Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
‘Nasty neighbours’ rather than ‘dear enemies’ in a social carnivore

Territorial animals typically respond less aggressively to neighbours than to strangers. This ‘dear enemy effect’ has been explained by differing familiarity or by different threat levels posed by neighbours and strangers. In most species, both the familiarity and the threat-level hypotheses predict a stronger response to strangers than to neighbours. In contrast, the threat-level hypothesis predicts a stronger response to neighbours than to strangers in species with intense competition between neighbours and with residents outnumbering strangers, as commonly found in social mammals such as the banded mongoose (Mungos mungo). The familiarity hypothesis predicts reduced aggression towards neighbours also in these species. We exposed free-living banded mongoose groups to translocated scent marks of neighbouring groups and strangers. Groups vocalized more and inspected more samples in response to olfactory cues of the neighbours than to the strangers. Our results support the threat-level hypothesis and contradict the familiarity hypothesis. We suggest that increased aggression towards neighbours is more common in social species with intense competition between neighbours, as opposed to reduced aggression towards neighbours typical for most solitary species.
FastScan - A handoﬀ scheme for Voice over IEEE 802.11 WLANs

IEEE 802.11 Wireless LANs are increasingly being used in enterprise environments for broad-band access. Such large scale IEEE 802.11 WLAN deployments implies the need for client mobility support; a mobile station has to be “handed oﬀ” from one Access Point to another. Seamless handoﬀ is possible for data traﬃc, which is not aﬀected much by the handoﬀ delay. However, voice traﬃc has stringent QoS requirements and cannot tolerate more than 50 ms net handoﬀ delay. The basic IEEE 802.11 handoﬀ scheme (implemented in Layers 1 & 2) only achieves a handoﬀ delay of 300 ms at best, leading to disrupted connectivity and call dropping. The delay incurred in scanning for APs across channels contributes to 90% of the total handoﬀ delay. In this paper, the FastScan scheme is proposed which reduces the scanning delay by using a client-based database. The net handoﬀ delay is reduced to as low as 20 ms for IEEE 802.11b networks. We next suggest “Enhanced FastScan” that uses the direction and relative position of the client with respect to the current AP to satisfy the latency constraint in IEEE 802.11a scenarios, which have signiﬁcantly higher scanning delays due to the larger number of channels. The proposed schemes do not need any changes in the infrastructure (access points) and require only a single radio and a small cache memory at the client side.
Clarifying the Relationship Between Parenthood and Depression∗

Unlike other major adult social roles in the United States, parenthood does not appear to confer a mental health advantage for individuals. However, while research has examined parental status differences in emotional well-being, relatively little is known about variations in emotional distress among parents. In this article, we clarify the relationship between parenthood and current symptoms of depression using data from the National Survey of Families and Households. The analyses provide support for our first hypothesis: Parenthood is not associated with enhanced mental health since there is no type of parent who reports less depression than nonparents. We also find support for our second hypothesis: Certain types of parenthood are associated with more depression than others. Additionally, although we find marital status differences in symptoms among parents, there are no gender differences in the association between parenthood and depression. We discuss the implications of our findings for ongoing theoretical debates about the advantages of social role involvement for mental health as well as the meaning of contemporary parenthood in the United States.
Skeletal Complications in Patients with Bone Metastases from Renal Cell Carcinoma and Therapeutic Benefits of Zoledronic Acid

Bone metastases in patients with renal cell carcinoma are associated with a high risk of skeletal complications. Therefore, a subset analysis of a larger clinical trial was performed to determine the efficacy of zoledronic acid in renal cell carcinoma patients. Patients with bone metastases from solid tumors other than breast or prostate cancer (n = 773) were randomized to receive zoledronic acid or placebo via 15-minute infusion every 3 weeks for 9 months. Patients were monitored for skeletal-related events, which were defined as pathological fracture, spinal cord compression, radiotherapy, or surgery to bone. Among the subset of 74 patients with renal cell carcinoma, 46 patients were treated with 4 mg of zoledronic acid or placebo. Significantly fewer patients treated with 4 mg zoledronic acid had a skeletal-related event (37% versus 74% for placebo, P = 0.015), and zoledronic acid significantly prolonged the time to first skeletal-related event (median not reached at 9 months versus 72 days for placebo; P = 0.006). Zoledronic acid significantly reduced the annual incidence of skeletal-related events by ∼21% (mean 2.68 versus 3.38 events per year for placebo, P = 0.014) and significantly reduced the risk of developing a skeletal-related event by 61% compared with placebo (risk ratio = 0.394, P = 0.008) by multiple event analysis. Median time to progression of bone lesions was also significantly extended with zoledronic acid treatment (P = 0.014). Zoledronic acid is the first bisphosphonate to significantly reduce skeletal morbidity and significantly prolong time to bone lesion progression in patients with bone metastases from renal cell carcinoma.
Serum phosphorus reduction in dialysis patients treated with cinacalcet for secondary hyperparathyroidism results mainly from parathyroid hormone reduction

Background The calcimimetic cinacalcet lowers parathyroid hormone (PTH), calcium (Ca) and phosphorus (P) in dialysis patients with secondary hyperparathyroidism (SHPT). We explored serum P changes in dialysis patients treated with cinacalcet, while controlling for vitamin D sterol and phosphate binder (PB) changes, based on data from the pan-European observational study ECHO. Methods Patients were categorized by serum P change (decreased/unchanged/increased) at 12 months after starting cinacalcet and subcategorized by vitamin D sterol and PB dose changes (decreased/unchanged/increased). The impact of PTH, Ca and P, and vitamin D sterol, PB and cinacalcet doses (absolute values and/or change) was evaluated. Predictors of P change were explored using univariate and multivariate general linear models (GLM) and logistic regression analysis. Results At Month 12, 661 (41%) of 1607 patients had decreased, 61 (4%) unchanged and 400 (25%) increased serum P, while 485 patients had missing data. In 45% of the patients with serum P reduction, vitamin D was either increased or unchanged and P binders decreased or unchanged. PTH was a key predictor of serum P reduction, with an estimated 3% decrease in P per 10% reduction in PTH. Changes in vitamin D sterol and PB doses were not generally significant factors in GLM and regression analyses. Conclusions The serum P reduction observed in a significant proportion of dialysis patients after adding cinacalcet to an existing therapeutic regimen for SHPT appears to result mainly from PTH reduction, rather than from changes in vitamin D sterol or PB doses. Financial support for the ECHO study was provided by Amgen.
Frictional and transport properties of the Chelungpu fault from shallow borehole data and their correlation with seismic behavior during the 1999 Chi‐Chi earthquake

We carried out low‐ and high‐velocity friction tests on fault rock samples from shallow boreholes on the Taiwan Chelungpu fault and measured their fluid transport properties under high pressure, with the objective of explaining the different seismic behaviors in the northern and southern sections of the fault during the 1999 Chi‐Chi earthquake. Our results of low‐velocity friction tests demonstrate that fault gouge from the southern section of the fault exhibits velocity‐weakening frictional behavior, whereas gouge from the northern section exhibits velocity‐strengthening friction. Friction in the northern gouge decreased strongly with increasing wetness, whereas friction in southern gouge samples was not affected by wetness. A rapid reduction of friction was observed immediately after the onset of slip in high‐velocity friction tests. The results of high‐velocity friction tests were similar for all fault gouge samples tested, although permeability in the northern fault zone was lower than that in the south. Numerical modeling indicated that thermal pressurization in the northern fault zone promoted stress reduction and fault instability during slip, whereas it did not in the south. This contrasting seismic behavior between north and south is caused mainly by differences in fluid transport properties of the slip zones. More efficient thermal pressurization in the north explains the large slip displacement there. The results of our low‐velocity friction tests are consistent with nucleation of the Chi‐Chi earthquake in the south and propagation of the rupture from south to north.
Staying in plastic containers interferes with the orientation of clock-shifted homing pigeons

Staying in plastic containers ventilated with natural air during transport and while waiting at the release site was found to affect the initial orientation of pigeons, Columba livia f. domestica, that were exposed to a 6-h clock-shift. The deflection from the mean direction of controls was significantly smaller, and the mean vector length was significantly shorter, than that of clock-shifted pigeons transported in conventional wooden cages. This effect was most pronounced when the birds stayed in plastic containers for the first and second time. Nonshifted control birds seemed to be largely unaffected by plastic containers. There was no influence on homing performance, which suggests a transient nature of the effect. Since the clock-shifted birds had access to the same orientational cues as the controls, we suggest that their sun compass was impaired by stress. We discuss general implications of this container effect, particularly in relation to some cases of olfactory deprivation where containers have been used and stress-induced side-effects cannot be excluded. Copyright 1999 The Association for the Study of Animal Behaviour.
Intensification and Expansion of Soil Moisture Drying in Warm Season Over Eurasia Under Global Warming

Soil moisture (SM) is a key hydrological component regulating the net ecosystem energy exchange at the land‐atmosphere boundary layer over the continents via heat fluxes and relevant feedback on precipitation. Due to its ecological and meteor‐hydrological implications, SM change is of great significance in Eurasia that has the highest population density and fragile ecological environment. Using monthly data from the Global Land Data Assimilation System, this study investigated SM changes over Eurasia during the warm season (May–September). It was found that recent 63 years witnessed widespread decreasing SM across Eurasia during the warm season. Regions with a drying SM tendency kept expanding till the 1990s. Specifically, the largest decreasing magnitude of SM with the aridity index ranging 0.5–0.6 and 1.0–1.1 was found along the semi‐arid and dry‐humid transition regions, respectively. In addition, more significant drying SM was observed in Sahel, northern Asia, northeastern Asia, and western Europe. Weakening West African monsoon (WAM)/East Asia summer monsoon did not benefit the propagation of water vapor flux to the Sahel regions/northeastern and northern Asia, and hence decreased SM in these regions. Besides, results by the maximum covariance analysis highlighted the roles of warming climate in SM variations over Eurasia during the warm season. Global climate models also indicate decreased SM due to global warming and projects continuously decreasing SM in the warm season over the 21st century under Representative Concentration Pathway (RCP)2.6, RCP4.5, RCP6.0, and RCP8.5 scenarios. Decreasing SM across the Eurasia and related ecological and environmental implications should cause international concern.
Pregnancy outcomes among female hairdressers who participated in the Danish National Birth Cohort.

OBJECTIVES The Danish National Birth Cohort (DNBC) was used to examine pregnancy outcomes among female hairdressers and neurodevelopment in their offspring. METHODS A population-based cohort study was conducted of 550 hairdressers and 3216 shop assistants (reference group) by using data from the Danish National Birth Cohort between 1997 and 2003. Information on job characteristics was reported by the women in the first interview (around 17 weeks of gestation). Pregnancy outcomes were obtained by linkage to the national registers. Developmental milestones were reported by the mother at the fourth interview, when the child was approximately 19 months old. Cox regression was applied to analyze fetal loss and congenital malformation. Logistic regression was used to analyze other pregnancy outcomes and developmental milestones. RESULTS We found no significant differences in fetal loss, multiple births, gender ratio, preterm birth, small-for-gestational age, congenital malformations, or achievement of developmental milestones among the children of hairdressers and shop assistants. CONCLUSIONS The results do not indicate that children of hairdressers in Denmark currently have a high risk of fetal impairment or delayed psychomotor development.
Nutrition economic evaluation of a probiotic in the prevention of antibiotic-associated diarrhea

Introduction: Antibiotic-associated diarrhea (AAD) is common and frequently more severe in hospitalized elderly adults. It can lead to increased use of healthcare resources. We estimated the cost-effectiveness of a fermented milk (FM) with probiotic in preventing AAD and in particular Clostridium difficile-associated diarrhea (CDAD). Methods: Clinical effectiveness data and cost information were incorporated in a model to estimate the cost impact of administering a FM containing the probiotic Lactobacillus paracasei ssp paracasei CNCM I-1518 in a hospital setting. Preventing AAD by the consumption of the probiotic was compared to no preventive strategy. Results: The probiotic intervention to prevent AAD generated estimated mean cost savings of £339 per hospitalized patient over the age of 65 years and treated with antibiotics, compared to no preventive probiotic. Estimated cost savings were sensitive to variation in the incidence of AAD, and to the proportion of patients who develop non-severe/severe AAD. However, probiotics remained cost saving in all sensitivity analyses. Conclusion: Use of the fermented dairy drink containing the probiotic L. paracasei CNCM I-1518 to prevent AAD in older hospitalized patients treated with antibiotics could lead to substantial cost savings.
Performance analysis and improvement of overlay construction for peer-to-peer live media streaming

For single-source, single-tree based peer-to-peer live media streaming, it is generally believed that a short (and wide) tree has a good comprehensive performance in terms of tree reliability and service delay. While the short tree directly benefits delay optimization, it is unclear whether such a structure maximizes tree reliability, which is sometimes more critical for a streaming Internet service. This paper studies several prevalent overlay construction algorithms in terms of (I) service reliability; (2) service delay and (3) protocol overhead. Two types of peer layout, bandwidth-ordered layout and time-ordered layout, are identified and their performance is evaluated. The analytical results show that, by appropriately placing peers according to their time properties, the tree can be much more reliable than a depth-optimized tree. We therefore propose a heap algorithm, which aims for combining the strengths of both bandwidth ordering and time ordering. It dynamically moves peers between difference layers of the tree according to a simple metric, and gradually adjusts the tree toward a layout partially ordered in time and partially ordered in bandwidth. In so doing the tree has advantages in both service reliability and delay, and maintains small protocol overheads. Extensive simulations demonstrate the effectiveness of this new algorithm.
Evaluation of arcing damage on connector for 42 V automotive power net

The conversion of the power network system voltage from 14 VDC to 42 VDC is accompanied by a discontinuous change of arcing energy produced during live intentional or accidental unplugging. This necessitates a modification of electrical breaking and connecting devices. For the connectors, it results in adding the capability of withstanding arcing during live disconnection to the basic characteristics of high conduction and low insertion effort. To quantify this new capability and the correlated level of arc damage, the authors propose to correlate the insertion criteria "insertion force" with the parameters "arc energy" and current level. Compared with our previous work, the introduction of the current parameter allows us to attribute the origin of the damage to the connector to the overheating of the contacts by heat conduction mechanisms supplied by the arc. As intermediate results, the influence of the opening speed and the contact coating on the arc energy increase is confirmed. The obtained results are help to characterize and to select arc-resistant interconnection solutions in the field of the high power automotive applications.
Cell-sized liposomes reveal how actomyosin cortical tension drives shape change

Significance Animal cells continuously move, divide, and transmit forces by actively reorganizing their internal scaffold or cytoskeleton. Molecular motors pull actin filaments together and generate contraction of the cytoskeleton underneath the cell membrane. We address the detailed mechanism of contraction by using a minimal in vitro assay: a liposome membrane to which we attach actin filaments and molecular motors in a controlled manner. We reproduce contraction like in cells. We show that the scaffold needs to be tightly attached to the membrane for efficient contraction, but, under some conditions, efficient contraction can lead to liposome destruction. These results suggest that cells must precisely control their contractility to remain intact during cellular events. Animal cells actively generate contractile stress in the actin cortex, a thin actin network beneath the cell membrane, to facilitate shape changes during processes like cytokinesis and motility. On the microscopic scale, this stress is generated by myosin molecular motors, which bind to actin cytoskeletal filaments and use chemical energy to exert pulling forces. To decipher the physical basis for the regulation of cell shape changes, here, we use a cell-like system with a cortex anchored to the outside or inside of a liposome membrane. This system enables us to dissect the interplay between motor pulling forces, cortex–membrane anchoring, and network connectivity. We show that cortices on the outside of liposomes either spontaneously rupture and relax built-up mechanical stress by peeling away around the liposome or actively compress and crush the liposome. The decision between peeling and crushing depends on the cortical tension determined by the amount of motors and also on the connectivity of the cortex and its attachment to the membrane. Membrane anchoring strongly affects the morphology of cortex contraction inside liposomes: cortices contract inward when weakly attached, whereas they contract toward the membrane when strongly attached. We propose a physical model based on a balance of active tension and mechanical resistance to rupture. Our findings show how membrane attachment and network connectivity are able to regulate actin cortex remodeling and membrane-shape changes for cell polarization.
Studies on the relationship between thyroid hormones and some trace elements in the blood serum of Iranian fat-tailed sheep

This research was conducted to determine the correlation between selenium, copper, zinc, manganese, and triiodothyronine (T3), thyroxine (T4), free triiodothyronine (fT3) and free thyroxine (fT4). Blood samples were collected from 56 clinically healthy, non-pregnant ewes in 3 different times over 45 days. Serum T 4 , T 3 , fT 4 and fT 3 were measured by the RIA method and selenium, copper, zinc and manganese by atomic absorption spectrophotometer. Comparing the values of the trace elements and thyroid hormones from 3 samplings showed that there was no significant difference in any of the above mentioned parameters. There were significant positive correlations between fT3 and zinc (P<0.05, r = 0.41), fT3 and manganese (P<0.05, r = 0.49) and copper and T 3 (P<0.01, r = 0.27). There was a significant negative correlation between manganese and T 3 (P<0.01, r = -0.30). There were no significant correlations between other biochemical parameters.
Title IQGAP 1 interacts with components of the slit diaphragm complex in podocytes and is involved in podocyte migration and permeability in vitro

IQGAP1 is a scaffold protein that interacts with proteins of the cytoskeleton and the intercellular adhesion complex. In podocytes, IQGAP1 is associated with nephrin in the glomerular slit diaphragm (SD) complex, but its role remains ill-defined. In this work, we investigated the interaction of IQGAP1 with the cytoskeleton and SD proteins in podocytes in culture, and its role in podocyte migration and permeability. Expression, localization, and interactions between IQGAP1 and SD or cytoskeletal proteins were determined in cultured human podocytes by Western blot (WB), immunocytolocalization (IC), immunoprecipitation (IP), and In situ Proximity Ligation assay (IsPL). Involvement of IQGAP1 in migration and permeability was also assessed. IQGAP1 expression in normal kidney biopsies was studied by immunohistochemistry. IQGAP1 expression by podocytes increased during their in vitro differentiation. IC, IP, and IsPL experiments showed colocalizations and/or interactions between IQGAP1 and SD proteins (nephrin, MAGI-1, CD2AP, NCK 1/2, podocin), podocalyxin, and cytoskeletal proteins (a-actinin-4). IQGAP1 silencing decreased podocyte migration and increased the permeability of a podocyte layer. Immunohistochemistry on normal human kidney confirmed IQGAP1 expression in podocytes and distal tubular epithelial cells and also showed an expression in glomerular parietal epithelial cells. In summary, our results suggest that IQGAP1, through its interaction with components of SD and cytoskeletal proteins, is involved in podocyte barrier properties. Citation: Rigothier C, Auguste P, Welsh GI, Lepreux S, Deminière C, et al. (2012) IQGAP1 Interacts with Components of the Slit Diaphragm Complex in Podocytes and Is Involved in Podocyte Migration and Permeability In Vitro. PLoS ONE 7(5): e37695. doi:10.1371/journal.pone. 0037695 Editor: Christos Chatziantoniou, Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale, France Received June 22, 2011; Accepted April 24, 2012; Published May 25, 2012 Copyright: 2012 Rigothier et al. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited. Funding: C. Rigothier has been supported by a long-term fellowship from the ERA-EDTA (European Renal Association European Dialysis and Transplant Association) and by grants from the Société de Néphrologie and the Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de Bordeaux. The funders had no role in the study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript. Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist. * E-mail: claire.rigothier@etud.u-bordeaux2.fr