Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Limber Pine (Pinus flexilis James), a Flexible Generalist of Forest Communities in the Intermountain West

As forest communities continue to experience interactions between climate change and shifting disturbance regimes, there is an increased need to link ecological understanding to applied management. Limber pine (Pinus flexilis James.), an understudied species of western North America, has been documented to dominate harsh environments and thought to be competitively excluded from mesic environments. An observational study was conducted using the Forest Inventory and Analysis Database (FIAD) to test the competitive exclusion hypothesis across a broad elevational and geographic area within the Intermountain West, USA. We anticipated that competitive exclusion would result in limber pine’s absence from mid-elevation forest communities, creating a bi-modal distribution. Using the FIAD database, limber pine was observed to occur with 22 different overstory species, which represents a surprising number of the woody, overstory species commonly observed in the Intermountain West. There were no biologically significant relationships between measures of annual precipitation, annual temperature, or climatic indices (i.e. Ombrothermic Index) and limber pine dominance. Limber pine was observed to be a consistent component of forest communities across elevation classes. Of the plots that contained limber pine regeneration, nearly half did not have a live or dead limber pine in the overstory. However, limber pine regeneration was greater in plots with higher limber pine basal area and higher average annual precipitation. Our results suggest limber pine is an important habitat generalist, playing more than one functional role in forest communities. Generalists, like limber pine, may be increasingly important, as managers are challenged to build resistance and resilience to future conditions in western forests. Additional research is needed to understand how different silvicultural systems can be used to maintain multi-species forest communities.
On the Syllabification of Phonemes

Syllables play an important role in speech synthesis and recognition. We present several different approaches to the syllabification of phonemes. We investigate approaches based on linguistic theories of syllabification, as well as a discriminative learning technique that combines Support Vector Machine and Hidden Markov Model technologies. Our experiments on English, Dutch and German demonstrate that our transparent implementation of the sonority sequencing principle is more accurate than previous implementations, and that our language-independent SVM-based approach advances the current state-of-the-art, achieving word accuracy of over 98% in English and 99% in German and Dutch.
Wnt / b-Catenin Signaling Enhances Cyclooxygenase-2 ( COX 2 ) Transcriptional Activity in Gastric Cancer Cells

Background: Increased expression of the cyclooxygenase-2 enzyme (COX2) is one of the main characteristics of gastric cancer (GC), which is a leading cause of death in the world, particularly in Asia and South America. Although the Wnt/bcatenin signaling pathway has been involved in the transcriptional activation of the COX2 gene, the precise mechanism modulating this response is still unknown. Methodology/Principal Findings: Here we studied the transcriptional regulation of the COX2 gene in GC cell lines and assessed whether this phenomenon is modulated by Wnt/b-catenin signaling. We first examined the expression of COX2 mRNA in GC cells and found that there is a differential expression pattern consistent with high levels of nuclear-localized bcatenin. Pharmacological treatment with either lithium or valproic acid and molecular induction with purified canonical Wnt3a significantly enhanced COX2 mRNA expression in a doseand time-dependent manner. Serial deletion of a 1.6 Kbp COX2 promoter fragment and gainor loss-of-function experiments allowed us to identify a minimal Wnt/b-catenin responsive region consisting of 0.8 Kbp of the COX2 promoter (pCOX2-0.8), which showed maximal response in genereporter assays. The activity of this pCOX2-0.8 promoter region was further confirmed by site-directed mutagenesis and DNA-protein binding assays. Conclusions/Significance: We conclude that the pCOX2-0.8 minimal promoter contains a novel functional T-cell factor/ lymphoid enhancer factor (TCF/LEF)-response element (TBE Site II; -689/-684) that responds directly to enhanced Wnt/bcatenin signaling and which may be important for the onset/progression of GC. Citation: Nuñez F, Bravo S, Cruzat F, Montecino M, De Ferrari GV (2011) Wnt/b-Catenin Signaling Enhances Cyclooxygenase-2 (COX2) Transcriptional Activity in Gastric Cancer Cells. PLoS ONE 6(4): e18562. doi:10.1371/journal.pone. 0018562 Editor: Moray Campbell, Roswell Park Cancer Institute, United States of America Received November 5, 2010; Accepted March 11, 2011; Published April 6, 2011 Copyright: 2011 Nuñez 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: This work was supported by CTI-Cáncer, Programa Bicentenario en Ciencia y Tecnologı́a (PBCT) Comisión Nacional de Investigación Cientı́fica y Tecnológica (CONICYT) grant number PBCT-6 from the Chilean government (M.M. and G.V.D.). The funders had no role in 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: gdeferrari@unab.cl
Migration, isolation and hybridization in island crop populations: the case of Madagascar rice

Understanding how crop species spread and are introduced to new areas provides insights into the nature of species range expansions. The domesticated species Oryza sativa or Asian rice is one of the key domesticated crop species in the world. The island of Madagascar off the coast of East Africa was one of the last major Old World areas of introduction of rice after the domestication of this crop species and before extensive historical global trade in this crop. Asian rice was introduced in Madagascar from India, the Malay Peninsula and Indonesia approximately 800–1400 years ago. Studies of domestication traits characteristic of the two independently domesticated Asian rice subspecies, indica and tropical japonica, suggest two major waves of migrations into Madagascar. A population genetic analysis of rice in Madagascar using sequence data from 53 gene fragments provided insights into the dynamics of island founder events during the expansion of a crop species’ geographic range and introduction to novel agro‐ecological environments. We observed a significant decrease in genetic diversity in rice from Madagascar when compared to those in Asia, likely the result of a bottleneck on the island. We also found a high frequency of a unique indica type in Madagascar that shows clear population differentiation from most of the sampled Asian landraces, as well as differential exchange of alleles between Asia and Madagascar populations of the tropical japonica subspecies. Finally, despite partial reproductive isolation between japonica and indica, there was evidence of indica/japonica recombination resulting from their hybridization on the island.
Invasion Dynamics in Spatially Heterogeneous Environments

Biological invasions, including infectious disease outbreaks and biocontrol introductions, often involve small numbers of individuals arriving in spatially heterogeneous environments. Small numbers lead to demographic stochasticity, and spatial heterogeneity means that establishment success depends critically on the introduction sites and movement patterns of invaders. We present a general stochastic modeling framework to address how spatial heterogeneity and movement patterns determine establishment success, population growth, and rates of spatial spread. For dispersal‐limited populations, our analysis reveals that spatial heterogeneity increases the expected population growth rate and that local reproductive numbers determine establishment success. Higher dispersal rates decrease the expected population growth rate but can enhance establishment success, particularly when movement patterns are positively correlated with local reproductive numbers. We also find that several small, randomly distributed propagules of invaders are more likely to succeed than a single large propagule. Even if invasions are ultimately successful, there may be substantial time lags before an invader reaches observable densities. These time lags are longer for invasions into patches where extinction risk is high and in landscapes where metapopulation‐scale population growth rate is low, while the opposite holds true for rates of spatial spread. Sensitivity analysis of our models provides guidance for control efforts.
Flexural behavior of high-density polyethylene railroad crossties

Hardwood timber has been the predominant material of choice for crossties since the establishment of the railroad industry in the US. Recently, several concerns, including higher speeds, heavier loads, durability and negative environmental effects associated with deforestation and wood-treating chemicals, have invoked the railroad industry's interest in alternative materials for crossties. Currently, several manufacturers offer alternative and sustainable solutions using different recycled plastic composite materials. Thousands of plastic crossties are currently in service in a wide variety of railroad applications. Several researchers have been studying and testing these new materials, specifically high-density polyethylene, however, their behavior when subjected to rail loading is not yet fully understood. Uncertainties in mechanical properties, failure modes and fracture render their performance and safety questionable. More research is required to properly characterize, describe and model the behavior of these materials as well as to assess the feasibility of implementing these materials in railway applications in terms of performance, safety, practicality and economy. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the performance of plastic composite crossties through experimental testing and analytical modeling. A flexural testing program addressing two AREMA recommended tests for crossties; center and rail seat bending, was conducted. The behavior of the crosstie with the rail and fastening system installed was also investigated. An analytical finite element model, capable of simulating the flexural behavior of plastic crossties, was constructed using a material model that was calibrated using the experimental data. The plastic composite crossties demonstrated adequate performance throughout the experimental testing program. This paper also highlights the potential structural, social and economic benefits of implementing high-density polyethylene crossties in railroad applications.
An Efficient Algorithm for Weighted Sum-Rate Maximization in Multicell OFDMA Downlink

This paper considers coordinated linear precoding for rate optimization in downlink multicell, multiuser orthogonal frequency- division multiple access networks. We focus on two different design criteria. In the first, the weighted sum-rate is maximized under transmit power constraints per base station. In the second, we minimize the total transmit power satisfying the signal-to-interference-plus-noise-ratio constraints of the subcarriers per cell. Both problems are solved using standard conic optimization packages. A less complex, fast, and provably convergent algorithm that maximizes the weighted sum-rate with per-cell transmit power constraints is formulated. We approximate the nonconvex weighted sum- rate maximization (WSRM) problem with a solvable convex form by means of a sequential parametric convex approximation approach. The second- order cone formulations of an objective function and the constraints of the optimization problem are derived through a proper change of variables, first-order linear approximation, and hyperbolic constraints transformation. This algorithm converges to the suboptimal solution while taking fewer it- erations in comparison to other known iterative WSRM algorithms. Numerical results are presented to demonstrate the effectiveness and superiority of the proposed algorithm.
Role for astroglial α1-adrenoreceptors in gliotransmission and control of synaptic plasticity in the neocortex

Communication between neuronal and glial cells is thought to be very important for many brain functions. Acting via release of gliotransmitters, astrocytes can modulate synaptic strength. The mechanisms underlying gliotransmission remain uncertain with exocytosis being the most intriguing and debated pathway. We demonstrate that astroglial α1-adrenoreceptors are very sensitive to noradrenaline (NA) and make a significant contribution to intracellular Ca2+-signaling in layer 2/3 neocortical astrocytes. We also show that astroglial α1-adrenoreceptors are prone to desensitization upon prolonged exposure to NA. We show that within neocortical slices, α-1adrenoreceptors can activate vesicular release of ATP and D-serine from cortical astrocytes which initiate a burst of ATP receptor-mediated currents in adjacent pyramidal neurons. These purinergic currents can be inhibited by intracellular perfusion of astrocytes with Tetanus Toxin light chain, verifying their origin via astroglial exocytosis. We show that α1 adrenoreceptor-activated release of gliotransmitters is important for the induction of synaptic plasticity in the neocortex:long-term potentiation (LTP) of neocortical excitatory synaptic potentials can be abolished by the selective α1-adrenoreceptor antagonist terazosin. We show that weak sub-threshold theta-burst stimulation (TBS) can induce LTP when astrocytes are additionally activated by 1 μM NA. This facilitation is dependent on the activation of neuronal ATP receptors and is abolished in neocortical slices from dn-SNARE mice which have impaired glial exocytosis. Importantly, facilitation of LTP by NA can be significantly reduced by perfusion of individual astrocytes with Tetanus Toxin. Our results strongly support the physiological importance of astroglial adrenergic signaling and exocytosis of gliotransmitters for modulation of synaptic transmission and plasticity.
Gender differences in cardiac electrophysiology and arrhythmias. Part 2.

century. More recently this has expanded to include cardiac electrophysiology. The mechanisms responsible for the disparities are being elucidated. Contributing factors may include: differing amounts of sex and gonadal steroids, differences in autonomic tone, and gender specific hemodynamic variables. Women have a longer corrected QT interval and men have a lower intrinsic heart rate. Atrial fibrillation is more common in men. Atrial fibrillation in men is often associated with coronary artery disease and in women with valvular heart disease. With advancing age, the gender difference in the prevalence of atrial fibrillation disappears, and women tend to develop elevated risk of stroke and poorer survival than their male counterparts, especially in those over 75 years of age. Accessory pathways causing re-entry tachycardia are more prevalent in men, while in women atrioventricular nodal re-entry tachycardia predominates. Women are more likely to develop drug induced arrhythmias, especially polymorphic ventricular tachycardia. Women have an increased propensity to develop torsade de pointes during complete heart block and symptomatic long QT syndrome. Men have a higher incidence of sudden cardiac death. Female survivors of cardiac arrest are less likely to have underlying coronary artery disease and have a lower frequency of inducible ventricular tachycardia at electrophysiologic study. Antiarrhythmic drug and device therapy for sudden cardiac death are equally efficacious in men and women. Incidence of arrhythmias, new onset, paroxysms and exacerbations are increased during pregnancy. Understanding the potential mechanisms responsible for the gender differences may dramatically alter patient care and influence future research.
A Rendezvous-Based Approach Enabling Energy-Efficient Sensory Data Collection with Mobile Sinks

A large class of Wireless Sensor Networks (WSN) applications involve a set of isolated urban areas (e.g., urban parks or building blocks) covered by sensor nodes (SNs) monitoring environmental parameters. Mobile sinks (MSs) mounted upon urban vehicles with fixed trajectories (e.g., buses) provide the ideal infrastructure to effectively retrieve sensory data from such isolated WSN fields. Existing approaches involve either single-hop transfer of data from SNs that lie within the MS's range or heavy involvement of network periphery nodes in data retrieval, processing, buffering, and delivering tasks. These nodes run the risk of rapid energy exhaustion resulting in loss of network connectivity and decreased network lifetime. Our proposed protocol aims at minimizing the overall network overhead and energy expenditure associated with the multihop data retrieval process while also ensuring balanced energy consumption among SNs and prolonged network lifetime. This is achieved through building cluster structures consisted of member nodes that route their measured data to their assigned cluster head (CH). CHs perform data filtering upon raw data exploiting potential spatial-temporal data redundancy and forward the filtered information to appropriate end nodes with sufficient residual energy, located in proximity to the MS's trajectory. Simulation results confirm the effectiveness of our approach against as well as its performance gain over alternative methods.
Short-term comprehensive cardiac rehabilitation after AMI is associated with reduced 1-year mortality: results from the OMEGA study

Background The prognostic effect of early, comprehensive short-term cardiac rehabilitation on top of current, guideline-adjusted treatment of acute myocardial infarction has not sufficiently been evaluated. Design Prospective cohort study. Methods Within the OMEGA study population, the clinical course of 3560 patients still alive 3 months after acute myocardial infarction were evaluated by comparing patients who had attended to cardiac rehabilitation (70.6%) with those who did not. Total mortality and major adverse cerebrovascular and cardiovascular events, as well as non-fatal events, were evaluated within the time period of 4–12 months after hospital admission for acute myocardial infarction. The effect of cardiac rehabilitation on clinical events was estimated by using the propensity score method to adjust for confounding parameters in multivariate analysis. Results Patients participating in cardiac rehabilitation were younger, more often had acute revascularization, less often experienced non-ST-elevation myocardial infarction, and less often had a history of diabetes or cardiovascular events. Total mortality (OR 0.46, 95% CI 0.27–0.77) and major adverse cerebrovascular and cardiovascular events (OR 0.53, 95% CI 0.38–0.75) were significantly lower in the rehabilitation group. Subgroup analysis including major clinical characteristics also revealed significantly reduced rates of total death and major adverse cerebrovascular and cardiovascular events in the rehabilitation group. Conclusions Attendance to early, comprehensive short-term cardiac rehabilitation programmes on top of current guideline-adjusted treatment of acute myocardial infarction is associated with a significantly improved 1-year prognosis.
Promises and Lies: An Experiment on Detecting Deception

Although economic and social relationships can involve deception (Gneezy 2005), such relationships are often governed by informal contracts that require trust (Berg et al. 1995). While important advances have been made concerning deception in economics, the research has focused little on written forms of communication. Are there certain systematic cues that signal written communications as dishonest? Are those signals accurately detected and used by message receivers? We fill this gap by studying messages written in a novel three-person trust game (we call it the â€œMistress Gameâ€ ). We find that: (i) messages that use encompassing terms, or a greater number of words, are significantly more likely to be viewed as promises; and (ii) promises that mention money are significantly more likely to be trusted. Notwithstanding the latter finding, we find senders who mention money within their promises to be significantly less likely to keep their word than those who do not. Length: 36
Changes in Pulmonary Blood Flow during Gaseous and Partial Liquid Ventilation in Experimental Acute Lung Injury

BackgroundIt has been proposed that partial liquid ventilation (PLV) causes a compression of the pulmonary vasculature by the dense perfluorocarbons and a subsequent redistribution of pulmonary blood flow from dorsal to better-ventilated middle and ventral lung regions, thereby improving arterial oxygenation in situations of acute lung injury. MethodsAfter induction of acute lung injury by repeated lung lavage with saline, 20 pigs were randomly assigned to partial liquid ventilation with two sequential doses of 15 ml/kg perfluorocarbon (PLV group, n = 10) or to continued gaseous ventilation (GV group, n = 10). Single-photon emission computed tomography was used to study regional pulmonary blood flow. Gas exchange, hemodynamics, and pulmonary blood flow were determined in both groups before and after the induction of acute lung injury and at corresponding time points 1 and 2 h after each instillation of perfluorocarbon in the PLV group. ResultsDuring partial liquid ventilation, there were no changes in pulmonary blood flow distribution when compared with values obtained after induction of acute lung injury in the PLV group or to the animals submitted to gaseous ventilation. Arterial oxygenation improved significantly in the PLV group after instillation of the second dose of perfluorocarbon. ConclusionsIn the surfactant washout animal model of acute lung injury, redistribution of pulmonary blood flow does not seem to be a major factor for the observed increase of arterial oxygen tension during partial liquid ventilation.
INSTITUTIONAL CHANGE AND THE POLITICS OF SOCIAL SOLIDARITY IN ADVANCED CAPITALIST DEMOCRACIES

and David Soskice as well as panel participants at the above conferences for very helpful comments on the earlier version of the paper. We also extend thanks to Craig Shockley and Andrew Kelly for exceptional research assistance, David Rueda for advice on data collection, and Dennis Quinn, HeeMin Kim, and Vincent Mahler for unpublished data. Abstract Following insights from Höpner, we argue that the advanced industrial countries may be usefully conceptualized as " coordinated " (or uncoordinated) across two analytically distinct dimensions: The first is economic cooperation by economic agents designed to overcome collective action problems. The second, the solidarity dimension, is the degree of cooperation among economic agents and the state to protect wages, employment, and an egalitarian distribution of market incomes. We seek to explain variations in solidarism generally, and to explain why solidarism has declined modestly in the typical coordinated market economy (CME) and significantly in some CME's. We argue that state capacity, especially the magnitude of public sector employees as leaders of pro-solidaristic coalitions, should be important. Economic coordination, inclusive electoral institutions as well as social and Christian democratic party governments should also bolster solidarism. To assess our arguments, we estimate models of 1980s-2000s variation in solidarism in 18 nations. Our models also account for veto points, deindustrialization, globalization, and economic growth. We find strong support for a political interpretation of solidarism: public sector-led coalitions, coordination, social democratic and, with qualification, Christian democratic governments all promote solidarism. Deindustrialization (but not globalization) and veto points negatively affect solidarism.