in 6,260 institutional portfolios managed by 1,475 investment management firms between 1991 and 2004. Unlike retail mutual funds, persistence in winner domestic equity portfolios is significant and economically large for up to one year. Loser portfolios, conversely, do not persist. International portfolios exhibit similar patterns, and fixed income portfolios persist up to three years. We find that better-performing portfolios offer performance-based fees and most-favored-nation clauses more often, but also charge higher fees. The magnitude of fees is insufficient to eliminate excess returns. Top performers draw an influx of assets from plan sponsors, and in the year following such inflows, alphas sharply decline.
Hippocampal distribution of vesicular glutamate transporter 1 in patients with temporal lobe epilepsy

Purpose: Vesicular glutamate transporters (VGLUTs) are responsible for loading synaptic vesicles with glutamate, determining the phenotype of glutamatergic neurons, and have been implicated in the regulation of quantal size and presynaptic plasticity. We analyzed VGLUT subtype expression in normal human hippocampus and tested the hypothesis that alterations in VGLUT expression may contribute to long‐term changes in glutamatergic transmission reported in patients with temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE).
High Spatial Resolution and Temporally Resolved T2 * Mapping of Normal Human Myocardium at 7.0 Tesla: An Ultrahigh Field Magnetic Resonance Feasibility Study

Myocardial tissue characterization using T2 * relaxation mapping techniques is an emerging application of (pre)clinical cardiovascular magnetic resonance imaging. The increase in microscopic susceptibility at higher magnetic field strengths renders myocardial T2 * mapping at ultrahigh magnetic fields conceptually appealing. This work demonstrates the feasibility of myocardial T2 * imaging at 7.0 T and examines the applicability of temporally-resolved and high spatial resolution myocardial T2 * mapping. In phantom experiments single cardiac phase and dynamic (CINE) gradient echo imaging techniques provided similar T2 * maps. In vivo studies showed that the peak-to-peak B0 difference following volume selective shimming was reduced to approximately 80 Hz for the four chamber view and mid-ventricular short axis view of the heart and to 65 Hz for the left ventricle. No severe susceptibility artifacts were detected in the septum and in the lateral wall for T2 * weighting ranging from TE = 2.04 ms to TE = 10.2 ms. For TE >7 ms, a susceptibility weighting induced signal void was observed within the anterior and inferior myocardial segments. The longest T2 * values were found for anterior (T2 * = 14.0 ms), anteroseptal (T2 * = 17.2 ms) and inferoseptal (T2 * = 16.5 ms) myocardial segments. Shorter T2 * values were observed for inferior (T2 * = 10.6 ms) and inferolateral (T2 * = 11.4 ms) segments. A significant difference (p = 0.002) in T2 * values was observed between end-diastole and end-systole with T2 * changes of up to approximately 27% over the cardiac cycle which were pronounced in the septum. To conclude, these results underscore the challenges of myocardial T2 * mapping at 7.0 T but demonstrate that these issues can be offset by using tailored shimming techniques and dedicated acquisition schemes.
Seasonal vegetative and affective symptoms in the Finnish general population: Testing the dual vulnerability and latitude effect hypotheses

Background: Prior studies identified a seasonal pattern in symptoms of depression in clinical and population-based samples. The aims of our study were to estimate the prevalence rates of routine seasonal variations in mood and behavior and of current depressive symptoms in the Finnish general population over 30 years, and to find differences, if any, between the northern and southern regions of residence. Methods: 5749 participants aged 30–97 (3156 women and 2593 men) were interviewed face to face and attended a health status examination. We included the modified Seasonal Pattern Assessment Questionnaire and the modified Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) for the analysis. Results: 85% of the sample, representative of a general population, had seasonal variations in mood and behavior; 9% of the sample scored high on both scales, thus having the routine seasonal variations together with a current self-report of winter depression. Scoring high on the former scale yielded the odds ratio of 3.12 for scoring high on the BDI. Neither the global seasonality score nor the BDI sum score was associated with latitude. No significant differences in affective symptoms were found by the latitude. The seasonal variation in sleep duration (P<0.001) was more prevalent in the northern regions. Limitations: The seasonal variations were assessed with a self-report only. Conclusions: A seasonal pattern in mood and behaviors was detected in a general population. Implications of our findings include the assessment of the seasonal variations as a risk factor of depressive illness.
3D Ichnology—recovering digital 3D models of dinosaur footprints

Ichnology deals with the traces of prehistoric organisms and thus with the study of dinosaur footprints and tracks. This paper reports on a reliable and precise methodology developed to integrate high‐resolution close range photogrammetry and range sensors for 3D surveys of dinosaur footprints. The 3D footprint and track models recovered here yield a great deal of accurate morphological and morphometrical information, providing palaeoichnologists with a simpler and cheaper way to document track fossils and the opportunity to formulate new hypotheses about the dynamics of dinosaur locomotion.
A comparative study of the morphology of mammalian chordae tendineae of the mitral and tricuspid valves

It is assumed that the human heart is almost identical to domestic mammalian species, but with limited literature to support this. One such area that has been underinvestigated is that of the subvalvular apparatus level. The authors set out to examine the morphology of the subvalvular apparatus of the mammalian atrioventricular valves through gross dissection and microscopic analysis in a small-scale pilot study. The authors examined the chordae tendineae of the mitral and tricuspid valves in sheep, pig and bovine hearts, comparing the numbers of each of these structures within and between species. It was found that the number of chordae was up to twice as many for the tricuspid valve compared with the mitral valve. The counts for the chordae on the three valve leaflets of the tricuspid valve, as well as the two mitral valve leaflets, were almost identical between species. However, the chordae attaching onto the posterior papillary muscle were almost double compared with the septal and anterior papillary muscles. Histological analysis demonstrated an abrupt transitional zone. In conclusion, the authors have shown that there is no gross morphological difference between, or within, these species at the subvalvular apparatus level.
Posaconazole Mono- or Combination Therapy for Treatment of Murine Zygomycosis

ABSTRACT We compared the efficacy of combination posaconazole-liposomal amphotericin B (LAmB) therapy to monotherapy with either drug in diabetic ketoacidotic or neutropenic mice with disseminated zygomycosis caused by Rhizopus oryzae. Combination therapy was no better than LAmB alone, and posaconazole monotherapy did not improve survival or reduce fungal burden versus placebo.
Sex, long life and the evolutionary transition to cooperative breeding in birds

Long life is a typical feature of individuals living in cooperative societies. One explanation is that group living lowers mortality, which selects for longer life. Alternatively, long life may make the evolution of cooperation more likely by ensuring a long breeding tenure, making helping behaviour and queuing for breeding positions worthwhile. The benefit of queuing will, however, depend on whether individuals gain indirect fitness benefits while helping, which is determined by female promiscuity. Where promiscuity is high and therefore the indirect fitness benefits of helping are low, cooperation can still be favoured by an even longer life span. We present the results of comparative analyses designed to test the likelihood of a causal relationship between longevity and cooperative breeding by reconstructing ancestral states of cooperative breeding across birds, and by examining the effect of female promiscuity on the relationship between these two traits. We found that long life makes the evolution of cooperation more likely and that promiscuous cooperative species are exceptionally long lived. These results make sense of promiscuity in cooperative breeders and clarify the importance of life-history traits in the evolution of cooperative breeding, illustrating that cooperation can evolve via the combination of indirect and direct fitness benefits.
EXPERIMENTAL AND NUMERICAL STUDIES ON A CENTRIFUGAL PUMP WITH 2D-CURVED BLADES IN CAVITATING CONDITION

In the presented study a special test-pump with 2D curvature blade geometry in cavitating and non-cavitating conditions was investigated using different experimental techniques and a 3D numerical model of cavitating flows. Experimental and numerical results concerning pump characteristics and performance breakdown were compared at different flow conditions. Appearing types of cavitation and the spatial distribution of vapour structures within the runner were also analysed.
Critical Role of Truncated α‐Synuclein and Aggregates in Parkinson's Disease and Incidental Lewy Body Disease

The role of Lewy bodies, Lewy neurites and α‐synuclein (αSYN) in the pathophysiology and diagnosis of Parkinson's disease (PD) is unclear. We used postmortem human tissue, a panel of antibodies (Abs) and confocal microscopy to examine the three‐dimensional neurochemical anatomy of the nigrostriatal system. Abs were specific to truncated (tαSYN), phosphorylated and full‐length αSYN. The findings demonstrate the critical role of tαSYN in initiating aggregation, a role for other forms of αSYN in aggregate expansion, a reason for the wide variety of proteins present in different aggregates, an explanation for the laminar appearance of aggregates described historically using different methods, the existence of proximal greater than distal aggregation in the vulnerable nigrostriatal pathway, the independent transport of different forms of αSYN as cargo along axons and a possible sequence for the formation of Lewy bodies. Findings differed between incidental Lewy body disease and PD only quantitatively. These findings have implications for understanding the pathogenesis and treatment of PD.
A neuroanatomical investigation of belief and doubt

Philosophical and scientific investigations into the nature of belief and knowledge are ancient, extending back to the beginnings of rational thought. It is not until the last few decades that we have been able to peer into and examine the organ of belief, the brain. Neuroanatomical perspectives have begun to address the long-standing questions of epistemology by identifying specific neural regions that are critical for the formation and evaluations of beliefs. Here, a novel neuroanatomical model of belief and doubt is presented, where post-rolandic association cortices are critical for the formation of beliefs and the prefrontal cortex is necessary for the doubt and evaluation process. It is proposed that the singular function of the prefrontal cortex is ―false tagging‖ (the neuroanatomical essence of doubt) to mental representations in post-rolandic cortices. Persons with dysfunction in the prefrontal cortex, such as patients with structural damage to this region (e.g., from tumor resections or stroke), should show a ―doubt deficit,‖ accompanied by a general increased tendency to believe information. Evidence is presented indicating that deficiencies in the ―false tagging‖ function may explain a wide assortment of abnormalities in neurological and psychiatric patients. Several experiments in various populations (neurological, developmental, and psychiatric) were conducted to examine the role of specific brain regions in the believing and doubting process. First, two studies gave participants explicitly-labeled false beliefs and measured the ability of the participants to falsify these beliefs. It was predicted that participants with dysfunction to the prefrontal cortex would be poor at falsifying novel beliefs. Results confirmed the predictions. Second, participants were given pairs of statements that represented opposite opinions on some issue and responded by agreeing
LEVITATION OF UNTETHERED STRESS-ENGINEERED MICROFLYERS USING THERMOPHORETIC (KNUDSEN) FORCE

In this paper we present the theory and initial successful levitation experiments of untethered microscale structures (microflyers) using thermophoretic force. The microflyers consist of a 300 μm × 300 μm sized chassis fabricated from polycrystalline silicon using a surface micromachining process. The devices are levitated using microfabricated heaters attached to an underlying substrate. A novel in-situ masked post-release stressengineering process is used to generate a concave upwards curvature of the flyers chassis, resulting in increased pitch and roll stability during flight, take-off, and landing.
A case study of optimistic computing on the grid: parallel mesh generation

This paper describes our progress in creating a case study on optimistic computing for the Grid using parallel mesh generation. For the implementation of both methods we use a portable runtime environment for mobile applications (PREMA) which is extended to provide support for optimistic control using grid performance monitoring and prediction. Based on the observed performance of a world-wide grid testbed, we use this case study to develop a methodology for estimating target operating regions for grid applications. The goal of this project is to generalize the experience and knowledge of optimistic grid computing gained through mesh generation into a tool that can be applied to tightly coupled computations in other application domains.
The Essential Schizosaccharomyces pombe gpi1+ Gene Complements a Bakers' Yeast GPI Anchoring Mutant and is Required for Efficient Cell Separation

The Schizosaccharomyces pombe gpi1+ gene was cloned by complementation of the Saccharomyces cerevisiae gpi1 mutant, which has temperature‐sensitive defects in growth and glycosyl phosphatidylinositol (GPI) membrane anchoring of protein, and which is defective in vitro in the first step in GPI anchor assembly, the formation of N‐acetylglucosaminyl phosphatidylinositol (GlcNAc‐PI). S. pombe gpi1+ encodes a protein with 29% identity to amino acids 87–609 of the S. cerevisiae protein, and is the functional homolog of the S. cerevisiae Gpi1 protein, for it restores [3H]inositol‐labelling of protein and in vitro GlcNAc‐PI synthetic activity to both S. cerevisiae gpi1 and gpi1::URA3 cells. Disruption of gpi1+ is lethal. Haploid Δgpi1+::his7+ spores germinate, but proceed through no more than three rounds of cell division, many cells ceasing growth as binucleate, septate cells with thickened septa. These results indicate that GPI synthesis is an essential function in fission yeast, and suggest that GPI anchoring is also required for completion of cytokinesis. The nucleotide sequence reported will appear in the GenBank Nucleotide Sequence database under the Accession Number U77355. ©1997 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
A Mutation in MRH2 Kinesin Enhances the Root Hair Tip Growth Defect Caused by Constitutively Activated ROP2 Small GTPase in Arabidopsis

Root hair tip growth provides a unique model system for the study of plant cell polarity. Transgenic plants expressing constitutively active (CA) forms of ROP (Rho-of-plants) GTPases have been shown to cause the disruption of root hair polarity likely as a result of the alteration of actin filaments (AF) and microtubules (MT) organization. Towards understanding the mechanism by which ROP controls the cytoskeletal organization during root hair tip growth, we have screened for CA-rop2 suppressors or enhancers using CA1-1, a transgenic line that expresses CA-rop2 and shows only mild disruption of tip growth. Here, we report the characterization of a CA-rop2 enhancer (cae1-1 CA1-1) that exhibits bulbous root hairs. The cae1-1 mutation on its own caused a waving and branching root hair phenotype. CAE1 encodes the root hair growth-related, ARM domain-containing kinesin-like protein MRH2 (and thus cae1-1 was renamed to mrh2-3). Cortical MT displayed fragmentation and random orientation in mrh2 root hairs. Consistently, the MT-stabilizing drug taxol could partially rescue the wavy root hair phenotype of mrh2-3, and the MT-depolymerizing drug Oryzalin slightly enhanced the root hair tip growth defect in CA1-1. Interestingly, the addition of the actin-depolymerizing drug Latrunculin B further enhanced the Oryzalin effect. This indicates that the cross-talk of MT and AF organization is important for the mrh2-3 CA1-1 phenotype. Although we did not observe an apparent effect of the MRH2 mutation in AF organization, we found that mrh2-3 root hair growth was more sensitive to Latrunculin B. Moreover, an ARM domain-containing MRH2 fragment could bind to the polymerized actin in vitro. Therefore, our genetic analyses, together with cell biological and pharmacological evidence, suggest that the plant-specific kinesin-related protein MRH2 is an important component that controls MT organization and is likely involved in the ROP2 GTPase-controlled coordination of AF and MT during polarized growth of root hairs.
Perception of Synthetic and Natural Speech by Adults with Visual Impairments

This study investigated the intelligibility and comprehensibility of natural speech in comparison to synthetic speech. The results demonstrate the type of errors; the relationship between intelligibility and comprehensibility; and the correlation between intelligibility and comprehensibility and key factors, such as the frequency of use of text-to-speech systems.
Commensal ocular bacteria degrade mucins

Background/aims: Antimicrobial activity in tears prevents infection while maintaining a commensal bacterial population. The relation between mucin and commensal bacteria was assessed to determine whether commensals possess mucinolytic activity, how degradation depends on mucin integrity, and whether mucins affect bacterial replication. Methods: Bacteria were sampled from healthy eyes and contact lenses from asymptomatic wearers. Intracellular mucins were extracted and purified from cadaver conjunctivas, and surface mucins from extended wear contact lenses. After exposure to bacteria, changes in mucin hydrodynamic volume (proteolytic cleavage) and subunit charge (oligosaccharide degradation) were assayed by size exclusion and ion exchange chromatography. The effect of mucin on bacterial replication was followed for up to 24 hours from the end of incubation with purified ocular mucins. Results: Ocular bacteria decreased the hydrodynamic volume of intracellular and contact lens adherent mucins, irrespective of glycosylation density. A decrease in mucin sialylation was observed after exposure to commensal bacteria. Subunit charge distributions were generally shifted to lesser negative charge, consistent with loss of charged epitopes. Subunits with high negative charge, observed after digesting lightly adhering contact lens mucins with bacteria, suggest preferential cleavage sites in the mucin molecule. The presence of purified ocular mucin in the medium inhibited bacterial growth. Conclusion: Bacteria in the healthy ocular surface possess mucinolytic activity on both intact and surface processed mucins, targeted to discrete sites in the mucin molecule. Inhibition of bacterial growth by ocular mucins can be seen as part of the mucosal control of microbiota.
Type 3 fimbriae among enterobacteria and the ability of spermidine to inhibit MR/K hemagglutination

The distribution of the gene cluster encoding type 3 fimbriae among various isolates of the family Enterobacteriaceae was investigated by using 112 clinical and nonclinical isolates. Closely related DNA sequences were detected in all Klebsiella strains, in most Enterobacter isolates, in a smaller number of Escherichia coli and Salmonella spp. , and in a single isolate each of Yersinia enterocolitica and Serratia liquefaciens but not in isolates of Morganella or Providencia species or Serratia marcescens. Except for E. coli and Salmonella strains, the presence of gene sequences was correlated with the phenotypic expression of either the MR/K hemagglutinin or fimbriae that reacted with specific antibodies. In one isolate of Y. enterocolitica the expression of type 3 fimbriae was plasmid determined. The polyamine spermidine was identified as an inhibitor of MR/K hemagglutinating activity, exhibiting an MIC of 1.2 mM. Spermidine inhibited the hemagglutination of 37 MR/K-positive clinical isolates from various genera. However, one clinical isolate of Enterobacter cloacae and most (four of five) nonclinical Klebsiella isolates were not completely inhibited.
Aerosolized Vaccine as an Unexpected Source of False-Positive Bordetella pertussis PCR Results

ABSTRACT When 13 of 13 nasal wash specimens from a single pediatrician's office tested positive for low quantities of Bordetella pertussis DNA, we suspected prelaboratory contamination. Investigation revealed that Pentacel and Adacel vaccines contain high copy numbers of B. pertussis DNA, which can be aerosolized, causing false-positive B. pertussis PCR results.
Detection and identification of Vibrio scophthalmi in the intestinal microbiota of fish and evaluation of host specificity

Aims: To develop a species‐specific probe (VSV3) for the detection of Vibrio scophthalmi in fish intestine and to apply this probe to study the host specificity of V. scophthalmi. Methods and Results: A specific probe (VSV3) based on the variable region V3 of the 16S rRNA gene (rDNA) was designed. Its specificity was tested by DNA–DNA hybridization and by colony hybridization. No cross‐hybridization was found. The sensitivity of the probe was tested both by DNA–DNA hybridization and by colony hybridization. The detection limit of V. scophthalmi 16S rDNA was 150 pg or 10 cfu. Vibrio scophthalmi cells were detected in experimental samples constituted by mixed cultures when present in proportions of 1 : 10 and 1 : 100. The VSV3 probe also proved to be reliable for the detection of V. scophthalmi in samples of fish intestine. Conclusions: The VSV3 probe can be used for the detection of V. scophthalmi in colony hybridization or DNA–DNA hybridization of amplified 16S rDNA. Preliminary results indicate that V. scophthalmi may present certain host specificity for turbot. Significance and Impact of the Study: The VSV3 probe provides a useful tool for ecological studies.
How do effective followers actually behave? An exploratory, video-observational, and survey study

What actual follower behaviors are important for their effectiveness? Through a video-observation study of 42 followers in seven regular staff meetings we tested hypotheses on the behavior of followers. We used earlier developed, reliable scheme for the coding of the videos. Factual informing and task monitoring by the followers has a positive respectively negative significant relationship with follower effectiveness. Also, as hypothesized the relationship between informing and follower effectiveness was moderated through LMX. The results are important in order to have a better understanding of not only the follower itself, but also the leader. Implications of the results for followership and leadership are discussed.