Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Homoplasies, consistency index and the complexity of morphological evolution: catfishes as a case study for general discussions on phylogeny and macroevolution

Los peces gato constituyen un grupo cosmopolita ampliamente diversificado, el cual representa cerca de un tercio de todos los peces de agua dulce, y es uno de los taxones mas diversos de vertebrados. El detallado estudio de los Siluriformes puede, de esta forma, proveer datos utiles y ejemplos ilustrativos para amplias discusiones de filogenia general y macroevolucion. En esta comunicacion expondre brevemente como el estudio de este grupo notoriamente diverso revela un ejemplo de amplia homoplasia y un complejo «mosaico» de evolucion morfologica
The postnatal growth of the -cell mass in pigs

Studies of the postnatal growth of the -cell mass in rats have revealed some unexpected and apparently paradoxical results, the most prominent being a -cell mass plateau in the early phase of life. We have studied the postnatal growth of the -cell mass in the domestic pig to investigate its development in a larger mammal. The pancreases from a total of 86 male pigs from 5 to 100 days of age were studied. The -cell mass increased linearly from day 5 to day 40, reached a plateau from day 40 to day 60, and then increased further into adulthood. The relative -cell mass (-cell mass per body mass) was increased in the early postnatal period but reached a constant level from day 60, after which there was a linear relationship between the -cell mass and the body mass. There were high rates of both -cell apoptosis and mitosis at 50 and 60 days of age, while the volume-weighted mean islet volume increased from birth and reached a plateau at approximately 60 days of age. A -cell mass plateau early in life accompanied by a wave of -cell apoptosis coinciding with the relative -cell mass decreasing to reach a constant level, and a linear relationship between the -cell mass and the body mass in later life is exactly what has previously been reported in rats. The coincidence of these events in both rats and pigs, although occurring at different ages in the two species, suggests a causal relationship as previously suggested in a proposed explanatory model for postnatal -cell growth.
MODELING DEPENDENCE BETWEEN LOSS TRIANGLES WITH HIERARCHICAL ARCHIMEDEAN COPULAS

Abstract One of the most critical problems in property/casualty insurance is to determine an appropriate reserve for incurred but unpaid losses. These provisions generally comprise most of the liabilities of a non-life insurance company. The global provisions are often determined under an assumption of independence between the lines of business. Recently, Shi and Frees (2011) proposed to put dependence between lines of business with a copula that captures dependence between two cells of two different runoff triangles. In this paper, we propose to generalize this model in two steps. First, by using an idea proposed by Barnett and Zehnwirth (1998), we will suppose a dependence between all the observations that belong to the same calendar year (CY) for each line of business. Thereafter, we will then suppose another dependence structure that links the CYs of different lines of business. This model is done by using hierarchical Archimedean copulas. We show that the model provides more flexibility than existing models, and offers a better, more realistic and more intuitive interpretation of the dependence between the lines of business. For illustration, the model is applied to a dataset from a major US property-casualty insurer, where a bootstrap method is proposed to estimate the distribution of the reserve.
Deep Learning for Movement Detection in Ultrasound Data

The safe navigation of autonomously moving robots is a key factor for the success of service robotics. To predict the position of obstacles, machine learning methods are a natural choice. In this work, a prototype for the detection of persons in ultrasound data is developed based on deep learning algorithms and the performance of these approaches is examined. The results of the evaluation show that artificial neural networks (ANNs) can be successfully applied. In the context of autonomous robot navigation and especially in the online detection of persons, ANNs can thus be seen as a research direction well worth further investigation.
Non-Linearity of Resistance/Temperature Characteristic: Its Influence on Performance of Precision Resistors

The relative resistance change vs. temperature function, ∆R/R = f(T), of precision resistors is commonly represented in the industry by the value of the temperature coefficient of resistance (TCR). The TCR is the slope of a chord joining two points of temperature on the ∆R/R = f(T) curve. Two such temperature points indicate the temperature range, and the slope of a chord joining the two points is the TCR. Three points form two chords and the difference in their slopes indicates the rate of change of the TCR with changing temperature.
Evaluation of Clinical Efficacy of Subgingivally Delivered Propolis in Treatment of Chronic Periodontitis: A Case Control Study

Background: Periodontal diseases represent a group of microbial induced infections that cause progressive loss of attachment and formation of periodontal pockets. They are routinely treated by meticulous mechanical procedures. Sometimes to completely eliminate the periodontopathic bacteria in deeper pockets, systemically or locally delivered antimicrobials are also required. Thus, the aim of the present study is to evaluate the clinical efficacy of Propolis in treating chronic periodontitis when delivered subgingivally. Materials and Methods: A total of 100 subjects (150 sites) were recruited for the study. The sites were randomly divided into two groups – group I (n=50, sites = 70) and group II (n=50, sites = 80). The sites in group I received SRP alone and the sites in group II received SRP followed by subgingival Propolis. The clinical parameters of Gingival index (GI), plaque index (PI), probing pocket depth (PPD) and clinical attachment level (CAL) were recorded at baseline and 3 months. Results: The results revealed that there is a significant reduction in the PI and GI in both the groups with significantly more reduction seen in group II compared to group I. Also, the PPD and CAL showed significant improvement in both the groups with better results in group II. Conclusion: The results of the present study suggest that the Propolis is effective in treating chronic periodontitis when delivered subgingivally.
Initial Stiffness of Reinforced Concrete Columns with Moderate Aspect Ratios

The estimation of the initial stiffness of columns subjected to seismic loadings has long been a matter of considerable uncertainty. This paper reports a study that is devoted to addressing this uncertainty by developing a rational method to determine the initial stiffness of RC columns when subjected to seismic loads. A comprehensive parametric study based on a proposed method is initially carried out to investigate the influences of several critical parameters. A simple equation is then proposed to estimate the initial stiffness of RC columns. The applicability and accuracy of the proposed method and equation are then verified with the experimental data obtained from literature studies.
Effect of different planting dates and defoliation on the properties of sugar beet (Beta vulgaris L.).

The experiment was conducted in spring 2014 to evaluate the effect of defoliation on the quantitative and qualitative characteristics of sugar beet in Motahari research station located in the Kamal Shahr region in Karaj, Iran. The study was conducted in split plot factorial with completely randomized block design with four replications. The main factors included two planting dates viz 23 April, 2014 (suitable planting time) and 18 May, 2014 (Late planting) and the sub-factors included five levels of defoliation including stage of early cotyledon growth to two true leaves (2 leaves), the stage of plant deployment (about 12 leaves), mid-growth (about 32 leaves) and late season of growth (about 54 leaves) and another sub-factors included five levels of defoliation intensity of leaves included 25%, 50%, 75% and 100% of defoliation and non-defoliation stage (control) as randomized and factorial were considered. Result of study revealed that different planting dates have significant effect on the sugar percentage of root. In addition, the treatment of defoliation stage could have a significant effect on root yield and white sugar yield (p>0.01). The treatment of defoliation intensity had a significant effect on all three traits (p>0.01). In general, increase in the defoliation intensity negatively affects the root yield and significantly reduced the white sugar yield (compared to control). Among the various stages of defoliation, middle stages of the defoliation have least effect on the evaluated traits which indicated more sensitivity of this treatment during the growing season of plant.
Rat liver sinusoidal dilatation induced by perfusion in vitro through portal vein alone , hepatic artery alone , and portal vein together with hepatic artery

The techniques for liver perfusion have been recommended in order to protect liver grafts prior to transplantation. We compared portal vein alone, hepatic artery alone, and dual perfusion through portal vein together with hepatic artery perfusion techniques in rat livers analyzed in histology. Rat livers were treated for 30 min in situ warm ischemia and excised and directly placed to mimic conventional cold storage for 4 hours followed by different routes of cold perfusion. In three experimental groups, five livers were given portal vein perfusion in group one. In group two, five livers were subjected to hepatic artery perfusion and in group three five livers received both portal vein and hepatic artery perfusion. Histological samples were taken before the beginning of the perfusion, 30 minutes, and 60 minutes after starting of the perfusion. Rat livers, received portal vein perfusion in group one, revealed remarkable sinusoidal dilatation increasingly with augmented perfusion time. The livers through both the portal vein and the hepatic artery showed significantly reduced sinusoidal dilatation compared to the portal vein perfusion in group one. Moreover, the liver perfusion through the hepatic artery demonstrated the lowest sinusoidal dilatation when compared to the portal vein perfusion and both the portal vein and the hepatic artery perfusion. This is the first evidence that the hepatic artery perfusion alone is the best of three perfusions by showing in sinusoidal dilatation. Also, we clearly demonstrate that the severity of the sinusoidal dilatation is tightly related to the time of portal vein perfusion.
The difficulty of measuring the local dark matter density

The analysis of the vertical velocity dispersion of disc stars is the most direct astronomical means of estimating the local dark matter density, $\rho_{DM}$. Current estimates based on the mid-plane dynamic density use a local baryonic correction that ignores the non-local effects of spiral structure and significantly underestimates the amount of dynamically relevant gas; the additional gas plus the remaining uncertainties make it practically impossible to measure $\rho_{DM}$ from mid-plane kinematics alone. The sampling of inhomogeneous tracer populations with different scale-heights and scale-lengths results in a systematic increase in the observed dispersion gradients and changes in the nominal density distributions that, if not properly considered, can be misinterpreted as a sign of more dark matter. If the disc gravity is modelled using an infinite disc, the local variation in the vertical gravity due to the globally exponential disc components results in an underestimation of the baryonic contribution by as much as ~40% Given only the assumptions of stationarity, an axially and vertically symmetric disc, doubly exponential tracer and mass-component density profiles, a phenomenologically justified model for the cross-dispersion component $\sigma_{Rz}$, and a realistic model for $g_z$, it is possible to solve the full vertical Jeans equation analytically for the vertical dispersion $\sigma_{z}(z)$ and hence test the robustness of previous attempts at measuring $\rho_{DM}$. When the model parameters are estimated from SEGUE G dwarf star data, it is still not possible to explain the difference in behaviour seen in the simple thick- and thin-disc datasets reported by Buedenbender et al. Rather than being a fundamental problem with the kinematical model, this effect appears to be a further sign of the difficulty of defining and handling kinematically homogeneous tracer populations.
Current Treatment Standards in Metastatic Colorectal Cancer — The Role of Anti-epidermal Growth Factor Antibodies

Each year, there are an estimated one million newly diagnosed cases of colorectal cancer (CRC) worldwide. Approximately half of all patients with CRC will develop metastases, and the majority of these patients will die from the cancer. Without treatment, the median survival for patients with metastatic CRC is five to six months. However, the last decade has seen dramatic changes in the management of patients with CRC, due in part to the increasing number of therapeutic options. First-line chemotherapy treatment has evolved from fluorouracil (FU) monotherapy to include folinic acid, and it is now recommended to integrate the use of the cytotoxic agents irinotecan and oxaliplatin. Indeed, combination chemotherapy of fluorouracil and folinic acid with oxaliplatin (FOLFOX) or irinotecan (FOLFIRI) is associated with greater survival benefits and improved quality of life in patients with advanced CRC. The availability of these combination therapies has seen improved response rates and increased time to progression (TTP) or progression-free survival (PFS) compared with FU and folinic acid alone, with median survival times increasing from approximately 12 months to over 20 months.
ABC-GAN : Adaptive Blur and Control for improved training stability of Generative Adversarial Networks

Generative Adversarial Networks (GANs) are well known for synthesizing images with impressive quality. However, the images are still often far away from being photo-realistic and the resolutions are typically limited to around 64 by 64 pixels due to training instability. In this work, we propose two simple techniques for improving the stability, training speed and image quality of GANs. First, we show that filtering the inputs of the discriminator with a blur kernel allows for increased image resolution and a significant quality improvement. Second, we propose a control strategy that adjusts the (expected) ratio between generator and discriminator iterations, for improved convergence speed. Our experiments show that the techniques are complementary and can speed up the convergence of DCGAN by a 5x factor and double the resolution, improving the quality significantly.
Open or Laparoscopic Total Mesorectal Excision for Rectal Cancer what is the Optimal Approach

Due to the different localizations, rectal cancer is a variable surgical entity. The laparoscopic resection of tumors located in rectosigmoid junction or upper rectum is technically easy to perform and the oncological outcome is similar to those of colon cancer. In contrast, the laparoscopic approach of mid and low rectum tumors is a technical challenge. Several studies demonstrated that the minimal invasive procedure is feasible and safe [2] However, most of these trials were small case series, were based on a retrospective setting, or did not include a proper control for open groups. To date, there exist no large, prospective, randomized trials comparing the laparoscopic TME for rectal cancer with the conventional open approach regarding the oncological long-term outcome. Taking this fact in consideration, every surgeon performing rectal surgery must ask himself: What is the optimal approach for TME? 48 studies, representing 4224 patients, comparing the laparoscopic TME with the open TME were analyzed by a Cochrane review in 2006 [3]. The majority of the included studies were non-randomized trials. The authors found no significant differences in terms of disease-free survival rate, local recurrence rate, mortality, morbidity, anastomotic leakage, resection margins, or recovered lymph nodes [3]. The laparoscopic TME seems to be associated with less blood loss, a quicker return to normal diet, less pain, less narcotic use and less immune response [3]. Moreover, other short-term advantages including less fatigue, better pulmonary function, decreased disability, and shorter hospitalization, have been proven by several other studies [4-7]. On the other hand, the laparoscopic TME is associated with a longer operative time and higher costs [3]. These higher costs may be at least partially charged off by lower follow-up cost due to reoperations for incisional hernia, as a fivefold lower incidence is reported after laparoscopic surgery in comparison with open TME (2.4 vs. 12.9%) [8].
Whole-Body Cortisol Concentrations and Ontogeny of Aggressive Behavior in Yellowtail (Seriola quinqueradiataTemminck Carangidae)

Ontogenetic changes in whole-body immunoreactive cortisol concentrations (IRC) and aggressive behavior were examined in yellowtail Seriola quinqueradiata (Temminck & Schlegel; Carangidae). Baseline IRC significantly increased during the transition from larval to juvenile stage, and was correlated with the onset of aggressive behavior. Handled fish (13.1±2.6 ng/g tissue) showed a IRC level about three times higher than unhandled fish (4.7±1.4 ng/g tissue), indicating that whole body immunoreactive cortisol level may be used an indicator of stress in juvenile yellowtails. Behaviorally subordinate fish (8.6±1.6 ng/g tissue, n=4) showed IRC levels significantly higher than dominant fish (0.6±0.3 ng/g tissue, n=4). Whole-body immunoreactive cortisol levels may thus reflect stress and social status in juvenile yellowtails, and the inverse relationship between social rank and IRC may result from agonistic interactions.
Access to a Behavioral Weight Loss Website With or Without Group Sessions Increased Weight Loss in Statewide Campaign

Setting and participants. Study participants were recruited from the Rhode Island community via employers, media, and mass mailings at the time of SURI 2011 registration. Of the 3806 participants that joined the weight loss division, 1139 were willing to be contacted for research, and the first 431 were screened for study eligibility. Exclusion criteria were minimal: age < 18 years or > 70 years, body mass index (BMI) < 25 kg/m2, pregnant, nursing, or plans to become pregnant, a serious medical condition (eg, cancer), unreliable internet access, non-English speaking, current or previous participation in our weight loss studies, and planned relocation. Those who reported a medical condition that could interfere with safe participation (eg, diabetes) obtained doctor’s consent to participate. Of those screened, 230 met inclusion criteria, completed orientation procedures, and were randomized using a 1:2:2 randomization scheme to the standard SURI program (S; n = 46); SURI plus internet behavioral weight loss intervention (SI; n = 90); or SURI plus internet behavioral weight loss intervention plus optional group sessions (SIG; n = 94). To avoid contamination, individuals on the same SURI team (see below) were randomized to the same intervention.
Character strengths and well-being among volunteers and employees: Toward an integrative model

The endorsement and deployment of character strengths in occupational contexts are two promising components for understanding how people create well-being. In this study, a model integrating character strengths, satisfaction with occupational activities, and meaning and well-being was proposed and tested in two samples of volunteers and a sample of working adults. The model fit the data well in all three samples. Results demonstrated that deploying strengths at work provided key links to satisfaction with voluntary and paid occupational activities and to meaning among both young and middle-aged volunteers, and adult working women. Among adult volunteers and paid workers, endorsing strengths was related to meaning, while both endorsing and deploying strengths were related to well-being. Together, these studies provide a model for understanding how strengths may play a role in how both volunteer and paid workers find meaning, well-being, and satisfaction.
Effects of three different types of intracoronal bleaching agents on shear bond strength of stainless steel and sapphire brackets bonded to endodontically treated teeth (An in vitro study)

Background: evaluate the effects of three different intracoronal bleaching agents on the shear bond strengths (SBS) and failure site of stainless steel and monocrystalline (sapphire) orthodontic brackets bonded to endodontically treated teeth using light cured orthodontic adhesive in vitro. Materials and methods: Eighty extracted sound human upper first premolars were selected, endondontically treated and randomly divided equally (according to the type of the brackets used) into two main groups (n = 40 per group). Each main group were subdivided (according to the bleaching agent used) into four subgroups 10 teeth each; as following : control (un bleached) group, hydrogen peroxide group (Hp) 35%, carbamide peroxide group (CP) 37% group and sodium perborate (SP) group . The bleaching process was applied three times (4 days intervals) sequentially and the bleached teeth were stored in artificial saliva four weeks before bonding. Orthodontic brackets were bonded with a light cure composite resin and cured with LED light. After passing 24 hours of bonding procedure, the brackets were debonded by a Tinius-Olsen universal testing machine, to measure the shear bond strength. After debonding, each bracket base and the corresponding tooth surface were examined using a stereomicroscope and their Adhesive Remnant Index (ARI) was recorded. Results: The ANOVA test showed that the SBS of stainless brackets was significantly reduced by intracorornal bleaching agents. Furthermore, LSD showed no significant difference in SBS between the three types of bleaching agents used in stainless steel group. Whilst for sapphire group, the results The ANOVA test showed no significant difference in SBS between the bleached groups and the control group. Chi-square comparison no significant difference in failure site between bleached and control groups in both brackets types used. Conclusion: The effect of intracoronal bleaching on SBS was reduced SBS of stainless steel and not for sapphire. However, the intracoronal bleaching had no effect on the failure site of orthodontic brackets used.
Structured and Efficient Password-Based Group Key Agreement Protocol

Password-based group key agreement protocol (PGKA) is a kind of user experience-centered scheme which can provide many advantages, such as, memorable secret, no hardware involved, strong security and high eﬃciency etc. To accomplish above mentioned PGKA scheme, we should put emphasis on how to design a mechanism to apply cryptographic secret instead of password to capture the secure attributes, and at the same time make the calculated consumption and communicating round restrict to an acceptable bound. In this paper, we design a new structured and eﬃcient password-based group key agreement protocol, which has a general structure to realize N-party PGKA scheme with members revocation or join easily. Then, we give a concrete PGKA protocol and an example for N=4 case. Furthermore, we prove the security of the new PGKA protocol which based on the DDH assumption under the random-oracle and ideal-cipher models. Finally, in comparison with recent related literatures, our PGKA protocol is much more eﬃcient in both sides of communication and computation under the same secure setting.