Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Genetic monogamy despite social promiscuity in the pot‐bellied seahorse (Hippocampus abdominalis)

Sexual selection theory predicts a positive correlation between relative parental investment and mate choice. In syngnathid fishes (seahorses and pipefish), males brood offspring in specialized brooding structures. While female‐female mating competition has been demonstrated in some pipefishes, all seahorses (genus Hippocampus) studied to date have been found to have conventional sex roles with greater male–male competition for access to mates despite possessing the most complex brood structures in the family. Although multiple mating is common in pipefish, seahorses are again exceptional, exhibiting strict genetic monogamy. Both demographic and behavioural explanations have been offered to explain the lack of multiple mating in seahorse species, but these hypotheses have not yet been explicitly addressed. We investigated mating systems and brood parentage of the pot‐bellied seahorse, Hippocampus abdominalis, a temperate‐water species that is socially promiscuous with conventional sex roles in laboratory populations. We observed promiscuous courtship behaviour and sex‐role reversal in high density, female‐biased field populations of H. abdominalis. We hypothesize that sex roles are plastic in H. abdominalis, depending on local population density and sex ratio. Despite promiscuous courtship behaviour, all assayed male seahorses were genetically monogamous in both laboratory and wild populations. Physiological limitations associated with embryo incubation may explain the absence of multiple mating in seahorses and may have played an important role in the development of the unique reproductive behaviour typical in these species.
Transcatheter Interatrial Shunt Device for the Treatment of Heart Failure: Rationale and Design of the Randomized Trial to REDUCE Elevated Left Atrial Pressure in Heart Failure (REDUCE LAP-HF I)

Heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF), a major public health problem with high morbidity and mortality rates, remains difficult to manage because of a lack of effective treatment options. Although HFpEF is a heterogeneous clinical syndrome, elevated left atrial pressure—either at rest or with exertion—is a common factor among all forms of HFpEF and one of the primary reasons for dyspnea and exercise intolerance in these patients. On the basis of clinical experience with congenital interatrial shunts in mitral stenosis, it has been hypothesized that the creation of a left-to-right interatrial shunt to decompress the left atrium (without compromising left ventricular filling or forward cardiac output) is a rational, nonpharmacological strategy for alleviating symptoms in patients with HFpEF. A novel transcatheter interatrial shunt device has been developed and evaluated in patients with HFpEF in single-arm, nonblinded clinical trials. These studies have demonstrated the safety and potential efficacy of the device. However, a randomized, placebo-controlled evaluation of the device is required to further evaluate its safety and efficacy in patients with HFpEF. In this article, we give the rationale for a therapeutic transcatheter interatrial shunt device in HFpEF, and we describe the design of REDUCE Elevated Left Atrial Pressure in Heart Failure (REDUCE LAP-HF I), the first randomized controlled trial of a device-based therapy to reduce left atrial pressure in HFpEF. Clinical Trial Registration—URL: http://www.clinicaltrials. gov. Unique identifier: NCT02600234.
Convexity, Classification, and Risk Bounds

Many of the classification algorithms developed in the machine learning literature, including the support vector machine and boosting, can be viewed as minimum contrast methods that minimize a convex surrogate of the 0–1 loss function. The convexity makes these algorithms computationally efficient. The use of a surrogate, however, has statistical consequences that must be balanced against the computational virtues of convexity. To study these issues, we provide a general quantitative relationship between the risk as assessed using the 0–1 loss and the risk as assessed using any nonnegative surrogate loss function. We show that this relationship gives nontrivial upper bounds on excess risk under the weakest possible condition on the loss function—that it satisfies a pointwise form of Fisher consistency for classification. The relationship is based on a simple variational transformation of the loss function that is easy to compute in many applications. We also present a refined version of this result in the case of low noise, and show that in this case, strictly convex loss functions lead to faster rates of convergence of the risk than would be implied by standard uniform convergence arguments. Finally, we present applications of our results to the estimation of convergence rates in function classes that are scaled convex hulls of a finite-dimensional base class, with a variety of commonly used loss functions.
Demonstration of Ge Nanowire CMOS Devices and Circuits for Ultimate Scaling

In this paper, Ge nanowire (NW) CMOS devices and circuits are analyzed in detail. Various experiment splits are studied, including device geometry parameters such as the channel lengths (Lch) from 100 to 40 nm, a NW height (HNW) of 10 nm, the NW widths (WNW) from 40 to 10 nm, and the dielectric equivalent oxide thicknesses (EOTs) of 2 and 5 nm, and four types of device operation modes of accumulation mode (AM) and inversion mode (IM) n-type MOSFETs and p-type MOSFETs. Benefited from the NW structure with scaled EOT, subthreshold swing (SS) as low as 64 mV/dec and maximum transconductance (gmax) as high as 1057 μS/μm are obtained on the Ge NW nMOSFETs. The NW pMOSFETs are also realized on the same common substrate. Furthermore, hybrid Ge NW CMOS with AM nMOSFET and IM pMOSFET is demonstrated for the first time on a Si substrate. The highest maximum voltage gain reaches 54 V/V in the Ge NW CMOS inverters.
Purification and properties of pyruvate kinase from Streptococcus sanguis and activator specificity of pyruvate kinase from oral streptococci

It was found that pyruvate kinases with two different regulatory characteristics were distributed among oral streptococci. The pyruvate kinases of Streptococcus mutans, Streptococcus salivarius, and Streptococcus bovis were activated by glucose 6-phosphate, whereas the enzymes of both Streptococcus sanguis and Streptococcus mitis were activated by fructose 1,6-bisphosphate. Pyruvate kinase (EC 2.7.1.40) from S. sanguis NCTC 10904 was purified, giving a single band on sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. The enzyme had a molecular weight of 250,000 to 260,000 and consisted of four identical subunits. Whereas the pyruvate kinase from S. mutans was completely dependent on glucose 6-phosphate (K. Abbe and T. Yamada, J. Bacteriol. 149:299-305, 1982), the enzyme from S. sanguis was activated by fructose 1,6-bisphosphate. In the presence of 0.5 mM fructose 1,6-bisphosphate, the saturation curves for the substrates, phosphoenolpyruvate and ADP, were hyperbolic, and the Km values were 0.13 and 0.30 mM, respectively. Without fructose 1,6-bisphosphate, however, saturation curves for both substrates were sigmoidal. GDP, IDP, and UDP could replace ADP. Like the enzyme from S. mutans, the enzyme from S. sanguis required a divalent cation, Mg2+ or Mn2+, and a monovalent cation, K+ or NH4+, for activity, and it was strongly inhibited by Pi. When the concentration of Pi was increased, the half-saturating concentration and Hill coefficient for fructose 1,6-bisphosphate increased. The remarkable fluctuation of intracellular levels of fructose 1,6-bisphosphate and phosphoenolpyruvate observed in the cells growing under glucose limitation and nitrogen limitation implies that the intracellular concentration of fructose 1,6-bisphosphate, in cooperation with that of Pi, may regulate pyruvate kinase activity in S. sanguis in vivo.
Variants of psychopathy in adult male offenders: A latent profile analysis.

As measured with the Psychopathy Checklist-Revised (PCL-R), psychopathy is a dimensional construct underpinned by 4 correlated factors: Interpersonal, Affective, Lifestyle, and Antisocial. Theorists and clinicians (e.g., Karpman and Arieti) have posited 2 variants of "primary" or "true" psychopathy, both distinct from so-called "secondary" or "pseudopsychopathy. " We used latent profile analysis to determine if homogeneous classes exist within a sample of 1,451 male offenders with high PCL-R scores (≥ 27). The 4 PCL-R factors were the dependent variables for clustering. A solution with 3 latent classes showed a better fit to the data than did a unitary model without latent classes. Tentative labels for the latent classes are Manipulative (Latent Class 1 [LC1]), Aggressive (Latent Class 2 [LC2]), and Sociopathic (Latent Class 3 [LC3]). The latter class represented an antisocial group that lacked the emotional detachment observed in the other 2 groups. We propose that LC1 and LC2 reflect phenotypic variations on a theme of the traditional construct of psychopathy, and that LC3 is consistent with conceptions of antisocial personality disorder and sociopathy. Replication and external classification with an independent data set of 497 adult male offenders again yielded clearly separable clusters, as well as meaningful differences or trends among latent classes on education, intelligence, symptoms of antisocial personality disorder, and self-reported psychopathic traits and negative affect. The conceptualization of psychopathy in terms of manipulative and aggressive variants is consistent with clinical theory and is empirically grounded.
Radiological and electrocardiographic characterization of right ventricular outflow tract pacing.

AIMS The right ventricular outflow tract (RVOT) is used as an alternative pacing site, but its superiority to the RV apex remains to be established. This lack of proof may in part be explained by heterogeneity within the RVOT-paced group, due to poor definitions of the RVOT. The aim of the present study is to characterize the RVOT in terms of fluoroscopic and electrocardiographic parameters. METHODS AND RESULTS One hundred and forty-three patients who underwent pacemaker implantation with a ventricular lead in the RVOT were included. Lead position was determined by fluoroscopy. The RVOT was divided into three areas: anterior, septal, and free wall (FW). On a 12-lead electrocardiogram (ECG) during forced ventricular pacing, QRS duration, configuration, and amplitude was determined. Lead position was judged to be anterior in 52 (36%), septal in 43 (30%), and FW in 48 (34%) patients, respectively. QRS duration is not significantly different between groups. QRS axis differs significantly between pacing sites (septal 79 ± 31°, anterior 60 ± 46°, FW 47 ± 38°, P < 0.05). QRS vector in lead I and QRS morphology and vector in lead aVL differ significantly between pacing sites. Precordial transition is earlier (towards V1) in septal pacing. CONCLUSIONS This study demonstrates heterogeneity of pacing site and depolarization pattern within a cohort of patients paced form the RVOT. However, due to considerable overlap, we could not define clear cut-off point or devise flow-charts to match ECG and pacing site.
Hill Stress Calculations for Autofrettaged Tubes Compared With Neutron Diffraction Residual Stresses and Measured Yield Pressure and Fatigue Life

Calculations of Bauschinger-modified residual stress in autofrettaged tubes using a simple elastic-plastic model based on the Hill method are compared with neutron diffraction measurements of hoop residual stresses in sections from a swage-autofrettage cannon tube. These residual stresses combined with pressurization stresses are used to describe tube yield pressure and fatigue lives, for comparison with laboratory measurements from cannon tubes from recent publications and new results. Gun steels in the yield strength range from 1000 to 1400 MPa are considered. Results from neutron diffraction measurements show a significantly shallower depth of overstrain in a swage autofrettaged tube compared with that predicted from earlier work with hydraulic pressure autofrettaged tubes, for the same amount of total bore hoop strain. This difference between depth of overstrain for swage and hydraulic autofrettage is incorporated into calculations of yield pressure corresponding to a small amount of permanent strain on the tube outer diameter. Comparison is made with measurements of yield pressure at the same amount of permanent strain. Comparison between calculated and measured yield pressure is good, suggesting a simple design method. Calculations of fatigue life using the classic Paris method compare well with measurements from cannon tests, once Bauschinger-modifications are made in near-bore hoop residual stresses and the difference in overstrain between swage and hydraulic autofrettage is incorporated in the model calculations.
Applied Metal Forming: Including FEM Analysis

1. Characteristics of metal forming 2. Important metal forming processes 3. FEM-analysis of metal forming 4. Theory 5. Reduction and proportion of plastic zone 6. Deformations from velocity fields 7. Technological tests and physical simulation 8. Flow stress data 9. Formability and workability 10. Friction and friction models 11. Thermal effects 12. Experimental metal flow analysis 13. Theoretical methods of analysis 14. Finite element analysis 15. FEM-analysis of technological tests 16. Forging 17. FEM-analysis of forging 18. Extrusion 19. FEM-analysis of extrusion 20. Rolling 21. FEM-analysis of rolling 22. Drawing of wire, profiles and tubes 23. FEM-analysis of wiredrawing 24. Sheet-metal forming.
A uditing and Assessing Air Quality in Concentrated Feeding Operations 1 , 2 , 3

The potential adverse effects of concentrated animal feeding operations (CAFO) on the environment are a growing concern. The air quality issues of most concern to CAFO vary but generally include ammonia, hydrogen sulfide, particulate matter, volatile organic compounds, greenhouse gases, and odors. Air pollutants may be regulated by federal and state laws or by nuisance complaints. The United States Environmental Protection Agency, and poultry, swine, and dairy industries recently agreed to the National Air Emissions Monitoring System to fund research on atmospheric emissions from 1Contribution from the USDA-ARS Conservation and Production Res. Laboratory, Bushland, TX 79012, in cooperation with the Texas Agricultural Exp. St., Amarillo, and West Texas A&M Univ., Canyon. 2Mention of trade names or commercial products in this article is solely for the purpose of providing specific information and does not imply recommendation or endorsement by the USDA. 3Presented at the Annual ARPAS Symposium Current and Future On-Farm Auditing and Assessment, San Antonio, TX, July, 2007. 4Corresponding author: nacole@cprl. ars.usda. gov production farms in the United States. Air quality regulations may be based on actual emissions, atmospheric concentrations, or human perception, or via limiting the size or location of CAFO. Measuring the concentrations or emissions of most air pollutants is expensive and complex. Because of spatial and temporal variability, concentrations and emissions must be measured continuously over an extended period of time. Because different methods or models can give different results with the same data set, a multitude of methods should be used simultaneously to assure emissions are reasonable. The “best” method to measure concentrations and emissions will depend upon atmospheric concentrations, cost, facility characteristics, objectives, and other factors. In the future, requirements for monitoring of air emissions from CAFO will probably increase. Reliable processbased models need to be developed so that emissions of air pollutants can be estimated from readily obtained diet, animal, facility, and environmental variables. Auditors will need to be trained in a variety of disciplines including animal sciences, chemistry, engineering, micrometeorology, instrumentation, modeling, and logic.
Limitations of transvaginal sonography and color Doppler imaging in the differentiation of endometrial carcinoma from benign lesions.

We conducted this study to test the hypothesis that transvaginal ultrasonography and color Doppler imaging of the uterine arteries are complementary methods in the assessment of patients with postmenopausal bleeding. Sixty‐seven patients were studied. Seventeen suffered from endometrial carcinoma, 12 from benign endometrial lesions (six polyp, six hyperplasia) and 38 had no organic pathology. Transvaginal ultrasonography was found to be superior to CDI in the detection of pathologic conditions of the endometrium, but neither method can distinguish benign lesions from their malignant counterparts. CDI does not give additional information over that obtained by transvaginal ultrasonography in the assessment of patients with postmenopausal bleeding, and the limitations of both methods in the differentiation of endometrial carcinoma from benign lesions need to be recognized.
Evaluation of Effective Bandwidth Schemes for Self-Similar Traffic

In this paper, different approximations for the effective bandwidth of self-similar traffic streams are reviewed. Among those, classical approaches originally based on Markovian models are regarded in the context of self-similar traffic. On the other hand, a solution is considered that explicitly takes the long-range dependent character of the traffic stream into account by using a fractional Brownian motion model. Furthermore, we propose an effective bandwidth scheme that provides a combination of approaches from both domains. In order to achieve an objective comparison of the different schemes, an M/Pareto fluid burst has been chosen as a common traffic model, and the corresponding traffic parameters needed by the different schemes have been derived. A burst level simulation of the same traffic model serves as another reference. The evaluation shows that the accuracy of the results obtained using the different schemes depends very much on the traffic parameters.
Outcomes and Quality of Life in Conductive Hearing Loss

OBJECTIVE: The goal was to measure quality of life (QOL) and hearing-specific functional status before and after treatment of conductive hearing loss (CHL). STUDY DESIGN AND SETTING: A prospective, longitudinal, outcomes-based study was performed at an academic medical center. RESULTS: Mean baseline QOL scores in CHL patients were comparable with those of the general population. Audiometric studies indicated significant improvements in hearing threshold in all treated patients. There was no significant improvement in mean global QOL scores after treatment of CHL, although there was little room for improvement over baseline. The hearing-specific instrument did demonstrate significant improvements in emotional and social/situational hearing status after treatment. Patients treated with hearing aids had poorer baseline QOL and hearing status than patients treated with surgery and tended to show declines in QOL and only partial improvement in hearing-specific functional status after treatment. CONCLUSIONS: Treatment of CHL resulted in improvements in hearing-specific functional status, although changes were difficult to detect with a global QOL instrument.
JC Polyomavirus Infections in Transplant Patients

The polyomavirus JC virus (JCV) is a small nonenveloped DNA virus that asymptomatically infects about 80% of healthy adults and establishes latency in the kidney tissue. In case of immunodeficient hosts, JCV can lytically infect the oligodendrocytes, causing a fatal demyelinating disease, known as Progressive Multifocal Leukoencephalopathy (PML). Although the reactivation of another human polyomavirus, BK Virus (BKV), is relatively common and its association with the Polyomavirus Associated Nephropathy (PVAN) following renal transplantation is assessed, JCV replication and its impact on graft function and survival is less well studied. In addition, none of the performed studies ruled out the hypothesis that JCV could be associated with certain post-transplantation clinical syndromes. Thus, monitoring of Polyomaviruses infection, especially during the first 24 months post-transplantation, is recommended.
Three Degrees of Distance on Twitter

Recent work has found that the propagation of behaviors and sentiments through networks extends in ranges up to 2 to 4 degrees of distance. The regularity with which the same observation is found in dissimilar phenomena has been associated with friction in the propagation process and the instability of link structure that emerges in the dynamic of social networks. We study a contagious behavior, the practice of retweeting, in a setting where neither of those restrictions is present and still found the same result.
Nasal Septum Surgery: Evaluation of Pre and Post-operative Respiratory Function in Patients with septal deviation by Acoustic rhinometry and Rhinomanometry

With regard to the critical role of septoplasty in clinical management of patients with nasal septal deviation, who also suffer from chronic episodes of nasal obstruction in most cases, this study aimedat elucidating the efficacy of this therapeutic in improving patients’ respiratory function. In this comparative cross-sectional study,respiratory functionsof 100 patients with the nasal septal deviation who had attended Boo Ali Hospital in 2011 and 2012 were determined before and after septoplasty operationaccording to rhinomanometry and acoustic rhinometry.The mean age of the patients was 24.67 years and 75 percent were female. According to rhinomanometry air flow was significantly increased while notable decrease was observed in nasal resistance (P < 0.05). All records of acoustic rhinometry except the length of second constriction in both sides were markedly differed after septoplasty (P < 0.05). Based on the obtained results in this study andprevious similar researches it can be concluded that respiratory function in patients with nasal septal deviation can be considerably improved after septoplasty.
The RTM Resistance to Potyviruses in Arabidopsis thaliana: Natural Variation of the RTM Genes and Evidence for the Implication of Additional Genes

Background The non conventional RTM (Restricted Tobacco etch virus Movement) resistance which restricts long distance movement of some plant viruses in Arabidopsis thaliana is still poorly understood. Though at least three RTM genes have been identified, their precise role(s) in the process as well as whether other genes are involved needs to be elucidated. Methodology/Principal Findings In this study, the natural variation of the RTM genes was analysed at the amino acid level in relation with their functionality to restrict the long distance movement of Lettuce mosaic potyvirus (LMV). We identified non-functional RTM alleles in LMV-susceptible Arabidopsis accessions as well as some of the mutations leading to the non-functionality of the RTM proteins. Our data also indicate that more than 40% of the resistant accessions to LMV are controlled by the RTM genes. In addition, two new RTM loci were genetically identified. Conclusions/Significance Our results show that the RTM resistance seems to be a complex biological process which would involves at least five different proteins. The next challenges will be to understand how the different RTM protein domains are involved in the resistance mechanism and to characterise the new RTM genes for a better understanding of the blocking of the long distance transport of plant viruses.