Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Cooperation, clustering, and assortative mixing in dynamic networks

Significance Understanding the patterns and processes of human cooperation is of central scientific importance. Networks can promote cooperation when their existing or emergent topology allows conditional cooperators in the network to isolate themselves from exploitation by noncooperators. We do not know from prior work whether the emergent structures that promote cooperation are driven by reputation or can emerge purely via dynamics, i.e., the severing of ties to noncooperators and the formation of new ties irrespective of reputational information. Here we demonstrate, experimentally, that dynamic networks yield very high rates of cooperation even without reputational knowledge. Further, we identify realistic conditions under which static networks (where ties cannot be altered) yield cooperation rates as high as those in dynamic networks. Humans’ propensity to cooperate is driven by our embeddedness in social networks. A key mechanism through which networks promote cooperation is clustering. Within clusters, conditional cooperators are insulated from exploitation by noncooperators, allowing them to reap the benefits of cooperation. Dynamic networks, where ties can be shed and new ties formed, allow for the endogenous emergence of clusters of cooperators. Although past work suggests that either reputation processes or network dynamics can increase clustering and cooperation, existing work on network dynamics conflates reputations and dynamics. Here we report results from a large-scale experiment (total n = 2,675) that embedded participants in clustered or random networks that were static or dynamic, with varying levels of reputational information. Results show that initial network clustering predicts cooperation in static networks, but not in dynamic ones. Further, our experiment shows that while reputations are important for partner choice, cooperation levels are driven purely by dynamics. Supplemental conditions confirmed this lack of a reputation effect. Importantly, we find that when participants make individual choices to cooperate or defect with each partner, as opposed to a single decision that applies to all partners (as is standard in the literature on cooperation in networks), cooperation rates in static networks are as high as cooperation rates in dynamic networks. This finding highlights the importance of structured relations for sustained cooperation, and shows how giving experimental participants more realistic choices has important consequences for whether dynamic networks promote higher levels of cooperation than static networks.
Betel quid not containing tobacco and oral leukoplakia: A report on a cross‐sectional study in Papua New Guinea and a meta‐analysis of current evidence

Leukoplakia is an asymptomatic, potentially malignant change in the oral mucosa. Previous studies have reported that smoking and betel quid chewing are associated with increased risk of leukoplakia; few studies have reported on these associations in populations where betel quid does not contain tobacco. We conducted a case–control study nested in a cross‐sectional study in Papua New Guinea and a systematic review of studies that included chewers of betel quid without tobacco. Our study recruited 1,670 adults. We recorded betel quid chewing and smoking. The prevalence of leukoplakia was 11.7%. In the nested case–control study of 197 cases and 1,282 controls, current betel chewing was associated with increased risk of leukoplakia with an adjusted odds ratio for current chewers of 3.8 (95% CI 1.7, 8.4) and in the heaviest chewers of 4.1 (95% CI 1.8, 9.1) compared to non‐chewers. Current smoking was associated with an increased risk of leukoplakia with an adjusted odds ratio for current smokers of 6.4 (95% CI 4.1, 9.9) and amongst heaviest smokers of 9.8 (95% CI 5.9, 16.4) compared to non‐smokers. The systematic review identified 5 studies examining risk of leukoplakia associated with betel quid chewing in populations where betel quid did not contain tobacco and that controlled for smoking. In studies that adjusted for smoking, the combined random effect odds ratio was 7.9 (95% CI 4.3, 14.6) in betel quid chewers. The results of this study and systematic review of similar studies provide evidence of the role of betel quid not containing tobacco and leukoplakia. © 2008 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Reduced Swimming Performance Repeatedly Evolves on Loss of Migration in Landlocked Populations of Alewife

Whole-organism performance tasks are accomplished by the integration of morphological traits and physiological functions. Understanding how evolutionary change in morphology and physiology influences whole-organism performance will yield insight into the factors that shape its own evolution. We demonstrate that nonmigratory populations of alewife (Alosa pseudoharengus) have evolved reduced swimming performance in parallel, compared with their migratory ancestor. In contrast to theoretically and empirically based predictions, poor swimming among nonmigratory populations is unrelated to the evolution of osmoregulation and occurs despite the fact that nonmigratory alewives have a more fusiform (torpedo-like) body shape than their ancestor. Our results suggest that elimination of long-distance migration from the life cycle has shaped performance more than changes in body shape and physiological regulatory capacity.
Conjoint Analysis Approach to Construction of Utility Functions in Negotiation

The conduct of negotiation analysis involves support for offer and counter offer evaluation by means of ratings based on the utility function which directly influences the final solution of the negotiation. In most cases, the number of package is a very large number and we need some way of selectively presenting just a few packages for the user to rate, yet obtain reliable utility values. This paper introduces conjoint analysis combined with orthogonal design to construct a utility function. Using conjoint analysis, the total utility of a package is decomposed into constituent option utilities. The orthogonal design is one of the most compact and effective designs that minimizes the number of packages to be evaluated by users, while still giving a good picture of the users preferences.
School-Based Health Education in Yucatan, Mexico about the Chikungunya Virus and Mosquito Illness Prevention

The Chikungunya virus (CHIKV) has been rapidly spreading throughout Latin America, utilizing pre-existing vectors to infiltrate the immunologically naïve populations. With the current rise of the Zika Virus, there is an urgent need for more rigorous vector control efforts to prevent further Zika breakout. We designed a school-based education module on CHIKV and mosquito prevention and presented it to the local students of ages of 6-18 in a rural town called Sudzal in Yucatan, Mexico. We distributed questionnaires before and after education to test the students’ knowledge of CHIKV and mosquito prevention. Chi-squared test was performed to determine the efficacy of the presentation in increasing their knowledge. The education presentation has proven to effectively educate the local residents in several critical methods of mosquito prevention, increasing the average test scores by 67% post-education. These include applying repellent, staying hydrated during recuperation, and cleaning indoor water containers to eliminate breeding sites (P<0.001). Furthermore, the questionnaire captured the residents’ behavioral patterns regarding CHIKV and mosquito prevention and identified cultural, ecological, and socioeconomic factors hindering effective implementation of vector control.
Evaluating CAIA delay gradient as a candidate for deadline-aware less-than-best-effort transport

Less-than-best-effort (LBE) congestion control offers a low-priority service for applications tolerant to high latency and low throughput, like peer-to-peer file transfers or automatic software updates. There are, however, situations where it would be beneficial for the application to specify a soft deadline for task completion. Examples of such situations could be completion of backup tasks or synchronisation between CDN data centres. Since network conditions change over time, a deadline-aware LBE (DA- LBE) congestion control would need the ability to dynamically adapt how aggressively it competes for capacity to meet the soft deadline, trading low-priority behaviour for timeliness. One candidate that shows promise as a LBE congestion control is CAIA Delay Gradient (CDG). CDG uses changes in measured end-to-end delay to control the congestion window. CDG has several parameters that might help tune its “aggressiveness” in a way that might help achieve the goal of DA-LBE congestion control. We have evaluated CDG in order to establish how it can be tuned to exhibit different degrees of LBE behaviour under varying network conditions. Our results show that it is possible to control CDG to vary its aggressiveness in a consistent way, making it a prime candidate to implement a DA-LBE congestion control system.
High Incidence of Childhood-Onset IDDM in Kuwait

OBJECTIVE To determine the incidence of insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (IDDM) in children aged 0–14 years in Kuwait, as part of the World Health Organization Multinational Collaborative Study (DIAMOND), and to determine if the incidence rates have increased. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS All cases of IDDM diagnosed before the child's 15th birthday between 1 January 1992 and 31 December 1993 were recorded. Prospective notification of all children with newly diagnosed diabetes who were admitted to hospitals and periodic review of hospital medical records provided the primary source; notification by physicians working in diabetic clinics, in which registry of all new cases is mandatory, provided the secondary source of ascertainment. RESULTS The degree of ascertainment was 92.2%. The annual incidence of IDDM for children aged 0–14 years over the 2-year period was 15.4/100,000 (95% confidence interval, 12.4–19), with a male:female ratio of 1.2:1. The age-specific annual incidence rates for the age-groups 0–4, 5–9, and 10–14 years were 12.8, 15.1, and 18.3/100,000, respectively, with a male:female ratio of 1.45:1 in the 0- to 4-year-old age-group and an equal sex ratio in the 5- to 9- and 10- to 14-year-old age-groups. No significant difference was detected between incidence rates of IDDM in boys and girls in the three age-groups. There was no significant linear trend toward an increase in IDDM incidence rates as age advanced. Compared with a previous study by Taha et al. (Taha T, Moussa M, Rashed A, Fenech F: Diabetes mellitus in Kuwait: incidence in the first 29 years of life. Diabetologia 25:306–308, 1983), there was a nearly fourfold increase of IDDM in the age-group 0–14 years, mainly in those children < 5 years old, suggesting a rapid increase in a short period of time. CONCLUSIONS Kuwait has the highest incidence of IDDM in children in the region, and an apparently increasing incidence has been demonstrated over the last decade.
Paralogous Outer Membrane Proteins Mediate Uptake of Different Forms of Iron and Synergistically Govern Virulence in Francisella tularensis tularensis*

Background: FslE and FupA are Francisella-specific paralogous proteins involved in iron acquisition. Results: fslE mutation disrupts siderophore-mediated ferric iron uptake, fupA mutation impairs high affinity ferrous iron uptake, and both mutations impact virulence. Conclusion: Optimal iron acquisition and virulence require both paralogs. Significance: Iron acquisition mechanisms are potential targets for preventive or therapeutic intervention in F. tularensis infections. Francisella tularensis subsp. tularensis is a highly infectious bacterium causing acute disease in mammalian hosts. Mechanisms for the acquisition of iron within the iron-limiting host environment are likely to be critical for survival of this intracellular pathogen. FslE (FTT0025) and FupA (FTT0918) are paralogous proteins that are predicted to form β-barrels in the outer membrane of virulent strain Schu S4 and are unique to Francisella species. Previous studies have implicated both FupA, initially identified as a virulence factor and FslE, encoded by the siderophore biosynthetic operon, in iron acquisition. Using single and double mutants, we demonstrated that these paralogs function in concert to promote growth under iron limitation. We used a 55Fe transport assay to demonstrate that FslE is involved in siderophore-mediated ferric iron uptake, whereas FupA facilitates high affinity ferrous iron uptake. Optimal replication within J774A.1 macrophage-like cells required at least one of these uptake systems to be functional. In a mouse model of tularemia, the ΔfupA mutant was attenuated, but the ΔfslE ΔfupA mutant was significantly more attenuated, implying that the two systems of iron acquisition function synergistically to promote virulence. These studies highlight the importance of specific iron acquisition functions, particularly that of ferrous iron, for virulence of F. tularensis in the mammalian host.
T cell reactivity to the purified mycobacterial antigens p65 and p70 in leprosy patients and their household contacts

T cell reactivity to the 70 and 65 kD (p70 and p65) protein antigens derived from Mycobacterium bovis BCG strain was studied by measuring the proliferative responses of peripheral blood mononuclear cells from members of an isolated Aboriginal community resident in the Torres Straits islands. In the nine index leprosy cases the pattern of responsiveness to the purified antigens paralleled that to whole sonicates from M. leprae and BCG. In the 40 contacts of the index cases, a high correlation was observed between the responses to p70 and p65 as well as to the crude sonicates. Significant T cell responses to the purified antigens, as well as the crude sonicates, were obtained with cells from the majority of contacts. Limiting dilution analysis of precursor frequencies in the contacts confirmed the immunogenicity of the purified antigens and excluded both a mitogenic component and the presence of suppressor cells in those moderate or low responders whose blood contained sufficient precursors to be tested. p70 appeared to be more potent in stimulating a proliferative response than p65 at equivalent protein concentrations. No correlation between responder status to either antigen and disease type was detected in families. These findings provide confirmation of the importance of p70 and p65 as major T cell immunogens in man and indicate that they are both potential candidates for inclusion in a bivalent vaccine for leprosy and tuberculosis.
Toxic nodular goitre.

Toxic nodular goitre is the late result of a slow growth process generating new daughter follicles from the mother follicles of a normal thyroid gland. Since the normal follicular shell is not built up by monoclonal epithelial cells, but rather by cells with widely variable functional equipment, daughter follicles generated by the preferential replication of particular mother follicular cells endowed with a high growth potential, may be different from mother follicles. For instance, the progeny of follicles may have a higher or lower iodine metabolism than their progenitor follicles. Some of the newly generated follicles have a high autonomous, i.e. TSH-independent, iodine turnover, while some others have a high autonomous growth potential. The degree of autonomous function is entirely independent of that of growth. In the process of goitrogenesis, newly generated follicles may, in addition, acquire new forms of expressing genetic functions. Such new traits, e.g. a particular growth pattern, may become inheritable and are then passed on from mother to daughter cells. The result is the most characteristic of all hallmarks of nodular goitres, which is the heterogeneity of structure and function between two diseased glands and even between closely adjacent follicles of the same gland. Greatly uneven intrinsic replication rates between different follicular cells and equally varying independency on growth stimuli account for regional differences in goitre growth. This, together with a network of fibrous scars interfering with unimpeded expansion of the growing follicle population, invariably produces a nodular growth pattern of the goitre. TSH certainly does not account for the growth of this type of goitre. Instead, a number of thyroid growth factors, including growth-stimulating immunoglobulins akin to those found in Graves' disease, have been discovered in recent years. Once the number of follicular cells with high intrinsic growth potential has become large enough under the impact of extrathyroidal growth stimuli, goitre growth may become autonomous and self-perpetuating. Whether or not a nodular goitre will produce thyrotoxicosis is a function of the number of follicles with high intrinsic iodine turnover which happen to be generated in the course of goitrogenesis. In contrast to thyrotoxicosis in Graves' disease, hyperthyroidism in nodular goitre is a very slowly progressing, insidiously evolving complication.
Lumbar multifidus muscle degenerates in individuals with chronic degenerative lumbar spine pathology

Histological and cell‐level changes in the lumbar musculature in individuals with chronic lumbar spine degenerative conditions are not well characterized. Although prior literature supports evidence of changes in fiber type and size, little information exists describing the tissue quality and biology of pathological features of muscle in this population. The purpose of this study was to quantify multifidus tissue composition and structure, inflammation, vascularity, and degeneration in individuals with chronic degenerative lumbar spine pathology. Human multifidus biopsies were acquired from 22 consecutive patients undergoing surgery for chronic degenerative lumbar spine pathology. Relative fractions of muscle, adipose, and extracellular matrix were quantified along with muscle fiber type and cross‐sectional area (CSA) and markers of inflammation, vascularity, satellite cell density, and muscle degeneration. On average, multifidus biopsies contained 48.5% muscle, 11.7% adipose tissue, and 26.1% collagen tissue. Elevated inflammatory cell counts (48.5 ± 30.0 macrophages/mm2) and decreased vascularity (275.6 ± 69.4 vessels/mm2) were also observed compared to normative values. Satellite cell densities were on average 13 ± 9 cells per every 100 muscle fibers. Large fiber CSA (3,996.0 ± 1,909.2 µm2) and a predominance of type I fibers (61.8 ± 18.0%) were observed in addition to evidence of pathological degeneration‐regeneration cycling (18.8 ± 9.4% centrally nucleated fibers, and 55.2 ± 24.2% of muscle regions containing degeneration). High levels of muscle degeneration, inflammation, and decreased vascularity were commonly seen in human multifidus biopsies of individuals with lumbar spine pathology in comparison to normative data. Evidence of active muscle degeneration suggests that changes in muscle tissue are more complex than simple atrophy. © 2017 Orthopaedic Research Society. Published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Orthop Res 35:2700–2706, 2017.
Food choices and eating difficulty among elderly edentate patients in Greece.

AIMS To evaluate food choice and eating difficulty experienced by older Greek edentate patients. SUBJECTS Three samples of patients seeking provision of replacement dentures were studied. A primary study of urban mainland U1 (n=54) and island rural R1 samples (n=84) was followed by a mainland urban U2 sample (n= 19) in the Secondary study. SETTING Greek dental clinics. INTERVENTION Semi-structured interviews (SSI) were employed, using both open and closed questions. DESIGN The primary study used SSI to identify eating difficulty experienced by two culturally different Greek groups. The secondary study established patterns of difficulty for comparisons between an urban Greek population and northern European urban studies. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES The prevalence of eating difficulty, the degree of difficulty eating specified foods and the exclusion of foods because difficult. RESULTS Most patients expressed difficulty eating at least one type of food, a high percentage of these patients were willing to eat foods found difficult, while others use particular methods of food preparation that make food easier to eat. Chicken illustrated the importance of specifying the method of cooking when questioning eating difficulties. Roast meats provided insight into the more difficult end of the food range. Raw vegetables were rated difficult. Apples and oranges were also food of particular interest. CONCLUSIONS The semi-structured interview method provides a successful method to identify eating difficulty and food choices by older Greek complete denture wearers. Differences, probably largely cultural, were identified between Greek island rural and mainland urban communities. Greek food choices differed favourably from an English sample, strikingly in that Greek patients report continuing to eat difficult foods despite difficulty eating them. This may be relevant to health data on Greek populations that show better mortality statistics despite adverse factors such as high prevalence of smoking.
The effect of age and gender on the electrocardiogram in children

Abstract Our aim was to determine, using a computer program for measurement and analysis, the effects, if any, of age and gender on the electrocardiographic measurements in a large cohort of Turkish children. We analyzed standard simultaneous 12-lead electrocardiograms from 2241 healthy Turkish children, aged from 1 day to 16 years, to calculate limits of normality of a variety of electrocardiographic measurements for 12 age groups. Cinically significant differences were shown to exist, and the results compared with previously established normal limits. Differences were demonstrated for gender in measurements of both amplitude and duration, particularly in the adolescent period. We have provided tables and figures showing age and gender-dependent means and upper limits of normal electrocardiographic parameters for the important leads.
Intermodal Transfer of Spatial Arrangement of the Component Parts of an Object in Infants Aged 4–5 Months

Infants' tactual discriminative abilities and intermodal transfer were investigated in two research studies which endeavoured to answer two questions: can infants aged 4–5 months process and discriminate tactually information about different spatial arrangements of elements of an object, in the absence of visual control, and secondly, can they transfer this information from touch to vision? Two experiments were conducted involving a habituation procedure and a procedure which tests reaction to novelty. Infants were found to be able to discriminate tactually between different spatial arrangements of the three elements of an object (experiment 1), and to transfer this information to the visual mode (experiment 2). These findings constitute new data on intermodal functioning in babies.