Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Decadal-Scale Changes of Dinoflagellates and Diatoms in the Anomalous Baltic Sea Spring Bloom

The algal spring bloom in the Baltic Sea represents an anomaly from the winter-spring bloom patterns worldwide in terms of frequent and recurring dominance of dinoflagellates over diatoms. Analysis of approximately 3500 spring bloom samples from the Baltic Sea monitoring programs revealed (i) that within the major basins the proportion of dinoflagellates varied from 0.1 (Kattegat) to >0.8 (central Baltic Proper), and (ii) substantial shifts (e.g. from 0.2 to 0.6 in the Gulf of Finland) in the dinoflagellate proportion over four decades. During a recent decade (1995-2004) the proportion of dinoflagellates increased relative to diatoms mostly in the northernmost basins (Gulf of Bothnia, from 0.1 to 0.4) and in the Gulf of Finland, (0.4 to 0.6) which are typically ice-covered areas. We hypothesize that in coastal areas a specific sequence of seasonal events, involving wintertime mixing and resuspension of benthic cysts, followed by proliferation in stratified thin layers under melting ice, favors successful seeding and accumulation of dense dinoflagellate populations over diatoms. This head-start of dinoflagellates by the onset of the spring bloom is decisive for successful competition with the faster growing diatoms. Massive cyst formation and spreading of cyst beds fuel the expanding and ever larger dinoflagellate blooms in the relatively shallow coastal waters. Shifts in the dominant spring bloom algal groups can have significant effects on major elemental fluxes and functioning of the Baltic Sea ecosystem, but also in the vast shelves and estuaries at high latitudes, where ice-associated cold-water dinoflagellates successfully compete with diatoms.
Intergroup Leadership Across Distinct Subgroups and Identities

Resolving intergroup conflict is a significant and often arduous leadership challenge, yet existing theory and research rarely, if ever, discuss or examine this situation. Leaders confront a significant challenge when they provide leadership across deep divisions between distinct subgroups defined by self-contained identities—The challenge is to avoid provoking subgroup identity distinctiveness threat. Drawing on intergroup leadership theory, three studies were conducted to test the core hypothesis that, where identity threat exists, leaders promoting an intergroup relational identity will be better evaluated and are more effective than leaders promoting a collective identity; in the absence of threat, leaders promoting a collective identity will prevail. Studies 1 and 2 (N = 170; N = 120) supported this general proposition. Study 3 (N = 136) extended these findings, showing that leaders promoting an intergroup relational identity, but not a collective identity, improved intergroup attitudes when participants experienced an identity distinctiveness threat.
Orangutans, enamel defects, and developmental health: A comparison of Borneo and Sumatra

Orangutans (Pongo sp.) show among the highest occurrence of three types of developmental enamel defect. Two are attributed to nutritional factors that reduce bone growth in the infant's face early in development. Their timing and prevalence indicate that Sumatra provides a better habitat than does Borneo. The third type, repetitive linear enamel hypoplasia (rLEH) is very common but its etiology is not understood. Our objective is to draw attention to this enigmatic, episodic stressor in the lives of orangutans. We are concerned that neglect of this possible marker of ill health may be contributing, through inaction, to their alarming decline in numbers. Width and depth of an LEH are considered proxies for duration and intensity of stress. The hypothesis that Bornean orangutans would exhibit relatively wider and deeper LEH was tested on 163 independent episodes of LEH from 9 Sumatran and 26 Bornean orangutans measured with a NanoFocus AG “µsurf Mobile Plus” scanner. Non‐normally distributed data (depths) were converted to natural logs. No difference was found in width of LEH among the two island taxa; nor are their differences in width or depth between the sexes. After controlling for significant differences in LEH depths between incisors and canines, defects are, contrary to prediction, significantly deeper in Sumatran than Bornean animals (median = 28, 18 µm, respectively). It is concluded that repetitive LEH records an unknown but significant stressor present in both Sumatra and Borneo, with an average periodicity of 6 months (or multiples thereof) that lasts about 6–8 weeks. It is worse in Sumatra. Given this patterning, shared with apes from a wide range of ecological and temporal sources, rLEH is more likely attributable to disease than to malnutrition.
Innate Immunity in Human Embryonic Stem Cells: Comparison with Adult Human Endothelial Cells

Treatment of human disease with human embryonic stem cell (hESC)-derived cells is now close to reality, but little is known of their responses to physiological and pathological insult. The ability of cells to respond via activation of Toll like receptors (TLR) is critical in innate immune sensing in most tissues, but also extends to more general danger sensing, e.g. of oxidative stress, in cardiomyocytes. We used biomarker release and gene-array analysis to compare responses in hESC before and after differentiation, and to those in primary human endothelial cells. The presence of cardiomyocytes and endothelial cells was confirmed in differentiated cultures by immunostaining, FACS-sorting and, for cardiomyocytes, beating activity. Undifferentiated hESC did not respond with CXCL8 release to Gram positive or Gram negative bacteria, or a range of PAMPs (pathogen associated molecular patterns) for TLRs 1-9 (apart from flagellin, an activator of TLR5). Surprisingly, lack of TLR-dependent responses was maintained over 4 months of differentiation of hESC, in cultures which included cardiomyocytes and endothelial cells. In contrast, primary cultures of human aortic endothelial cells (HAEC) demonstrated responses to a broad range of PAMPs. Expression of downstream TLR signalling pathways was demonstrated in hESC, and IL-1β, TNFα and INFγ, which bypass the TLRs, stimulated CXCL8 release. NFκB pathway expression was also present in hESC and NFκB was able to translocate to the nucleus. Low expression levels of TLRs were detected in hESC, especially TLRs 1 and 4, explaining the lack of response of hESC to the main TLR signals. TLR5 levels were similar between differentiated hESC and HAEC, and siRNA knockdown of TLR5 abolished the response to flagellin. These findings have potential implications for survival and function of grafted hESC-derived cells.
High capacity reversible stenographic technique based on image resizing and pixel permutation

This paper presents a high capacity steganographic technique based on the principle of image resizing and pixel permutation. Image resizing is used either to extend or to reduce the dimensions of an image which can be done by predicting the new pixel intensities using either an interpolation technique or simply by replicating the incremented/decremented seed pixel values. Later has been adopted in our scheme to generate the cover image for data hiding. A single pixel of original image, called as seed pixel is used to form a 2×2 block of cover image. A lookup table is generated corresponding to the possible combinations of four pixels of the 2×2 block. Data hiding is achieved by permuting the pixels of a block according to the four-bit word of secret data and the lookup table. For the retrieval of secret message, firstly, the seed pixel is calculated from each 2×2 block of the stego image and then the other three pixels of the block are calculated accordingly with this intention that these pixels can be used for the generation of lookup table in the same way as has been done in embedding stage. The combination of the four pixels of the 2×2 block of stego image is compared with the lookup table entries. The matching combination yields the 4-bit word of secret data. Further, the seed image is perfectly obtained by collecting all the calculated seed pixels. Proposed technique of data hiding is reversible, highly imperceptible, easy to implement and has low computational cost. The comparison with certain existing state of arts data hiding schemes has proven that our technique is better in terms of Payload, Imperceptibility and Reversibility.
A Human-Like Senescence-Associated Secretory Phenotype Is Conserved in Mouse Cells Dependent on Physiological Oxygen

Cellular senescence irreversibly arrests cell proliferation in response to oncogenic stimuli. Human cells develop a senescence-associated secretory phenotype (SASP), which increases the secretion of cytokines and other factors that alter the behavior of neighboring cells. We show here that “senescent” mouse fibroblasts, which arrested growth after repeated passage under standard culture conditions (20% oxygen), do not express a human-like SASP, and differ from similarly cultured human cells in other respects. However, when cultured in physiological (3%) oxygen and induced to senesce by radiation, mouse cells more closely resemble human cells, including expression of a robust SASP. We describe two new aspects of the human and mouse SASPs. First, cells from both species upregulated the expression and secretion of several matrix metalloproteinases, which comprise a conserved genomic cluster. Second, for both species, the ability to promote the growth of premalignant epithelial cells was due primarily to the conserved SASP factor CXCL-1/KC/GRO-α. Further, mouse fibroblasts made senescent in 3%, but not 20%, oxygen promoted epithelial tumorigenesis in mouse xenographs. Our findings underscore critical mouse-human differences in oxygen sensitivity, identify conditions to use mouse cells to model human cellular senescence, and reveal novel conserved features of the SASP.
Incorporation of Efficient Second-Order Solvers Into Latent Factor Models for Accurate Prediction of Missing QoS Data

Generating highly accurate predictions for missing quality-of-service (QoS) data is an important issue. Latent factor (LF)-based QoS-predictors have proven to be effective in dealing with it. However, they are based on first-order solvers that cannot well address their target problem that is inherently bilinear and nonconvex, thereby leaving a significant opportunity for accuracy improvement. This paper proposes to incorporate an efficient second-order solver into them to raise their accuracy. To do so, we adopt the principle of Hessian-free optimization and successfully avoid the direct manipulation of a Hessian matrix, by employing the efficiently obtainable product between its Gauss-Newton approximation and an arbitrary vector. Thus, the second-order information is innovatively integrated into them. Experimental results on two industrial QoS datasets indicate that compared with the state-of-the-art predictors, the newly proposed one achieves significantly higher prediction accuracy at the expense of affordable computational burden. Hence, it is especially suitable for industrial applications requiring high prediction accuracy of unknown QoS data.
Games in Tetrads: Segregation, Recombination, and Meiotic Drive

The two alleles at a heterozygous locus segregate during meiosis, sometimes at meiosis I and sometimes at meiosis II. The timing of segregation is determined by the pattern of crossing‐over between a locus and its attached centromeres. Genes near centromeres can exploit this process by driving against spores from which the genes separated at meiosis I. Other genes, located distal to centromeres, can benefit from driving against spores from which they separated at meiosis II. Asymmetric female meiosis is particularly susceptible to such forms of drive. Selection on modifiers of recombination favors changes in the location of chiasmata that increase the proportion of tetrads of high average fitness by changing the timing of segregation. Such changes increase the frequency of driving alleles. This source of selection on recombination does not depend on effects on linkage disequilibrium. Recombinational responses to meiotic drive may contribute to sex differences in overall recombination and sex differences in the localization of chiasmata.
Is car use related with successful ageing of older adults ? Results from the multi-national MEDIS study

Purpose: The aim of the present work was to evaluate the relation between car use and the level of successful ageing of a random sample of older adults living in the Mediterranean basin. Methods: During 2005-2011, 2749 older (aged 65-100 years) from 22 Mediterranean islands and the rural Mani region (Peloponnesus) of Greece were voluntarily enrolled in the MEDIS cross-sectional study. Sociodemographics, medical conditions, dietary and lifestyle habits, were derived throughout standard procedures. Car use was recorded with a standard binary question. A successful ageing index ranging from 0 to 10 was used. Results: Older adults that used a car on regular basis had significantly higher levels of successful ageing, as well as less prevalence of obesity and hypertension while were more physically active (p<0.001). After adjusting for several confounders car use was still positively related with elderly islander ́s successful ageing level [beta-coefficient (95% CI): 0.65 (0.54 to 0.77)]. Conclusions: In conclusion, the activity of car use seems to be an indicator of quality of life among older adults, as measured through successful ageing.
A Vulnerable Age for the Introduction of Solid Foods in Pediatric Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia

ABSTRACT Background: There is little research concerning infant formula or the age at introduction to solid foods and pediatric acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). The purpose of this case-control study was to estimate the association of age at introduction of solids and pediatric ALL. Methods: 171 ALL cases aged 0–14 years were recruited at Texas Children's Cancer Center and matched on sex, age, and ethnicity to 342 population-based controls. Data were collected on infant feeding and known risk factors for ALL. Multivariable logistic regression was used to model the odds ratio of ALL by quartile of age at introduction of solids with the first/earliest quartile (0–4 months) as the reference group. Results: In adjusted models, the odds ratio of ALL among children in quartile 3 (7–9 months) was 4.08, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.42–11.71; for children in quartile 4 (≥10 months) the odds ratio (OR) was 6.03, 95% CI 2.06–17.72. For each additional month of milk formula feeding, the OR of ALL was 1.16, 95% CI 1.08–1.25. Conclusions: These results suggest a window when later introduction to solids is positively associated with ALL and recommend compliance with the American Academy of Pediatrics guidelines.
Structure and Learning in Self-Managed Teams: Why "Bureaucratic" Teams Can Be Better Learners

This paper considers the effect of team structure on a team's engagement in learning and continuous improvement. We begin by noting the uncertain conceptual status of the structure concept in the small groups literature and propose a conceptualization of team structure that is grounded in the long tradition of work on formal structure in the sociology and organization theory literatures. We then consider the thesis that, at least in self-managed teams dealing with stable tasks, greater team structure---i.e., higher levels of specialization, formalization, and hierarchy---can promote learning by encouraging information sharing, reducing conflict frequency, and fostering a climate of psychological safety; that is, we examine a mediated model in which the effect of structure on learning and improvement in teams is mediated by psychological safety, information sharing, and conflict frequency. This model was largely supported in a study of self-managed production teams in a Fortune 100 high-technology firm, although the observed pattern of mediation was more complex than anticipated. Higher structure was also associated with actual productivity improvements in a subsample of these teams. The theory and results of this study advance our understanding of team learning and underscore the importance of team structure in research on team processes and performance.
Probing lung microstructure with hyperpolarized noble gas diffusion MRI: theoretical models and experimental results

The introduction of hyperpolarized gases (3He and 129Xe) has opened the door to applications for which gaseous agents are uniquely suited—lung MRI. One of the pulmonary applications, diffusion MRI, relies on measuring Brownian motion of inhaled hyperpolarized gas atoms diffusing in lung airspaces. In this article we provide an overview of the theoretical ideas behind hyperpolarized gas diffusion MRI and the results obtained over the decade‐long research. We describe a simple technique based on measuring gas apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) and an advanced technique, in vivo lung morphometry, that quantifies lung microstructure both in terms of Weibel parameters (acinar airways radii and alveolar depth) and standard metrics (mean linear intercept, surface‐to‐volume ratio, and alveolar density) that are widely used by lung researchers but were previously available only from invasive lung biopsy. This technique has the ability to provide unique three‐dimensional tomographic information on lung microstructure from a less than 15 s MRI scan with results that are in good agreement with direct histological measurements. These safe and sensitive diffusion measurements improve our understanding of lung structure and functioning in health and disease, providing a platform for monitoring the efficacy of therapeutic interventions in clinical trials. Magn Reson Med 71:486–505, 2014. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Hand Matters: Left-Hand Gestures Enhance Metaphor Explanation

Research suggests that speech-accompanying gestures influence cognitive processes, but it is not clear whether the gestural benefit is specific to the gesturing hand. Two experiments tested the “(right/left) hand-specificity” hypothesis for self-oriented functions of gestures: gestures with a particular hand enhance cognitive processes involving the hemisphere contralateral to the gesturing hand. Specifically, we tested whether left-hand gestures enhance metaphor explanation, which involves right-hemispheric processing. In Experiment 1, right-handers explained metaphorical phrases (e.g., “to spill the beans,” beans represent pieces of information). Participants kept the one hand (right, left) still while they were allowed to spontaneously gesture (or not) with their other free hand (left, right). Metaphor explanations were better when participants chose to gesture when their left hand was free than when they did not. An analogous effect of gesturing was not found when their right hand was free. In Experiment 2, different right-handers performed the same metaphor explanation task but, unlike Experiment 1, they were encouraged to gesture with their left or right hand or to not gesture at all. Metaphor explanations were better when participants gestured with their left hand than when they did not gesture, but the right hand gesture condition did not significantly differ from the no-gesture condition. Furthermore, we measured participants’ mouth asymmetry during additional verbal tasks to determine individual differences in the degree of right-hemispheric involvement in speech production. The left-over-right-side mouth dominance, indicating stronger right-hemispheric involvement, positively correlated with the left-over-right-hand gestural benefit on metaphor explanation. These converging findings supported the “hand-specificity” hypothesis.
The Brain Effects of Laser Acupuncture in Healthy Individuals: An fMRI Investigation

BackgroundAs laser acupuncture is being increasingly used to treat mental disorders, we sought to determine whether it has a biologically plausible effect by using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to investigate the cerebral activation patterns from laser stimulation of relevant acupoints.Methodology/Principal FindingsTen healthy subjects were randomly stimulated with a fibreoptic infrared laser on 4 acupoints (LR14, CV14, LR8 and HT7) used for depression following the principles of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), and 1 control non-acupoint (sham point) in a blocked design (alternating verum laser and placebo laser/rest blocks), while the blood oxygenation level-dependent (BOLD) fMRI response was recorded from the whole brain on a 3T scanner. Many of the acupoint laser stimulation conditions resulted in different patterns of neural activity. Regions with significantly increased activation included the limbic cortex (cingulate) and the frontal lobe (middle and superior frontal gyrus). Laser acupuncture tended to be associated with ipsilateral brain activation and contralateral deactivation that therefore cannot be simply attributed to somatosensory stimulation.Conclusions/SignificanceWe found that laser stimulation of acupoints lead to activation of frontal-limbic-striatal brain regions, with the pattern of neural activity somewhat different for each acupuncture point. This is the first study to investigate laser acupuncture on a group of acupoints useful in the management of depression. Differing activity patterns depending on the acupoint site were demonstrated, suggesting that neurological effects vary with the site of stimulation. The mechanisms of activation and deactivation and their effects on depression warrant further investigation.
Mating Signals Indicating Sexual Receptiveness Induce Unique Spatio-Temporal EEG Theta Patterns in an Anuran Species

Female mate choice is of importance for individual fitness as well as a determining factor in genetic diversity and speciation. Nevertheless relatively little is known about how females process information acquired from males during mate selection. In the Emei music frog, Babina daunchina, males normally call from hidden burrows and females in the reproductive stage prefer male calls produced from inside burrows compared with ones from outside burrows. The present study evaluated changes in electroencephalogram (EEG) power output in four frequency bands induced by male courtship vocalizations on both sides of the telencephalon and mesencephalon in females. The results show that (1) both the values of left hemispheric theta relative power and global lateralization in the theta band are modulated by the sexual attractiveness of the acoustic stimulus in the reproductive stage, suggesting the theta oscillation is closely correlated with processing information associated with mate choice; (2) mean relative power in the beta band is significantly greater in the mesencephalon than the left telencephalon, regardless of reproductive status or the biological significance of signals, indicating it is associated with processing acoustic features and (3) relative power in the delta and alpha bands are not affected by reproductive status or acoustic stimuli. The results imply that EEG power in the theta and beta bands reflect different information processing mechanisms related to vocal recognition and auditory perception in anurans.