Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Phylogeography of Buddleja crispa (Buddlejaceae) and its correlation with drainage system evolution in southwestern China.

UNLABELLED PREMISE OF THE STUDY Southwestern China is an area of active tectonism and erosion, yielding a dynamic, deeply eroded landscape that is hypothesized to have influenced the genetic structure of the resident populations of plants and animals. However, few studies have been conducted to examine the influence of changing river channels, particularly in the Yarlung Tsangpo area, on genetic distributions in plants. We here examine the population structure of Buddleja crispa, a dominant element of the dry, warm/hot river-valley communities, seeking to delimit the current population genetic structure and its relation to past changes in the courses of the major rivers in this area. • METHODS Two chloroplast DNA fragments were used to estimate the genetic variation and phylogeographic structure of the populations, and to infer nested clades, of the species. • KEY RESULTS We detected low intrapopulational haplotype diversity and higher overall population haplotype diversity (h(S) = 0.085, h(T) = 0.781). Molecular variance was mainly observed between groups (81.42%). Robust population genetic structure were detected by AMOVA (F(ST) = 0.967), coinciding with three nested clades (identified by NCPA) and five phylo-groups linked with paleo-drainage systems (identified by SAMOVA). No support for extensive spatial or demographical expansion was obtained. • CONCLUSIONS A general pattern of genetic isolation by vicariance was inferred, and detected disjunct patterns strongly indicate that currently discontinuous drainage systems were historically linked. Most importantly, population subdivisions and genetic variation perfectly reflect the putative Paleo-Red-River drainage pattern, and Yarlung Tsangpo populations are closely related to Central Yunnan Plateau populations, indicating that they were previously connected by ancient river courses. Divergence times between these river systems estimated by molecular dating (in the Pleistocene) agree with previous findings.
Spatiotemporal evolution of clogging of stormwater infiltration systems

Clogging of stormwater infiltration systems is an issue of major importance. Actually, it does not only lead to flow rate reduction and increased ponding but it also reduces treatment capacity when infiltration systems are equipped with bypass devices. The aim of this paper is to present the results obtained in this context. The first objective is to understand and characterize clogging evolution in space and time on large infiltration systems. For that purpose two spatial scales were studied: (i) a global scale aiming at monitoring the overall clogging with the identification of the part of the global clogging due to the bottom and due to the sides and (ii) a local scale devoted to spatial distribution of clogging over the bottom where the major part of the clogging proved to take place. The second objective is to compare the role of different types of spontaneous vegetation found in the basin. Therefore, saturated hydraulic conductivity of bared and differently vegetated part of same areas was compared.
Stereotype Threat 1 Running head : STEREOTYPE THREAT Stereotype Threat : Undermining the Persistence of Racial Minority Freshmen in the Sciences

This longitudinal survey study examined whether possessing the combined attributes of having experienced high frequency of negative racial interactions and having a high degree of identification with one’s domain or field of study puts underrepresented racial minority (URM) students at greater risk of changing their major by the end of the first year of college. According to the theory of stereotype threat, possessing both attributes increases URM students’ vulnerability to stereotype threat, which in turn may negatively affect their academic performance. Of particular interest was the extent to which the combination of those two attributes affected first-year URM students in biomedical and behavioral science (BBS) majors. The results show that URM freshmen who reported high levels of both negative racial experiences and science domain identification were significantly less likely to persist in their intended major during the first year of college. The educational implications of the findings are discussed.
Shortest cycle covers and cycle double covers with large 2-regular subgraphs

In this paper we show that many snarks have shortest cycle covers of length $\frac{4}{3}m+c$ for a constant $c$, where $m$ is the number of edges in the graph, in agreement with the conjecture that all snarks have shortest cycle covers of length $\frac{4}{3}m+o(m)$. In particular we prove that graphs with perfect matching index at most 4 have cycle covers of length $\frac{4}{3}m$ and satisfy the $(1,2)$-covering conjecture of Zhang, and that graphs with large circumference have cycle covers of length close to $\frac{4}{3}m$. We also prove some results for graphs with low oddness and discuss the connection with Jaeger's Petersen colouring conjecture.
Finding Gangs in War from Signed Networks

Given a signed network where edges are weighted in real number, and positive weights indicate cohesion between vertices and negative weights indicate opposition, we are interested in finding k-Oppositive Cohesive Groups (k-OCG). Each k-OCG is a group of k subgraphs such that (1) the edges within each subgraph are dense and cohesive; and (2) the edges crossing different subgraphs are dense and oppositive. Finding k-OCGs is challenging since the subgraphs are often small, there are multiple k-OCGs in a large signed network, and many existing dense subgraph extraction methods cannot handle edges of two signs. We model k-OCG finding task as a quadratic optimization problem. However, the classical Proximal Gradient method is very costly since it has to use the entire adjacency matrix, which is huge on large networks. Thus, we develop FOCG, an algorithm that is two orders of magnitudes faster than the Proximal Gradient method. The main idea is to only search in small subgraphs and thus avoids using a major portion of the adjacency matrix. Our experimental results on synthetic and real data sets as well as a case study clearly demonstrate the effectiveness and efficiency of our method.
Unfolding online learning behavioral patterns and their temporal changes of college students in SPOCs

ABSTRACT The emergence of massive open online courses not only changes the ecology of higher education, but also facilitates a blending learning paradigm, also known as small private online courses (SPOCs). In order to understand how college students interact with an SPOC platform, this study collects their online behaviors for a semester and adopts a lag sequential analysis approach to identify significant transitions between interactions with content, peers, and instructors. Regarding content, after entering courses, the students tend to access learning resources. Besides, the transitions between learning resources and personal performance are significantly interconnected to each other. Regarding peers, the interaction with classmates was mainly connected to the access of assignments and performance. Regarding instructors, the interaction with teachers was minor but connected to all other behaviors. In addition, the results also show that students’ online behavioral patterns in SPOCs may change over time. The implications of the findings for SPOCs research are discussed in this paper.
Cognitex Supplementation in Elderly Adults with Memory Complaints: An Uncontrolled Open Label Trial

ABSTRACT Background: The components of the nutritional supplement Cognitex have been individually shown to have beneficial effects on cognitive function. We evaluated the efficacy of the nutritional supplement in improving cognitive function in elderly with memory complaints. Methods: Thirty participants received three capsules of the nutritional supplement per day for 12 weeks in an open label study. Efficacy and safety measures, assessed at baseline, 2 weeks, and 12 weeks of treatment, included cognitive evaluation using a computerized cognitive assessment tool, vital signs measurements, and physical examination. Results: Twenty-six participants completed the 12-week study. A significant improvement in memory abilities (recall, recognition, and spatial short term) was observed following 2 weeks of Cognitex treatment (mean change from baseline: 11.15 ± 2.90, 8.68 ± 2.50, and 19.85 ± 6.19, respectively). Attention (sustained and focused), visual learning, and activities of daily living (executive functions and mental flexibility) were improved as well following this short supplementation period (mean change from baseline: 9.46 ± 3.80, 3.76 ± 1.50, 17.31 ± 5.33, 9.45 ± 3.73, and 9.92 ± 4.08, respectively). After 10 additional treatment weeks, activities of daily living demonstrated an additional statistically significant improvement while the beneficial effect observed for the rest of the tested parameters remained unchanged. Conclusions: The results indicate that the nutritional supplement may improve cognitive performance in elderly with memory complaints; however, further blinded and placebo-controlled studies are needed. Trial registration: Clinicaltrials.gov, Identifier: NCT00719953.
Gingival mesenchymal stem cells

The human gingiva, characterized by its outstanding scarless wound healing properties, is a unique tissue and a pivotal component of the periodontal apparatus, investing and surrounding the teeth in their sockets in the alveolar bone. In the last year's gingival mesenchymal stem/progenitor cells (GMSCs), with promising regenerative and immunomodulatory properties, have been isolated and characterized from the gingival lamina propria. These cells, in contrast to other mesenchymal stem/progenitor cell (MSC) sources, are abundant, readily accessible and easily obtainable through minimally invasive cell isolation techniques. This short communication summarizes the current scientific evidence on GMSCs.
Gene expression profiling in the cerebral cortex of patients with cirrhosis with and without hepatic encephalopathy

Hepatic encephalopathy (HE) is a frequent complication of liver cirrhosis and is seen as the clinical manifestation of a low‐grade cerebral edema associated with oxidative‐nitrosative stress. However, comprehensive data on HE‐associated molecular derangements in the human brain are lacking. In the present study, we used a whole human genome microarray approach for gene expression profiling in post mortem brain samples from patients with cirrhosis with or without HE and controls without cirrhosis. Altered expression levels were found for a total of 1,012 genes in liver cirrhosis patients without and with HE, and HE‐characteristic gene expression changes were identified. Genes with altered expression pattern in HE were related to oxidative stress, microglia activation, receptor signaling, inflammatory pathways, cell proliferation, and apoptosis. Despite an up‐regulation of genes associated with microglia activation, pro‐inflammatory cytokine messenger RNA profiles remained unchanged in the brains of patients with liver cirrhosis and HE compared with controls. Interestingly, many genes counteracting pro‐inflammatory signaling and inflammatory cytokine expression were up‐regulated in the cerebral cortex of patients with liver cirrhosis and HE. Conclusion: Pathogenetic mechanisms of HE deduced from cell culture and animal experiments, such as oxidative stress, altered Zn2+ homeostasis and microglia activation also apply to human brain from patients with liver cirrhosis and HE. The study also revealed a not‐yet recognized increased expression of genes antagonizing proinflammatory signaling and inflammatory cytokine expression. (HEPATOLOGY 2013;57:2436–2447)
Sports Participation, Sports Injury and Altered Images of Self: An autobiographical narrative of a lifelong legacy

The present paper offers a subjective account of sports participation and sports injury and explores these two factors from a personal, interpersonal and lifelong perspective. Reflections on these experiences draw from sport and non-sporting memories and chart the impact of a short career in professional soccer. Conclusions explore how the reflexive writing process has contributed to the author's understanding of past events and explain how he has arrived at fresh interpretations of critical life moments. Finally, thoughts on how the events of the past resonate within the lived experiences of the present are also considered.
The International Baccalaureate (IB) Programme: An International Gateway to Higher Education and Beyond

The aim of this article is to present the International Baccalaureate (IB) Programme and briefly outline its core components, followed by a review of what authoritative reports identify as skills for the future, esteemed by universities and the job market. There is a striking match between these skills and IB outcomes; thus, DP graduates perform well in higher education and add to the reputation of those institutions. After a review of the literature, the authors found the IB Diploma Programme has been studied in many countries by both consultants and educational agencies, and also by a wide array of universities themselves; however, there are fewer qualitative studies concerning the degree to which IB graduates display attitudes, values, and behaviours in line with the IB Learner Profile. This is why the authors stress the claims made are supported by examples of significant research, noting that there is a dearth of qualitative longitudinal studies to sufficiently substantiate the affective domain claims that currently rely more on anecdotal evidence. The authors conclude by pointing out more research is needed in order to substantiate anecdotal evidence regarding future employment success for IB Diploma Programme graduates. DOI: 10.18870/hlrc.v4i3. 123
Evaluation of grasps for 3D objects with physical interpretations using object wrench space

In this paper, we present a practically useful and intuitive grasp quality measure that takes into account the shapes of object geometries and the torque limits of finger actuators. The proposed grasp quality measure is defined by the distance between the convex hulls of the absolute grasp wrench space (a-GWS) and the object wrench space (OWS), where a-GWS and OWS are, respectively, created by the active wrenches from the robot fingers with limited torque bounds and the uniform distribution of unitary normal disturbances on the surface of a polyhedral object. The computational algorithm for the grasp quality measure also yields the information of which spots of the object are fatal under the disturbance, which makes the algorithm practically useful. We demonstrate the validity of the proposed measure through numerical examples.
Tonal patterns, associations, and alignment of peaks in regional French

The intonation of regional varieties of French has been under-studied and remains an important empirical question. In this paper, I present an analysis of two varieties of French that are geographically distant but historically related. The main purpose of the analysis was to examine the effect of the regional factor on the tonal patterns, associations, and timing of the stress group initial and final peaks. The results showed no dialect effect on tonal pattern inventory and distribution or on tonal association and alignment. However, in both dialects women produced less utterance-medial falls and significantly delayed the peaks, compared with men. Additionally, the analysis suggested that the group initial versus final peaks in French appear to differ in secondary associations, which allows us to extend this concept to express the contrasts between different types of high targets and to detail the French language intonational grammar. This work contributes thus to the prosodic grammar of French and to th.
An approach for software knowledge sharing based on architectural decisions

In Software Architecture (SA), design decisions are considered valuable knowledge, and Architectural Knowledge (AK) is key to increase software quality. Several proposals address implementation of Knowledge Management for Software Architecture, but very few address sharing and distribution of AK. We propose that AK be shared as concrete usage scenarios, elicited from design meetings; this proposal builds on Knowledge Management sharing insights and on DVIA (Design Verbal Interventions Analysis), which identifies design decisions by mapping verbal interventions in recorded design meetings. Specifically, we show an scenario of decision impact analysis for introducing a new functional requirement. The approach was initially validated in a case study with undergraduate practitioners video-recorded while team-designing a command-and-control center for the pan-Andean spatial project. Initial qualitative results suggest that AK reuse is actually helped by sharing specific design scenarios.
Self-Concealment and Correlates of Adjustment in College Students

This article examines the role of self-referent inhibition on the psychosocial adjustment of college students. Relationships between self-concealment (the tendency to actively conceal from others personal information that one perceives as negative or distressing) and measures of psychosocial adjustment were examined in a sample of 344 college undergraduates. Self-concealment was significantly correlated with self-reported anxiety, depression, shyness, and negative self-esteem. The tendency to self-conceal was also found to be differentially related to the adjustment variables as a function of sex. Attributional processes and the effects of sex-role socialization on inhibition are described, and implications of the study for therapists who work with college students are discussed. The construct of self-concealment represents a potentially important variable in the study of college student adjustment.
Juvenile Court Context and Detention Decisions: Reconsidering the Role of Race, Ethnicity, and Community Characteristics in Juvenile Court Processes

The relationship between race/ethnicity, community dynamics, and juvenile court processes has long been established. Prior research has relied on city‐ or county‐level measures of community characteristics (e.g., racial composition, poverty) to examine how racial groups are processed within juvenile courts. To date, no study has utilized finer scale measures of geographic areas to examine how characteristics of juveniles’ communities impact court decisions. By utilizing official juvenile court data from a city in the southwest, this study draws upon attribution theory to examine how economic and crime community‐level measures directly and indirectly influence detention outcomes. Findings reveal that the effect of race and ethnicity in detention outcomes varies across communities, and the effect of ethnicity in detention decisions is mediated by economic community‐level measures. The theoretical and policy implications of the study findings are discussed.
Comprehensive Locomotion Performance Evaluation of All-Terrain Robots

Information about the locomotion performance of known rovers is sparse. A comprehensive evaluation of wheeled passive systems is presented in this work. It is based on a static 2D approach that includes optimization of the wheel torques in order to minimize the required friction which is an important performance metric. The evaluation comprises well known rover concepts and new suspension systems. The performance of the systems is compared and interesting effects of some concepts are discussed in more detail including torques and load distribution. The rovers MER (NASA) and CRAB (EPFL) show good performance which is topped only by the eight wheeled DoubleSpring system
Authentic Happiness: Using the New Positive Psychology to Realize Your Potential for Lasting Fulfillment

In this important, entertaining book, one of the world's most celebrated psychologists, Martin Seligman, asserts that happiness can be learned and cultivated, and that everyone has the power to inject real joy into their lives. In "Authentic Happiness", he describes the 24 strengths and virtues unique to the human psyche. Each of us, it seems, has at least five of these attributes, and can build on them to identify and develop to our maximum potential. By incorporating these strengths - which include kindness, originality, humour, optimism, curiosity, enthusiasm and generosity - into our everyday lives, he tells us, we can reach new levels of optimism, happiness and productivity. "Authentic Happiness" provides a variety of tests and unique assessment tools to enable readers to discover and deploy those strengths at work, in love and in raising children. By accessing the very best in ourselves, we can improve the world around us and achieve new and lasting levels of authentic contentment and joy.
A Sero-epidemiological Approach to Explore Transmission of Mycobacterium ulcerans

The debilitating skin disease Buruli ulcer (BU) is caused by infection with Mycobacterium ulcerans. While various hypotheses on potential reservoirs and vectors of M. ulcerans exist, the mode of transmission has remained unclear. Epidemiological studies have indicated that children below the age of four are less exposed to the pathogen and at lower risk of developing BU than older children. In the present study we compared the age at which children begin to develop antibody responses against M. ulcerans with the age pattern of responses to other pathogens transmitted by various mechanisms. A total of 1,352 sera from individuals living in the BU endemic Offin river valley of Ghana were included in the study. While first serological responses to the mosquito transmitted malaria parasite Plasmodium falciparum and to soil transmitted Strongyloides helminths emerged around the age of one and two years, sero-conversion for M. ulcerans and for the water transmitted trematode Schistosoma mansoni occurred at around four and five years, respectively. Our data suggest that exposure to M. ulcerans intensifies strongly at the age when children start to have more intense contact with the environment, outside the small movement range of young children. Further results from our serological investigations in the Offin river valley also indicate ongoing transmission of Treponema pallidum, the causative agent of yaws.