Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Causes and consequences of spatial variation in sex ratios in a declining bird species

Summary Male‐biased sex ratios occur in many bird species, particularly in those with small or declining populations, but the causes of these skews and their consequences for local population demography are rarely known. Within‐species variation in sex ratios can help to identify the demographic and behavioural processes associated with such biases. Small populations may be more likely to have skewed sex ratios if sex differences in survival, recruitment or dispersal vary with local abundance. Analyses of species with highly variable local abundances can help to identify these mechanisms and the implications for spatial variation in demography. Many migratory bird species are currently undergoing rapid and severe declines in abundance in parts of their breeding ranges and thus have sufficient spatial variation in abundance to explore the extent of sex ratio biases, their causes and implications. Using national‐scale bird ringing data for one such species (willow warbler, Phylloscopus trochilus), we show that sex ratios vary greatly across Britain and that male‐biased sites are more frequent in areas of low abundance, which are now widespread across much of south and east England. These sex ratio biases are sufficient to impact local productivity, as the relative number of juveniles caught at survey sites declines significantly with increasing sex ratio skew. Sex differences in survival could influence this sex ratio variation, but we find little evidence for sex differences in survival increasing with sex ratio skew. In addition, sex ratios have become male‐biased over the last two decades, but there are no such trends in adult survival rates for males or females. This suggests that lower female recruitment into low abundance sites is contributing to these skews. These findings suggest that male‐biased sex ratios in small and declining populations can arise through local‐scale sex differences in survival and dispersal, with females recruiting disproportionately into larger populations. Given the high level of spatial variation in population declines and abundance of many migratory bird species across Europe at present, male‐biased small populations may be increasingly common. As singing males are the primary records used in surveys of these species, and as unpaired males often sing throughout the breeding season, local sex ratio biases could also be masking the true extent of these population declines.
Evaluation of Basketball-Specific Agility: Applicability of Preplanned and Nonplanned Agility Performances for Differentiating Playing Positions and Playing Levels

Abstract Sekulic, D, Pehar, M, Krolo, A, Spasic, M, Uljevic, O, Calleja-González, J, and Sattler, T. Evaluation of basketball-specific agility: applicability of preplanned and nonplanned agility performances for differentiating playing positions and playing levels. J Strength Cond Res 31(8): 2278–2288, 2017—The importance of agility in basketball is well known, but there is an evident lack of studies examining basketball-specific agility performances in high-level players. The aim of this study was to determine the reliability and discriminative validity of 1 standard agility test (test of preplanned agility [change-of-direction speed] over T course, T-TEST), and 4 newly developed basketball-specific agility tests, in defining playing positions and performance levels in basketball. The study comprised 110 high-level male basketball players (height: 194.92 ± 8.09 cm; body mass: 89.33 ± 10.91 kg; age: 21.58 ± 3.92 years). The variables included playing position (Guard, Forward, Center), performance level (first division vs. second division), anthropometrics (body height, body mass, and percentage of body fat), T-TEST, nonplanned basketball agility test performed on dominant (BBAGILdom) and nondominant sides (BBAGILnond), and a preplanned (change-of-direction speed) basketball agility test performed on dominant (BBCODSdom) and nondominant sides (BBCODSnond). The reliability of agility tests was high (intraclass correlation coefficient of 0.81–0.95). Forwards were most successful in the T-TEST (F test: 13.57; p = 0.01). Guards outperformed Centers in BBCODSdom, BBCODSndom, BBAGILdom, and BBAGILnond (F test: 5.06, p = 0.01; 6.57, 0.01; 6.26, 0.01; 3.37, 0.04, respectively). First division Guards achieved better results than second division Guards in BBCODSdom (t: 2.55; p = 0.02; moderate effect size differences), BBAGILdom, and BBAGILnond (t: 3.04 and 3.06, respectively; both p = 0.01 and moderate effect size differences). First division Centers outperformed second division Centers in BBAGILdom (t: 2.50; p = 0.02; moderate effect size differences). The developed basketball-specific agility tests are applicable when defining position-specific agility. Both preplanned and nonplanned agilities are important qualities in differentiating between Guards of 2 performance levels. The results confirmed the importance of testing basketball-specific nonplanned agility when evaluating the performance level of Centers.
Chromatic Derivatives and Approximations in Practice—Part I: A General Framework

Chromatic derivatives are special, numerically robust differential operators that preserve spectral features of a signal; the associated chromatic approximations accurately capture local features of a signal. For this reason they allow digital processing of continuous time signals often superior to processing of discrete samples of such signals. We introduce a new concept of “matched filter” chromatic approximations, where the underlying basis functions are chosen to match the spectral profile of the signals being approximated. We then derive a collection of formulas and theorems that form a general framework for practical applications of chromatic derivatives and approximations. In the second part of this paper, we use such a general framework in several case studies of such applications that aim to illustrate how chromatic derivatives and approximations can be used in signal processing with an intention of motivating DSP engineers to find applications of these novel concepts in their own practice.
Catecholamines alter the intrinsic variability of cortical population activity and perception

The ascending modulatory systems of the brainstem are powerful regulators of global brain state. Disturbances of these systems are implicated in several major neuropsychiatric disorders. Yet, how these systems interact with specific neural computations in the cerebral cortex to shape perception, cognition, and behavior remains poorly understood. Here, we probed into the effect of two such systems, the catecholaminergic (dopaminergic and noradrenergic) and cholinergic systems, on an important aspect of cortical computation: its intrinsic variability. To this end, we combined placebo-controlled pharmacological intervention in humans, magnetoencephalographic (MEG) recordings of cortical population activity, and psychophysical measurements of the perception of ambiguous visual input. A low-dose catecholaminergic, but not cholinergic, manipulation altered the rate of spontaneous perceptual fluctuations as well as the temporal structure of “scale-free” population activity of large swaths of visual and parietal cortex. Computational analyses indicate that both effects were consistent with an increase in excitatory relative to inhibitory activity in the cortical areas underlying visual perceptual inference. We propose that catecholamines regulate the variability of perception and cognition through dynamically changing the cortical excitation-inhibition ratio. The combined read-out of fluctuations in perception and cortical activity we established here may prove useful as an efficient, and easily accessible marker of altered cortical computation in neuropsychiatric disorders.
Vietoris-Rips and Cech Complexes of Metric Gluings

We study Vietoris-Rips and Cech complexes of metric wedge sums and metric gluings. We show that the Vietoris-Rips (resp. Cech) complex of a wedge sum, equipped with a natural metric, is homotopy equivalent to the wedge sum of the Vietoris-Rips (resp. Cech) complexes. We also provide generalizations for certain metric gluings, i.e. when two metric spaces are glued together along a common isometric subset. As our main example, we deduce the homotopy type of the Vietoris-Rips complex of two metric graphs glued together along a sufficiently short path. As a result, we can describe the persistent homology, in all homological dimensions, of the Vietoris-Rips complexes of a wide class of metric graphs.
“I Could Move Mountains”

Purpose The purpose of this study was to describe firsthand experiences with yoga as shared by adults with or at risk for type 2 diabetes and to examine their beliefs regarding maintenance of yoga practice over time. Methods In this qualitative study, 13 adults with or at risk for type 2 diabetes described their experiences with yoga and their beliefs regarding maintenance of yoga practice over time. Semistructured interviews occurred 16 to 20 months after completion of an 8-week yoga-based clinical trial. Results Themes of readiness for continuing yoga, environmental support for yoga, and integrating yoga emerged through data analysis. Conclusions Findings indicate that yoga is appealing to some individuals with diabetes, but maintaining yoga practice over time is a challenge. Diabetes educators may be able to support maintenance by discussing specific strategies with individuals who express interest in yoga practice.
MODULI SPACES OF LOCAL G-SHTUKAS

We give an overview of the theory of local G-shtukas and their moduli spaces that were introduced in joint work of U. ~Hartl and the author, and in the past years studied by many people. We also discuss relations to moduli of global G-shtukas, properties of their special fiber through affine Deligne-Lusztig varieties and of their generic fiber, such as the period map.
Joint Representation Learning for Location-Based Social Networks with Multi-Grained Sequential Contexts

This article studies the problem of learning effective representations for Location-Based Social Networks (LBSN), which is useful in many tasks such as location recommendation and link prediction. Existing network embedding methods mainly focus on capturing topology patterns reflected in social connections, while check-in sequences, the most important data type in LBSNs, are not directly modeled by these models. In this article, we propose a representation learning method for LBSNs called as JRLM++, which models check-in sequences together with social connections. To capture sequential relatedness, JRLM++ characterizes two levels of sequential contexts, namely fine-grained and coarse-grained contexts. We present a learning algorithm tailored to the hierarchical architecture of the proposed model. We conduct extensive experiments on two important applications using real-world datasets. The experimental results demonstrate the superiority of our model. The proposed model can generate effective representations for both users and locations in the same embedding space, which can be further utilized to improve multiple LBSN tasks.
Cognitive Decline and Dementia Related to Cerebrovascular Diseases: Some Evidence and Concepts

Background: Cerebrovascular diseases (CVDs) are considered the second most common cause of cognitive decline in the elderly after neurodegeneration of the Alzheimer’s type. Despite impressive epidemiological data, the actual burden of CVDs in terms of cognitive decline is still incompletely appreciated by physicians and health regulators. Methods: In this brief position paper, we review some evidence related to the topic and its clinical relevance, and we present some concepts that we consider of crucial importance for the correct recognition of the problem. Results and Conclusions: We conclude that: (1) different approaches to the topic exist (clinical, neuroimaging-based, pathological) and the inconsistent use of one or another, together with lack of definitions, has limited the appreciation of the contribution of CVDs to cognitive decline; (2) cognitive impairment related to CVDs is very frequent and constitutes a topic with high epidemiological impact; (3) cognitive impairment associated with CVDs is heterogeneous in clinical and pathogenic terms; (4) vascular lesions often interact with other type lesions, the most important of which are today considered those of the Alzheimer’s type, in determining cognitive impairment; (5) for some vascular lesions, namely white matter lesions and lacunar infarcts, strong evidence suggests their role as determinants of cognitive decline; (6) cognitive impairment is only part of the consequences of CVDs as it is almost invariably accompanied by gait disturbances, depressive symptoms, and sphincteric control dysfunction, all factors contributing to loss of independence.
Lipoteichoic acid mediates binding of a Lactobacillus S-layer protein

Abstract The Gram-positive lactic acid bacterium Lactobacillus buchneri CD034 is covered by a two-dimensional crystalline, glycoproteinaceous cell surface (S-) layer lattice. While lactobacilli are extensively exploited as cell surface display systems for applied purposes, questions about how they stick their cell wall together are remaining open. This also includes the identification of the S-layer cell wall ligand. In this study, lipoteichoic acid was isolated from the L. buchneri CD034 cell wall as a significant fraction of the bacterium’s cell wall glycopolymers, structurally characterized and analyzed for its potential to mediate binding of the S-layer to the cell wall. Combined component analyses and 1D- and 2D-nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy (NMR) revealed the lipoteichoic acid to be composed of on average 31 glycerol-phosphate repeating units partially substituted with α-d-glucose, and with an α-d-Galp(1→2)-α-d-Glcp(1→3)−1,2-diacyl-sn-Gro glycolipid anchor. The specificity of binding between the L. buchneri CD034 S-layer protein and purified lipoteichoic acid as well as their interaction force of about 45 pN were obtained by single-molecule force spectroscopy; this value is in the range of typical ligand–receptor interactions. This study sheds light on a functional implication of Lactobacillus cell wall architecture by showing direct binding between lipoteichoic acid and the S-layer of L. buchneri CD034.
Implementation of a Diabetes Self-management Education Program in Primary Care for Adults Using Shared Medical Appointments

Purpose The purpose of this study was to implement diabetes self-management education in primary care using the Chronic Care Model and shared medical appointments (SMA) to provide evidence-based interventions to improve process and measure outcomes. Methods A quality improvement project using the Plan-Do-Check-Act cycle was implemented in a primarycare setting in South Texas to provide diabetes self-management education for adults. Biological measures were evaluated in 70 patients at initiation of the project and thereafter based on current practice guidelines. Results The results of the project were consistent with the literature regarding the benefits, sustainability, and viability of SMA. As compared with that in studies presented in the literature, the patient population who participated in SMA had similar outcomes regarding improvement in A1C, self-management skills, and satisfaction. SMA are an innovative system redesign concept with the potential to provide comprehensive and coordinated care for patients with multiple and chronic health conditions while still being an efficient, effective, financially viable, and sustainable program. Conclusions As the incidence and prevalence of diabetes increase, innovative models of care can meet the growing demand for access and utilization of diabetes self-management education programs. Programs focusing on chronic conditions to improve outcomes can be replicated by health care providers in primary care settings. SMA can increase revenue and productivity, improve disease management, and increase provider and patient satisfaction.
Genome-wide analysis of differentially expressed lncRNAs and mRNAs in primary gonadotrophin adenomas by RNA-seq

Recently, long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) have received increased research interest owing to their participation via distinct mechanisms in the biological processes of nonfunctional pituitary adenomas. However, changes in the expression of lncRNAs in gonadotrophin adenoma, which is the most common nonfunctional pituitary adenomas, have not yet been reported. In this study, we performed a genome-wide analysis of lncRNAs and mRNAs obtained from gonadotrophin adenoma patients’ samples and normal pituitary tissues using RNA-seq. The differentially expressed lncRNAs and mRNAs were identified using fold-change filtering. We identified 839 lncRNAs and 1015 mRNAs as differentially expressed. Gene Ontology analysis indicated that the biological functions of differentially expressed mRNAs were related to transcription regulator activity and basic metabolic processes. Ingenuity Pathway Analysis was performed to identify 64 canonical pathways that were significantly enriched in the tumor samples. Furthermore, to investigate the potential regulatory roles of the differentially expressed lncRNAs on the mRNAs, we constructed general co-expression networks for 100 coding and 577 non-coding genes that showed significantly correlated expression patterns in tumor cohort. In particular, we built a special sub-network of co-expression involving 186 lncRNAs interacting with 15 key coding genes of the mTOR pathway, which might promote the pathogenesis of gonadotrophin tumor. This is the first study to explore the patterns of genome-wide lncRNAs expression and co-expression with mRNAs, which might contribute to the molecular pathogenesis of gonadotrophin adenoma.
Preparation, characterization, and mechanical/tribological properties of polyamide 11/Titanium dioxide nanocomposites

In this study, the effects of the surface chemical modification of titanium dioxide (TiO2) nanoparticles and their addition into polyamide 11 (PA11) on the mechanical, dynamic-mechanical, and tribological properties of PA11/TiO2 nanocomposites were investigated. To improve the interfacial adhesion between the nanoparticles and the polymeric matrix, the surface of TiO2 nanoparticles was modified with 3-aminopropyl trimethoxysilane (ATPMS). Nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), infrared spectroscopy (IR), and thermogravimetric analysis (TG) were used to evaluate the efficiency of the surface chemical modification of TiO2 nanoxide. PA11/TiO2 nanocomposites with 2 and 4 wt% of TiO2 were prepared in an internal mixer. The interfacial adhesion between the matrix and the TiO2 was evaluated by dynamic-mechanical analysis (DMA), and the dispersion of nanoparticles was analyzed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The NMR spectrum of the modified TiO2 exhibited peaks in the region between −55 ppm and −70 ppm, indicating disubstituted and trisubstituted chemical structures between alkoxysilano structures and TiO2. Nanocomposites with modified TiO2 exhibited the lowest tan δ peak values, which provide evidence that the chemical modification of the TiO2 facilitated energy dissipation at the interface of TiO2 with the PA11 matrix. Surface modification of the TiO2 nanoparticles with ATPMS caused a greater reduction of the mass loss by abrasion when compared with nonmodified PA11/TiO2 nanocomposites; this reduction reached approximately 70% in comparison with the mass loss of neat PA11. POLYM. COMPOS. , 2014. © 2014 Society of Plastics Engineers
Gender Differences in Borderline Personality Disorder Features in an Epidemiological Sample of Adults Age 55-64: Self Versus Informant Report.

The literature on the prevalence of borderline personality disorder (BPD) across gender reveals multiple trends. A number of studies indicate that women have a higher prevalence. Others indicate no difference, and a few even reveal that men have a higher prevalence. Yet existing studies are plagued by sampling biases, use mainly self-reported information, and tend to report general prevalence of BPD categorically defined. The current investigation attempted to shed new light on this literature by analyzing BPD features dimensionally in a representative epidemiological sample of adults ages 55-64, using both self- and informant-reported perspectives. Data from the St. Louis Personality and Aging Network study revealed a significant interaction across gender and perspective, F(1, 1360) = 23.46, p < . 01. Gender differences were found for self-report only, such that men reported greater BPD severity. Meanwhile, informant report indicated no gender difference. Trends underscore the importance of epidemiological sampling and multiple assessment perspectives when analyzing BPD.
External validity of post-stroke interventional gait rehabilitation studies

Gait rehabilitation is a major component of stroke rehabilitation, and is supported by extensive research. The objective of this review was to examine the external validity of intervention studies aimed at improving gait in individuals post-stroke. To that end, two aspects of these studies were assessed: subjects’ exclusion criteria and the ecological validity of the intervention, as manifested by the intervention’s technological complexity and delivery setting. Additionally, we examined whether the target population as inferred from the titles/abstracts is broader than the population actually represented by the reported samples. Methods: We systematically researched PubMed for intervention studies to improve gait post-stroke, working backwards from the beginning of 2014. Exclusion criteria, the technological complexity of the intervention (defined as either elaborate or simple), setting, and description of the target population in the titles/abstracts were recorded. Results: Fifty-two studies were reviewed. The samples were exclusive, with recurrent stroke, co-morbidities, cognitive status, walking level, and residency being major reasons for exclusion. In one half of the studies, the intervention was elaborate. Descriptions of participants in the title/abstract in almost one half of the studies included only the diagnosis (stroke or comparable terms) and its stage (acute, subacute, and chronic). Conclusions: The external validity of a substantial number of intervention studies about rehabilitation of gait post-stroke appears to be limited by exclusivity of the samples as well as by deficiencies in ecological validity of the interventions. These limitations are not accurately reflected in the titles or abstracts of the studies.
Optimal Petri-Net-Based Polynomial-Complexity Deadlock-Avoidance Policies for Automated Manufacturing Systems

Even for a simple automated manufacturing system (AMS), such as a general single-unit resource allocation system, the computation of an optimal or maximally permissive deadlock-avoidance policy (DAP) is NP-hard. Based on its Petri-net model, this paper addresses the deadlock-avoidance problem in AMSs, which can be modeled by systems of simple sequential processes with resources. First, deadlock is characterized as a perfect resource-transition circuit that is saturated at a reachable state. Second, for AMSs that do not have one-unit resources shared by two or more perfect resource-transition circuits that do not contain each other, it is proved that there are only two kinds of reachable states: safe states and deadlock. An algorithm for determining the safety of a new state resulting from a safe one is then presented, which has polynomial complexity. Hence, the optimal DAP with polynomial complexity can be obtained by a one-step look-ahead method, and the deadlock-avoidance problem is polynomially solved with Petri nets for the first time. Finally, by reducing a Petri-net model and applying the design of optimal DAP to the reduced one, a suboptimal DAP for a general AMS is synthesized, and its computation is of polynomial complexity.