Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Postprandial increases in nitrogenous excretion and urea synthesis in the giant mudskipper Periophthalmodon schlosseri

SUMMARY The objective of this study was to determine the effects of feeding on the excretory nitrogen (N) metabolism of the giant mudskipper, Periophthalmodon schlosseri, with special emphasis on the role of urea synthesis in ammonia detoxification. The ammonia and urea excretion rates of P. schlosseri increased 1.70- and 1.92-fold, respectively, within the first 3 h after feeding on guppies. Simultaneously, there were significant decreases in ammonia levels in the plasma and the brain, and in urea contents in the muscle and liver, of P. schlosseri at 3 h post-feeding. Thus, it can be concluded that P. schlosseri was capable of unloading ammonia originally present in some of its tissues in anticipation of ammonia released from the catabolism of excess amino acids after feeding. Subsequently, there were significant increases in urea content in the muscle, liver and plasma (1.39-, 2.17- and 1.62-fold, respectively) at 6 h post-feeding, and the rate of urea synthesis apparently increased 5.8-fold between 3 h and 6 h. Increased urea synthesis might have occurred in the liver of P. schlosseri because the greatest increase in urea content was observed therein. The excess urea accumulated in the body at 6 h was completely excreted between 6 and 12 h, and the percentage of waste-N excreted as urea-N increased significantly to 26% during this period, but never exceeded 50%, the criterion for ureotely, meaning that P. schlosseri remained ammonotelic after feeding. By 24 h, 62.7% of the N ingested by P. schlosseri was excreted, out of which 22.6% was excreted as urea-N. This is the first report on the involvement of increased urea synthesis and excretion in defense against ammonia toxicity in the giant mudskipper, and our results suggest that an ample supply of energy resources, e.g. after feeding, is a prerequisite for the induction of urea synthesis. Together, increases in nitrogenous excretion and urea synthesis after feeding effectively prevented a postprandial surge of ammonia in the plasma of P. schlosseri as reported previously for other fish species. Consequently, contrary to previous reports, there were significant decreases in the ammonia content of the brain of P. schlosseri throughout the 24 h period post-feeding, accompanied by a significant decrease in brain glutamine content between 12 h and 24 h.
How well do local algorithms solve semidefinite programs?

Several probabilistic models from high-dimensional statistics and machine learning reveal an intriguing and yet poorly understood dichotomy. Either simple local algorithms succeed in estimating the object of interest, or even sophisticated semi-definite programming (SDP) relaxations fail. In order to explore this phenomenon, we study a classical SDP relaxation of the minimum graph bisection problem, when applied to Erdos-Renyi random graphs with bounded average degree d > 1, and obtain several types of results. First, we use a dual witness construction (using the so-called non-backtracking matrix of the graph) to upper bound the SDP value. Second, we prove that a simple local algorithm approximately solves the SDP to within a factor 2d^2/(2d^2 + d - 1) of the upper bound. In particular, the local algorithm is at most 8/9 suboptimal, and 1 + O(d^-1) suboptimal for large degree. We then analyze a more sophisticated local algorithm, which aggregates information according to the harmonic measure on the limiting Galton-Watson (GW) tree. The resulting lower bound is expressed in terms of the conductance of the GW tree and matches surprisingly well the empirically determined SDP values on large-scale Erdos-Renyi graphs. We finally consider the planted partition model. In this case, purely local algorithms are known to fail, but they do succeed if a small amount of side information is available. Our results imply quantitative bounds on the threshold for partial recovery using SDP in this model.
Nε-Formylation of lysine is a widespread post-translational modification of nuclear proteins occurring at residues involved in regulation of chromatin function

Post-translational modification of histones and other chromosomal proteins regulates chromatin conformation and gene activity. Methylation and acetylation of lysyl residues are among the most frequently described modifications in these proteins. Whereas these modifications have been studied in detail, very little is known about a recently discovered chemical modification, the Nε-lysine formylation, in histones and other nuclear proteins. Here we mapped, for the first time, the sites of lysine formylation in histones and several other nuclear proteins. We found that core and linker histones are formylated at multiple lysyl residues located both in the tails and globular domains of histones. In core histones, formylation was found at lysyl residues known to be involved in organization of nucleosomal particles that are frequently acetylated and methylated. In linker histones and high mobility group proteins, multiple formylation sites were mapped to residues with important role in DNA binding. Nε-lysine formylation in chromosomal proteins is relatively abundant, suggesting that it may interfere with epigenetic mechanisms governing chromatin function, which could lead to deregulation of the cell and disease.
The Cypriot Greek embu and cleft sentences: an investigation of their (non-) exhaustive properties

The present research addresses exhaustivity effects in Cypriot Greek from an experimental point of view. It presents acceptability judgments of 187 native speakers, who were asked to provide answers that indicated exhaustivity effects in clefts and sentences employing the embu-strategy ‘(it-)is-(it-)that’. Our results suggest that embu is in the process of syntactic change which leads to receiving non-exhaustive interpretations of it. This finding implies that embu might not be analyzed as an underlying form of cleft, but rather as a fossilized item (Papadopoulou, in progress). The second finding is that clefts in Cypriot Greek are not unequivocally eliciting an exhaustive interpretation across speakers either. We discuss these results in relation to previous literature on embu and clefts in Cypriot Greek (Grohmann et al, 2006; Panagidou, 2009), as well as by establishing cross-linguistic comparisons with the status of clefts in other languages.
Stochastic Correlation and the Relative Pricing of Caps and Swaptions in a Generalized-Affine Framework

Several recent papers document significant relative mis-pricings between caps and swaptions using traditional multi-factor models of the term structure. Below we argue that these mis-pricings are due to the severe restrictions that traditional models place on the joint evolution of the i) term structure, ii) volatility structure, and iii) correlation structure. We first provide additional empirical evidence for the existence of each of these types of risk. We then introduce a 'generalized-affine' class of models with regime shifts in correlation to model these empirical findings. We show that this class of models remains very tractable, permitting closed-form solutions for caps, and an efficient and accurate method for pricing swaptions. Contrary to intuition, we demonstrate that a cap, which is effectively a portfolio-of-options, is much more sensitive to changes in correlation than is a swaption, which is effectively an option-on-a-portfolio.
Answer changing in testing situations: the role of metacognition in deciding which answers to review

ABSTRACT The purpose of our study was to examine the issue of answer changing in relation to students’ abilities to monitor their behaviour accurately while responding to multiple-choice tests. The data for this study were obtained from the final examination administered to students in an educational psychology course. The results of the study indicate that decision making regarding answer changing can be informed by metacognitive monitoring when a student's attention is drawn to cues solicited during testing. However, answer changing can be a “tricky” test-taking strategy, and how it relates to test performance is based on an interplay of variables both at a person level as well as at a task level. This is probably why this strategy is frequently misunderstood by both test-takers and educators.
COHERENT SYSTEMS OF GENUS 0 III: COMPUTATION OF FLIPS FOR k = 1

In this paper, we continue the investigation of coherent systems of type (n, d, k) on the projective line which are stable with respect to some value of a parameter α. We consider the case k = 1 and study the variation of the moduli spaces with α. We determine inductively the first and last moduli spaces and the flip loci, and give an explicit description for ranks 2 and 3. We also determine the Hodge polynomials explicitly for ranks 2 and 3 and in certain cases for arbitrary rank.
Stellar Kinematics in the Remote Leo II Dwarf Spheroidal Galaxy—Another Brick in the Wall

We present the projected velocity dispersion profile for the remote (d = 233 kpc) Galactic dwarf spheroidal (dSph) galaxy Leo II, based on 171 discrete stellar radial velocities that were obtained from medium-resolution spectroscopy using the FLAMES/GIRAFFE spectrograph at the European Southern Observatory, Chile. The dispersion profile of those stars with good membership probabilities is essentially flat, with an amplitude of 6.6 ± 0.7 km s-1 over the full radial extent of our data, which probe to the stellar boundary of this galaxy. We find no evidence of any significant apparent rotation or velocity asymmetry, which suggests that tidal effects cannot be invoked to explain Leo II's properties. From basic mass modeling, employing the Jeans equation, we derive a mass out to the limiting radius of (2.7 ± 0.5) × 107 M⊙ and a global mass-to-light ratio of 27-45 in solar units, depending on the adopted total luminosity. A cored halo profile and a mild amount of tangential velocity anisotropy is found to account well for Leo II's observed kinematics, although we cannot exclude the possibility of a cusped halo with radially varying velocity anisotropy. All in all, this galaxy exhibits dark matter properties that appear to be concordant with the other dSph satellites of the Milky Way, namely, a halo mass profile that is consistent with a central core and a total mass that is similar to the common mass scale seen in other dSphs.
Dynamical evolution of the scalar condensate in heavy ion collisions

We derive the effective coarse-grained field equation forthe scalar condensate of the linear sigma model in a simple andstraightforward manner using linear response theory. The dissipativecoefficient is calculated at tree level on the basis of the physicalprocesses of sigma-meson decay and of thermal sigma-mesons and pionsknocking sigma-mesons out of the condensate. The field equation is solvedfor hot matter undergoing either one or three dimensional expansion andcooling in the aftermath of a high energy nuclear collision. The resultsshow that the time constant for returning the scalar condensate tothermal equilibrium is of order 2 fm/c. Comment: 19 pages, 3 figures areembedded at the end. The effect of the time dependence of the condensatev is included in this revised version. Numerical work is redoneaccordingly
Liver Surgery for Hepatocellular Carcinoma: Laparoscopic versus Open Approach

In this study, we try to compare the benefit of laparoscopic versus open operative procedures. Patients and Methods. One hundred and sixteen patients underwent laparoscopic liver resection (LR) and another 208 patients went for open liver resection (OR) for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Patients' selection for open or laparoscopic approach was not randomized. Results. The CLIP score for LR and OR was 0.59 ± 0.75 and 0.86 ± 1.04, respectively, (P = .016). The operation time was 156.3 ± 308.2 and 190.9 ± 79.2 min for LR and OR groups, respectively. The necessity for blood transfusion was found in 8 patients (6.9%) and 106 patients (50.9%) for LR and OR groups. Patients resumed full diet on the 2nd and 3rd postoperative day, and the average length of hospital stay was 6 days and 12 days for LR and OR groups. The complication rate and mortality rate were 0% and 6.0%, 2.9% and 30.2% for LR and OR groups, respectively. The 1-yr, 3-yr, and 5-yr survival rate was 87.0%, 70.4%, 62.2% and 83.2%, 76.0%, 71.8% for LR and OR group, respectively, of non-significant difference. From these results, HCC patients accepted laparoscopic or open approach were of no significant differences between their survival rates.
Antiapoptotic Effects of Aspirin on CA1 Pyramidal Neurons in Adult Rats

Background and Objective: As one of the widely used drugs, aspirin (acetyl-salicylic acid, ASA) plays an important role in stroke treatment and prevention. In a previous study, we demonstrated ASA injection at 30 min after ischemia onset is neuroprotective. To determine whether the neurons protected by ASA had a normal ultrastructure, hippocampal CA1 pyramidal neurons were examined by Transmission Electron Microscope (TEM). Material and Methods: Adult male wistar rats were divided into three different groups (6 animals/ group): Sham-operated, control (48 MCAO+vehicle) and aspirin (48 MCAO + ASA). ASA (30 mg/kg) was injected 30 min after ischemia onset. The animals were killed 2 days after ischemia induction and their brain removed, processed, and examined under a TEM. Results: Apoptotic changes were observed in rats not treated with ASA. In contrast, pyramidal neuron ultrastructure appeared normal in rats that exhibited neuroprotection (defined at the light microscope level) by ASA when studied two days after ischemia. Conclusion: We conclude that administration of ASA after permanent focal cerebral ischemia remains a considerable therapeutic strategy.
Homer Proteins Regulate Coupling of Group I Metabotropic Glutamate Receptors to N-Type Calcium and M-Type Potassium Channels

Group I metabotropic glutamate receptors (mGluR1 and 5) couple to intracellular calcium pools by a family of proteins, termed Homer, that cross-link the receptor to inositol trisphosphate receptors. mGluRs also couple to membrane ion channels via G-proteins. The role of Homer proteins in channel modulation was investigated by expressing mGluRs and various forms of Homer in rat superior cervical ganglion (SCG) sympathetic neurons by intranuclear cDNA injection. Expression of cross-linking-capable forms of Homer (Homer 1b, 1c, 2, and 3, termed long forms) occluded group I mGluR-mediated N-type calcium and M-type potassium current modulation. This effect was specific for group I mGluRs. mGluR2 (group II)-mediated inhibition of N-channels was unaltered. Long forms of Homer decreased modulation of N- and M-type currents but did not selectively block distinct G-protein pathways. Short forms of Homer, which cannot self-multimerize (Homer 1a and a Homer 2 C-terminal deletion), did not alter mGluR–ion channel coupling. When coexpressed with long forms of Homer, short forms restored the mGluR1a-mediated calcium current modulation in an apparent dose-dependent manner. Homer 2b induced cell surface clusters of mGluR5 in SCG neurons. Conversely, a uniform distribution was observed when mGluR5 was expressed alone or with Homer short forms. These studies indicate that long and short forms of Homer compete for binding to mGluRs and regulate their coupling to ion channels. In vivo, the immediate early Homer 1a is anticipated to enhance ion channel modulation and to disrupt coupling to releasable intracellular calcium pools. Thus, Homer may regulate the magnitude and predominate signaling output of group I mGluRs.
HOME RANGE CHARACTERISTICS OF FISHERSIN CALIFORNIA

Abstract The fisher (Martes pennanti) is a forest mustelid that historically occurred in California from the mixed conifer forests of the north coast, east to the southern Cascades, and south throughout the Sierra Nevada. Today fishers in California occur only in 2 disjunct populations in the northwestern mountains and the southern Sierra Nevada. We studied the ecology of fishers in both populations (the north coast [Coastal] and southern Sierra Nevada [Sierra]) to characterize the size and composition of their home ranges, and to compare features between locations. Twenty-one (9 Coastal, 12 Sierra) of 46 radiocollared fishers were relocated frequently enough (>20 times) to estimate home ranges. The home ranges of males (X̄ = 3,934.5 ha) were significantly greater than those of females (980.5 ha), and the home ranges of females were significantly greater in the Coastal than in the Sierra area. The smaller home ranges in the Sierra were probably due to productive habitats rich in black oak (Quercus kelloggii). Midseral Douglas-fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii) and white fir (Abies concolor) types composed the greatest proportion (42.8%) of home ranges in the Coastal study area. The greatest proportion of home ranges in the Sierra study area were in the intermediate tree size class (60.7%), had dense canopy closure (66.3%), and were in the Sierran Mixed Conifer type (40.1%). These measures provide guidelines for managers who wish to influence landscape features to resemble occupied fisher habitat. The recovery of fishers in the Pacific States, however, will also require the consideration of microhabitat elements and characteristics of landscapes that might affect metapopulation dynamics.
Why do slot machine gamblers use stopping devices? Findings from a ‘Casino Lab’ experiment

ABSTRACT Stopping devices are a structural characteristic of modern slot machines that enable the player to brake the spinning reels manually, but with no influence on the predetermined outcome. This study tested two mechanisms for why players might use a stopping device: (1) enhanced ‘illusory control’, and (2) faster game speed. Thirty student participants and 31 past-year slot machine gamblers played a multi-line slot machine equipped with a stop button, situated in a laboratory environment. During 20 minutes of play, participants could use the stop button as often as they wished. Contrary to predictions, the Gamblers’ Beliefs Questionnaire (GBQ), a trait measure of illusion of control, did not predict stop button usage. Participants who did and did not endorse the stop button as effective did not differ in their actual use of the device. Stop button use was associated with faster spin initiation latencies, and specifically increased following spins on which the use of the stop button coincided with a win. The data are interpreted as more consistent with a low-level operant conditioning account of slot machine gambling than a higher-level account based on cognitive distortions. By increasing speed of play, stopping devices may increase gambling losses and exaggerate gambling-related harms.
Closed-Loop Neuroprosthesis for Reach-to-Grasp Assistance: Combining Adaptive Multi-channel Neuromuscular Stimulation with a Multi-joint Arm Exoskeleton

Stroke patients with severe motor deficits cannot execute task-oriented rehabilitation exercises with their affected upper extremity. Advanced rehabilitation technology may support them in performing such reach-to-grasp movements. The challenge is, however, to provide assistance as needed, while maintaining the participants' commitment during the exercises. In this feasibility study, we introduced a closed-loop neuroprosthesis for reach-to-grasp assistance which combines adaptive multi-channel neuromuscular stimulation with a multi-joint arm exoskeleton. Eighteen severely affected chronic stroke patients were assisted by a gravity-compensating, seven-degree-of-freedom exoskeleton which was attached to the paretic arm for performing reach-to-grasp exercises resembling activities of daily living in a virtual environment. During the exercises, adaptive electrical stimulation was applied to seven different muscles of the upper extremity in a performance-dependent way to enhance the task-oriented movement trajectory. The stimulation intensity was individualized for each targeted muscle and remained subthreshold, i.e., induced no overt support. Closed-loop neuromuscular stimulation could be well integrated into the exoskeleton-based training, and increased the task-related range of motion (p = 0.0004) and movement velocity (p = 0.015), while preserving accuracy. The highest relative stimulation intensity was required to facilitate the grasping function. The facilitated range of motion correlated with the upper extremity Fugl-Meyer Assessment score of the patients (p = 0.028). Combining adaptive multi-channel neuromuscular stimulation with antigravity assistance amplifies the residual motor capabilities of severely affected stroke patients during rehabilitation exercises and may thus provide a customized training environment for patient-tailored support while preserving the participants' engagement.
What can bearings bear?

This paper studies the series of 22 test runs performance for bearing damage assessment due to inverter-induced bearing currents. The influence of bearing current amplitude and type, calculated apparent bearing current density, time of operation, and inverter switching frequency on bearing damage was investigated. The degree of electrical bearing stress W was introduced. The degree of melting of the bearing race surface and the grade of reduction of the carboxylic acid bound in the grease, which is an indicator for the deterioration of the grease, depend on W
The associations of quantitative/qualitative job insecurity and well-being: The role of self-esteem.

Job insecurity is recognized as one of the most prominent job stressors for employees. Despite decades of research, the concurrent examination of both quantitative (i.e. perceived threat of job loss) and qualitative (i.e., perceived threat of losing some job features) job insecurity and the analysis of their different relationships with well-being at work have received relatively scarce attention. This study examined a moderated mediation model of the relationship between quantitative job insecurity and well-being at work. In doing so, the focus was on the mediating effects of qualitative job insecurity and the moderating effects of self-esteem in the abovementioned relationships. Drawing from Warr’s model, four indicators of well-being at work were included (i.e., vigor, emotional exhaustion, job satisfaction and psychological symptoms) offering a more detailed analysis of the consequences of job insecurity. A sample of 751 Italian employees participated in a self-report questionnaire. Results showed that qualitative job insecurity fully mediated the effects of quantitative job insecurity on outcomes. Concerning job satisfaction, the conditional indirect effect of quantitative job insecurity varied significantly on the basis of selfesteem, showing the moderating role of the latter variable. These findings provided additional evidence of the different role of job insecurity dimensions on well-being in workplaces. Moreover, the overall moderated mediation analysis provided new insights about the buffering role of selfesteem. Finally, implications for human resource management and stress management were provided.
Towards atomic level simulation of electron devices including the semiconductor-oxide interface

We report a milestone in device modeling whereby a planar MOSFET with extremely thin silicon on insulator channel is simulated at the atomic level, including significant parts of the gate and buried oxides explicitly in the simulation domain, in ab initio fashion, i.e without material or geometrical parameters. We use the density-functional-based tight-binding formalism for constructing the device Hamiltonian, and non-equilibrium Green's functions formalism for calculating electron current. Simulations of Si/SiO2 super-cells agree very well with experimentally observed band-structure phenomena in SiO2-confined sub-6 nm thick Si films. Device simulations of ETSOI MOSFET with 3 nm channel length and sub-nm channel thickness also agree well with reported measurements of the transfer characteristics of a similar transistor.