Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Higher-than-ballistic conduction of viscous electron flows

Significance Free electron flows through constrictions in metals are often regarded as an ultimate high-conduction charge transfer. We predict that electron fluids can flow with a resistance that is much smaller than the fundamental quantum mechanical ballistic limit for nanoscale electronics. The “superballistic” low-dissipation transport is particularly striking for the flow through a viscous point contact, a constriction exhibiting the quantum mechanical ballistic transport at zero temperature but governed by viscous electron hydrodynamics at a higher temperature. Unlike other mechanisms of low-dissipation transport, for example, superconductivity, the viscous electron flows can be realized at elevated temperatures, granting a new route for the low-power electronics research. Strongly interacting electrons can move in a neatly coordinated way, reminiscent of the movement of viscous fluids. Here, we show that in viscous flows, interactions facilitate transport, allowing conductance to exceed the fundamental Landauer’s ballistic limit Gball. The effect is particularly striking for the flow through a viscous point contact, a constriction exhibiting the quantum mechanical ballistic transport at T=0 but governed by electron hydrodynamics at elevated temperatures. We develop a theory of the ballistic-to-viscous crossover using an approach based on quasi-hydrodynamic variables. Conductance is found to obey an additive relation G=Gball+Gvis, where the viscous contribution Gvis dominates over Gball in the hydrodynamic limit. The superballistic, low-dissipation transport is a generic feature of viscous electronics.
INCREASED PRODUCTION OF TYROSINASE FROM BACILLUS MEGATER IUM STRAIN M36 BY THE RESPONSE SURFACE METHOD

The bacterial enzyme tyrosinase, with its high oxidizing capacity, can be applied in phenolic biotransformation, pharmaceutical, cosmetics and textile industries. In this research, a native Bacillus sp. -producing tyrosinase was isolated from a soil sample. The strain was identified by morphological, biochemical and molecular tests using bioinformatics analysis, and was named Bacillus megaterium strain M36. According to the blast analysis of 16S rDNA (1434 bp), the strain showed 99% identity with Bacillus megaterium DSM319. The production of tyrosinase from the isolated strain was optimized by classic and response surface methods (RSM). The optimal conditions for tyrosinase production by the strain were determined to be as follow: growth temperature 36°C, pH of medium 7.0, incubation time 16 h, with medium containing 0.4 mg/mL L-tyrosine, 0.05% yeast extract, 0.423% tryptone, 3.4% NaCl and 148.4 µM CuSO 4 . Results of experiments performed under the optimized condition showed an actual yield of 0.522 IU of enzyme, while the result under the initial conditions using basal medium (before optimization) gave 0.0312 IU of enzyme (16.7-fold increase). SDS-PAGE analysis showed that the tyrosinase enzyme from Bacillus megaterium strain M36 is about 34 kDa. Key words : Bacillus megaterium ; tyrosinase; 16S rDNA; RSM; optimization Received: October 2, 2015; Revised: October 22, 2015; Accepted: October 23, 2015; Published online: June 6, 2016
Primer selection impacts specific population abundances but not community dynamics in a monthly time‐series 16S rRNA gene amplicon analysis of coastal marine bacterioplankton

Summary Primers targeting the 16S small subunit ribosomal RNA marker gene, used to characterize bacterial and archaeal communities, have recently been re‐evaluated for marine planktonic habitats. To investigate whether primer selection affects the ecological interpretation of bacterioplankton populations and community dynamics, amplicon sequencing with four primer sets targeting several hypervariable regions of the 16S rRNA gene was conducted on both mock communities constructed from cloned 16S rRNA genes and a time‐series of DNA samples from the temperate coastal Santa Barbara Channel. Ecological interpretations of community structure (delineation of depth and seasonality, correlations with environmental factors) were similar across primer sets, while population dynamics varied. We observed substantial differences in relative abundances of taxa known to be poorly resolved by some primer sets, such as Thaumarchaeota and SAR11, and unexpected taxa including Roseobacter clades. Though the magnitude of relative abundances of common OTUs differed between primer sets, the relative abundances of the OTUs were nonetheless strongly correlated. We do not endorse one primer set but rather enumerate strengths and weaknesses to facilitate selection appropriate to a system or experimental goal. While 16S rRNA gene primer bias suggests caution in assessing quantitative population dynamics, community dynamics appear robust across studies using different primers.
Edge-preserving single depth image interpolation

Depth image upsampling is an important issue in three-dimensional (3D) applications. However, edge blurring artifacts are still challenging problems in depth image upsampling, resulting in jagged artifacts in synthesized views which produce unpleasant visual perception. In this paper, an edge-preserving single depth image interpolation (ESDI) method is proposed. Specifically, local planar hypothesis (LPH) assuming that depth in natural scene are clustered as local planar planes is first explored. Then finite candidates generation (FCG) is proposed to generate limited discrete values satisfied with LPH to interpolated pixels. At last, the optimal combination of candidates is formulated as an energy minimization problem with a constraint in gradient domain, solved by iterated conditional modes (ICM) algorithm. Experiments demonstrate that ESDI achieves high resolution (HR) depth image with clear and sharp edges, and produces synthesized views with desirable quality.
Ant-Plant Interaction in a Tropical Savanna: May the Network Structure Vary over Time and Influence on the Outcomes of Associations?

Plant-animal interactions occur in a community context of dynamic and complex ecological interactive networks. The understanding of who interacts with whom is a basic information, but the outcomes of interactions among associates are fundamental to draw valid conclusions about the functional structure of the network. Ecological networks studies in general gave little importance to know the true outcomes of interactions and how they may change over time. We evaluate the dynamic of an interaction network between ants and plants with extrafloral nectaries, by verifying the temporal variation in structure and outcomes of mutualism for the plant community (leaf herbivory). To reach this goal, we used two tools: bipartite network analysis and experimental manipulation. The networks exhibited the same general pattern as other mutualistic networks: nestedness, asymmetry and low specialization and this pattern was maintained over time, but with internal changes (species degree, connectance and ant abundance). These changes influenced the protection effectiveness of plants by ants, which varied over time. Our study shows that interaction networks between ants and plants are dynamic over time, and that these alterations affect the outcomes of mutualisms. In addition, our study proposes that the set of single systems that shape ecological networks can be manipulated for a greater understanding of the entire system.
Depressive Symptoms and Associated Factors in Institutionalized Elderly

Background/Study Context: Depression is a common psychiatric disorder in the elderly that leads to a decrease in quality of life and functional impairment, among other health problems. The study of depressive symptoms in institutionalized elderly is scarce in Latin America and can contribute to plan prevention and treatment actions in order to improve health conditions for the residents as well as quality of life. Therefore, the aim of this study is to determine the prevalence of depressive symptoms and identify its associated factors in institutionalized elderly. Methods: A cross-sectional study is presented herein, carried out in 10 nursing homes of the municipality of Natal (Northeast Brazil). All individuals over the age of 60 were included. The Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS-15) was applied to verify the depressive symptoms, as well as sociodemographic variables related to the institution and health conditions (comorbidities, medication, body mass index, level of physical activity, mobility, and functional and cognitive capacities). Bivariate analysis was carried out using the chi-square Pearson’s test (or Fisher’s test) and the linear trend chi-square. Finally, logistic regression was utilized for multivariate analysis. Results: The final sample was constituted of 142 elderly, mostly of the female sex (78.9%), with an average age of 79.3 (SD: 8.2). Of these, 65 individuals presented depressive symptoms, with a 45.77% prevalence (95% confidence interval [CI]: 37.80–53.97%). The final model verified an association between the presence of depressive symptoms and functional impairment, prevalence ratio (PR) = 1.58 (95% CI: 1.04–2.42), and arterial hypertension, PR = 1.57 (95% CI: 1.07–2.31), adjusted by fecal incontinence, sex, and age. Conclusion: Depressive symptoms were present in almost half of the sample of institutionalized elderly, and this condition was associated with functional impairment and arterial hypertension. The results of this work indicate the importance of monitoring depression as well as intervening on these modifiable aspects, to avoid the cascade of negative outcomes associated with this disease and also improve the quality of life of this population group.
Anti-inflammatory cytokine and angiogenic factors levels in vitreous samples of diabetic retinopathy patients

Evaluation of cytokines in patients with diabetic retinopathy (DR) is important for the identification of future additive or alternative treatment options. Therefore, vitreous samples were obtained from patients with DR and patients with macular hole or macular pucker (control group) during 23-gauge-vitrectomy (n = 17/group). The levels of three pro-inflammatory (IL-1ß, IL-6, IFN-γ) and pleiotropic cytokines (IL-2, IL-4, IL-13) as well as VEGF, VEGF-A, and PGF were measured using an enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). IL-1ß (p = 0.02) and IFN-γ (p = 0.04), two of the three tested pro-inflammatory cytokines, were elevated in the DR patients, while IL-6 (p = 0.51) level was comparable in both groups. Moreover, in DR samples, a trend towards an IL-13 down-regulation (p = 0.36) was observable. The IL-2 (p = 0.62) and IL-4 (p = 0.78) levels were comparable in both groups. All analyzed angiogenetic factors were up-regulated in DR patients (VEGF: p<0.001; VEGF-A: p = 0.002; PGF: p<0.001). The up-regulation of angiogenetic factors underline their importance in DR development. However, the interaction of the other cytokines showed an interesting pattern. Pro-inflammatory cytokines were also up-regulated, which could be evidence for inflammation processes in the diabetic retina. Furthermore, it seems that a counter response of immunomodulatory cytokines is in an initial process, but not strong enough to regulate the processes. Therefore, to support these anti-inflammatory mechanisms might be additive treatment option in the future.
Resilience to Disturbance Despite Limited Dispersal and Self-Recruitment in Tropical Barrel Sponges: Implications for Conservation and Management

While estimates of connectivity are important for effective management, few such estimates are available for reef invertebrates other than for corals. Barrel sponges are one of the largest and most conspicuous members of the coral reef fauna across the Indo-Pacific and given their large size, longevity and ability to process large volumes of water, they have a major role in reef functioning. Here we used a panel of microsatellite markers to characterise the genetic structure of two barrel sponge species, Xestospongia testudinaria and a currently undescribed Xestospongia species. We sampled across seven populations in the Wakatobi Marine National Park, SE Sulawesi (Indonesia) spanning a spatial scale of approximately 2 to 70 km, and present the first estimates of demographic connectivity for coral reef sponges. Genetic analyses showed high levels of genetic differentiation between all populations for both species, but contrasting patterns of genetic structuring for the two species. Autocorrelation analyses showed the likely dispersal distances of both species to be in the order of 60 and 140 m for Xestopongia sp. and Xestospongia testudinaria, respectively, which was supported by assignment tests that showed high levels of self-recruitment (>80%). We also found consistently high inbreeding coefficients across all populations for both species. Our study highlights the potential susceptibility of barrel sponges to environmental perturbations because they are generally long-lived, slow growing, have small population sizes and are likely to be reliant on self-recruitment. Surprisingly, despite these features we actually found the highest abundance of both barrel sponge species (although they were generally smaller) at a site that has been severely impacted by humans over the last fifty years. This suggests that barrel sponges exhibit environmental adaptation to declining environmental quality and has important implications for the management and conservation of these important reef species.
Mitochondria: isolation, structure and function

Abstract Mitochondria are complex organelles constantly undergoing processes of fusion and fission, processes that not only modulate their morphology, but also their function. Yet the assessment of mitochondrial function in skeletal muscle often involves mechanical isolation of the mitochondria, a process which disrupts their normally heterogeneous branching structure and yields relatively homogeneous spherical organelles. Alternatively, methods have been used where the sarcolemma is permeabilized and mitochondrial morphology is preserved, but both methods face the downside that they remove potential influences of the intracellular milieu on mitochondrial function. Importantly, recent evidence shows that the fragmented mitochondrial morphology resulting from routine mitochondrial isolation procedures used with skeletal muscle alters key indices of function in a manner qualitatively similar to mitochondria undergoing fission in vivo. Although these results warrant caution when interpreting data obtained with mitochondria isolated from skeletal muscle, they also suggest that isolated mitochondrial preparations might present a useful way of interrogating the stress resistance of mitochondria. More importantly, these new findings underscore the empirical value of studying mitochondrial function in minimally disruptive experimental preparations. In this review, we briefly discuss several considerations and hypotheses emerging from this work.
A novel phased‐concept course for the delivery of anatomy and orthopedics training in medical education

Integration of anatomy and clinical teaching is a theoretical ideal, yet there is a worldwide paucity of such amalgamation. These teaching models provide support for medical trainees, an important element in Germany where orthopedic intern numbers have declined and anecdotal evidence suggests disinterest in orthopedics. The aim of the study was to develop an integrated anatomy‐surgical course for undergraduate medical training, assess the model developed, and explore how medical students perceive orthopedics as a career. The course was to deliver medical anatomy and clinical orthopedic training, focusing on interdisciplinary teaching and learning, vertical integration of clinical knowledge and skills, and professional interaction. Survey evaluation of the course and students' perceptions of orthopedic careers was performed, including Likert‐type responses rating variables of interest. A phased‐concept program of five courses, each optional and under one‐week in duration, was developed parallel to the undergraduate medical program. Delivered by anatomists and surgeons, courses included biomechanics, advanced dissection, surgical approaches, casts and implants, and sports medicine. Course data indicate positive support for course format, stimulation of interest, and high clinical relevance. Students are generally interested in surgery, and identify hierarchy, lawsuits, bureaucracy and physical stress as barriers to orthopedic careers. This novel phased‐concept successfully delivers combined anatomy and surgery training in a vertically‐integrated format while addressing students' clinical and professional skills. The format facilitates an appreciation of potential career options in orthopedics, while fostering professional skills during medical training. Barriers to careers in orthopedics can now be addressed in future courses. Anat Sci Educ 10: 372–382. © 2016 American Association of Anatomists.
Eye Movement Performance on the Stroop Test in Adults With ADHD

Objective: To compare the eye movement patterns of adults with ADHD with those of controls as they perform the Stroop test. Method: Thirty individuals with ADHD (ages 18-31), and 30 controls participated in this study. The hypothesis was that under the incongruent condition, the group with ADHD would focus longer on the distracter than the controls. Results: Participants with ADHD showed a more pronounced Stroop effect than the controls. Eye movements indicated that more time was spent fixating on the target than on the distracter. The most significant differences between the groups were the overall time spent on the target and the number of fixations on the target, rather than on the distracter. Furthermore, the group with ADHD made more transitions between the target and distracter stimuli. Conclusion: These results were interpreted to indicate an inefficient strategy used by the group with ADHD in their attempt to ignore the distracter stimuli.
Current challenges in health economic modeling of cancer therapies: a research inquiry.

BACKGROUND The demand for economic models that evaluate cancer treatments is increasing, as healthcare decision makers struggle for ways to manage their budgets while providing the best care possible to patients with cancer. Yet, after nearly 2 decades of cultivating and refining techniques for modeling the cost-effectiveness and budget impact of cancer therapies, serious methodologic and policy challenges have emerged that question the adequacy of economic modeling as a sound decision-making tool in oncology. OBJECTIVES We sought to explore some of the contentious issues associated with the development and use of oncology economic models as informative tools in current healthcare decision-making. Our objective was to draw attention to these complex pharmacoeconomic concerns and to promote discussion within the oncology and health economics research communities. METHODS Using our combined expertise in health economics research and economic modeling, we structured our inquiry around the following 4 questions: (1) Are economic models adequately addressing questions relevant to oncology decision makers; (2) What are the methodologic limitations of oncology economic models; (3) What guidelines are followed for developing oncology economic models; and (4) Is the evolution of oncology economic modeling keeping pace with treatment innovation? Within the context of each of these questions, we discuss issues related to the technical limitations of oncology modeling, the availability of adequate data for developing models, and the problems with how modeling analyses and results are presented and interpreted. DISCUSSION There is general acceptance that economic models are good, essential tools for decision-making, but the practice of oncology and its rapidly evolving technologies present unique challenges that make assessing and demonstrating value especially complex. There is wide latitude for improvement in oncology modeling methodologies and how model results are presented and interpreted. CONCLUSION Complex technical and data availability issues with oncology economic modeling pose serious concerns that need to be addressed. It is our hope that this article will provide a framework to guide future discourse on this important topic.
Inorganic Nitrogen Supply and Dissolved Organic Nitrogen Abundance across the US Great Plains

Across US Great Plains grasslands, a gradient of increasing mean annual precipitation from west to east corresponds to increasing aboveground net primary productivity (ANPP) and increasing N-limitation. Previous work has shown that there is no increase in net N mineralization rates across this gradient, leading to the question of where eastern prairie grasses obtain the nitrogen to support production. One as-yet unexamined source is soil organic N, despite abundant literature from other ecosystems showing that plants take up dissolved soil organic N. This study measured KCl-extractable dissolved organic N (DON) in surface soils across the grassland productivity gradient. We found that KCl-extractable DON pools increased from west to east. If available to and used by plants, this DON may help explain the high ANPP in the eastern Great Plains. These results suggest a need for future research to determine whether, in what quantities, and in what forms prairie grasses use organic N to support primary production.
An Objective Approach to Determining the Weight Ranges of Prey Preferred by and Accessible to the Five Large African Carnivores

Broad-scale models describing predator prey preferences serve as useful departure points for understanding predator-prey interactions at finer scales. Previous analyses used a subjective approach to identify prey weight preferences of the five large African carnivores, hence their accuracy is questionable. This study uses a segmented model of prey weight versus prey preference to objectively quantify the prey weight preferences of the five large African carnivores. Based on simulations of known predator prey preference, for prey species sample sizes above 32 the segmented model approach detects up to four known changes in prey weight preference (represented by model break-points) with high rates of detection (75% to 100% of simulations, depending on number of break-points) and accuracy (within 1.3±4.0 to 2.7±4.4 of known break-point). When applied to the five large African carnivores, using carnivore diet information from across Africa, the model detected weight ranges of prey that are preferred, killed relative to their abundance, and avoided by each carnivore. Prey in the weight ranges preferred and killed relative to their abundance are together termed “accessible prey”. Accessible prey weight ranges were found to be 14–135 kg for cheetah Acinonyx jubatus, 1–45 kg for leopard Panthera pardus, 32–632 kg for lion Panthera leo, 15–1600 kg for spotted hyaena Crocuta crocuta and 10–289 kg for wild dog Lycaon pictus. An assessment of carnivore diets throughout Africa found these accessible prey weight ranges include 88±2% (cheetah), 82±3% (leopard), 81±2% (lion), 97±2% (spotted hyaena) and 96±2% (wild dog) of kills. These descriptions of prey weight preferences therefore contribute to our understanding of the diet spectrum of the five large African carnivores. Where datasets meet the minimum sample size requirements, the segmented model approach provides a means of determining, and comparing, the prey weight range preferences of any carnivore species.