Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
VARIABLE QUEEN NUMBER IN ANT COLONIES: NO IMPACT ON QUEEN TURNOVER, INBREEDING, AND POPULATION GENETIC DIFFERENTIATION IN THE ANT FORMICA SELYSI

Abstract Variation in queen number alters the genetic structure of social insect colonies, which in turn affects patterns of kin-selected conflict and cooperation. Theory suggests that shifts from single- to multiple-queen colonies are often associated with other changes in the breeding system, such as higher queen turnover, more local mating, and restricted dispersal. These changes may restrict gene flow between the two types of colonies and it has been suggested that this might ultimately lead to sympatric speciation. We performed a detailed microsatellite analysis of a large population of the ant Formica selysi, which revealed extensive variation in social structure, with 71 colonies headed by a single queen and 41 by multiple queens. This polymorphism in social structure appeared stable over time, since little change in the number of queens per colony was detected over a five-year period. Apart from queen number, single- and multiple-queen colonies had very similar breeding systems. Queen turnover was absent or very low in both types of colonies. Single- and multiple-queen colonies exhibited very small but significant levels of inbreeding, which indicates a slight deviation from random mating at a local scale and suggests that a small proportion of queens mate with related males. For both types of colonies, there was very little genetic structuring above the level of the nest, with no sign of isolation by distance. These similarities in the breeding systems were associated with a complete lack of genetic differentiation between single- and multiple-queen colonies, which provides no support for the hypothesis that change in queen number leads to restricted gene flow between social forms. Overall, this study suggests that the higher rates of queen turnover, local mating, and population structuring that are often associated with multiple-queen colonies do not appear when single- and multiple-queen colonies still coexist within the same population, but build up over time in populations consisting mostly of multiple-queen colonies.
Update on the role of ipilimumab in melanoma and first data on new combination therapies

Purpose of review This article provides an update on the therapeutic role of the monoclonal antibody ipilimumab in melanoma. Recent therapeutic combinations, as well as directions for further investigations, will also be discussed. Recent findings By blocking the interaction between CTLA-4 and B7 expressed on activated T lymphocytes and antigen-presenting cells, respectively, ipilimumab inhibits negative signals that physiologically downregulate T-cell activation and exerts its therapeutic activity by upregulating the antitumor activity of T lymphocytes. Ipilimumab has been the first agent to significantly improve the survival of metastatic melanoma patients and to provide long-term benefit to a sizeable proportion of patients treated within phase II/III studies and expanded access programs. On these premises, a number of studies combining ipilimumab with cytotoxic, antiangiogenic, and targeted agents have been most recently conducted. Summary Ipilimumab is the prototype of a growing family of ‘immunomodulating antibodies’ and it has demonstrated that immunotherapy will play an increasingly important role in the new treatment approaches for cancer. Combinations of chemotherapy, radiation therapy, and targeted drugs with ipilimumab indicate that additive and synergistic antitumor activity can be achieved. Most importantly, they indicate that involving the immune system is a key strategy to improve the outcome in cancer patients.
Robust Estimation of Area Under ROC Curve Using Auxiliary Variables in the Presence of Missing Biomarker Values

Summary In medical research, the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves can be used to evaluate the performance of biomarkers for diagnosing diseases or predicting the risk of developing a disease in the future. The area under the ROC curve (ROC AUC), as a summary measure of ROC curves, is widely utilized, especially when comparing multiple ROC curves. In observational studies, the estimation of the AUC is often complicated by the presence of missing biomarker values, which means that the existing estimators of the AUC are potentially biased. In this article, we develop robust statistical methods for estimating the ROC AUC and the proposed methods use information from auxiliary variables that are potentially predictive of the missingness of the biomarkers or the missing biomarker values. We are particularly interested in auxiliary variables that are predictive of the missing biomarker values. In the case of missing at random (MAR), that is, missingness of biomarker values only depends on the observed data, our estimators have the attractive feature of being consistent if one correctly specifies, conditional on auxiliary variables and disease status, either the model for the probabilities of being missing or the model for the biomarker values. In the case of missing not at random (MNAR), that is, missingness may depend on the unobserved biomarker values, we propose a sensitivity analysis to assess the impact of MNAR on the estimation of the ROC AUC. The asymptotic properties of the proposed estimators are studied and their finite‐sample behaviors are evaluated in simulation studies. The methods are further illustrated using data from a study of maternal depression during pregnancy.
Inter-cultural mentoring for newcomer immigrants: Mentor perspectives and better practices

The objective of this study was to draw from mentor feedback and reflections and examine the practices of mentors successful in mentoring immigrant newcomers. The paper reports on how mentors related the competencies they reported as foundational for decoding, absorbing, and transferring tacit/explicit knowledge holdings. Capturing rich insights, the guidelines for best practice are presented for mentoring of immigrant newcomer mentees in smaller/medium cities (SMC) with emerging immigrant populations. Findings identify seven key themes by mentors: mentees' culture, mentors' cultural self-awareness, building relationality and accessibility, sponsorship, deep learning, racism, and small city truths as they influence (a) knowledge transfer and personal learning within the dyad, (b) acculturation/adaptation, and (c) perceived business and network gains on the part of the mentee. This paper also petitions for clarification of the multiple meanings accorded to the use of inter-cultural mentoring (ICM). A purposeful sampling strategy and best practice research (BPR) were employed for this research investigation.
Using NiGEM in uncertain times: Introduction and overview of NiGEM

This paper introduces a special issue of the Review on how the National Institute Global Econometric Model (NiGEM) is being used to navigate uncertain times. NiGEM is the leading global macroeconomic model, used by both policy-makers and the private sector across the globe for economic forecasting, scenario building and stress testing. The paper summarises the main features of NiGEM and describes some standard model simulations to illustrate how the model responds to monetary, fiscal and technology shocks.
On Achieving Cost-Effective Adaptive Cloud Gaming in Geo-Distributed Data Centers

Cloud gaming has become a new trend for gamers to access high-end video games. By rendering games in the remote cloud and streaming video scenes to the users, games can be played anywhere, anytime, on any device (e.g., smartphones, tablets, or personal computers). In this paper, we address the problem of achieving cost-effective adaptive cloud gaming in geo-distributed data centers from the perspective of cloud gaming service providers (CGSPs). Unlike previous work, we consider a cloud gaming system supported with the adaptive streaming technology. Our purpose is to minimize the overall service cost for CGSPs, by adaptively adjusting the selection of data centers, virtual machine allocation and video bitrate configuration for each user. Meanwhile, we also need to ensure good-enough quality of experience (QoE) for gamers. To this objective, we formulate the problem into a constrained stochastic optimization problem, and apply the Lyapunov optimization theory to drive the corresponding online strategy with provable upper bounds. Due to the diverse QoE requirements of video games, we also take the difference among game genres into account during the algorithm design. Finally, we conduct extensive trace-driven simulations to evaluate the effectiveness of our algorithm and our results show that our proposed algorithm can achieve significant gain over other alternative approaches.
Tandem repeat sequence variation and length heteroplasmy in the mitochondrial DNA D-loop of the threatened Gulf of Mexico sturgeon, Acipenser oxyrhynchus desotoi.

Genetic variability within the Suwannee River, Florida, population of Gulf of Mexico sturgeon, Acipenser oxyrhynchus desotoi, was assessed by examining sequence and length variation within the control region, or D-loop, of the mitochondrial genome. Although once abundant throughout the Gulf of Mexico, Gulf sturgeon are now listed as a threatened species by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Mitochondrial DNA was analyzed for length variation from 168 individual Gulf sturgeon by PCR amplification and visualization of PCR products using ethidium bromide-stained agarose gels. Of the 168 individual Gulf sturgeon, 31 (18.5%) were heteroplasmic for one to four copies of an 81-base pair, tandemly repeated sequence in the D-loop region. However, no individuals homoplasmic for multiple copies of the repeat sequence were observed. The existence and nature of these tandem repeats in heteroplasmic individuals was confirmed by direct sequencing of the PCR products for a subset of 22 individuals. The results are consistent with the apparent nature and mechanism of heteroplasmy observed in a congeneric species, A. transmontanus. In addition, sequences for 187 base pairs outside of the tandem repeats were identical among all 16 individuals assayed for this region. Lack of variable sequences is concordant with earlier studies involving mtDNA restriction fragment length profiles of Gulf sturgeon found in the Suwannee River. The absence of sequence variation exclusive of the tandem repeats is consistent with the hypothesis that the subspecies has undergone a population or evolutionary bottleneck.
The relationship of personality disorders to treatment outcome in depressed outpatients.

BACKGROUND Many clinicians believe that depressed patients with comorbid personality disorder(s) may respond differently to standard treatments than patients with depression alone. Personality disorders appear to be common among patients with depression, suggesting potentially significant treatment implications for a large group of patients. METHOD Subjects with DSM-III-R major depression were recruited for a study looking at prediction of antidepressant response. All patients were assessed using the Structured Clinical Interviews for DSM-III-R Axis I and Axis II, as well as rated on the Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression and the Montgomery-Asberg Depression Rating Scale (MADRS). Patients were then randomly assigned to treatment with fluoxetine or nortriptyline and reassessed at 6 weeks. The major outcome measure was percentage reduction in MADRS scores. RESULTS Of the 183 patients who completed the personality disorder assessment, 45% had at least 1 comorbid personality disorder. Subjects with comorbid personality disorders were slightly younger, more depressed at baseline, had poorer social adjustment, more general psychopathology, and more chronic depression. Despite these differences, the presence of a comorbid personality disorder did not adversely affect overall outcome at 6 weeks, but there was an interaction between having a comorbid personality disorder and drug type. The major effect was that patients with a cluster B personality disorder did relatively poorly on nortriptyline compared with fluoxetine treatment. CONCLUSION The finding that the presence of a comorbid personality disorder does not affect overall treatment response is similar to that reported by some recent studies. The finding that patients with cluster B personality disorders respond poorly to nortriptyline is also consistent with a small literature on borderline personality disorder.
Melanin affinity of N-(2-diethylaminoethyl)-4-iodobenzamide, an effective melanoma imaging agent

The cellular uptake and incorporation in macromolecules of iodine-125 labelled N-(2-diethylaminoethyl)-4-iodobenzamide ([125I]BZA), a melanoma imaging agent, was studied using human melanoma cells M3Dau (amelanotic) and M4Beu (melanotic). The interaction between [125I]BZA and synthetic melanin was examined in various conditions of incubation. The results showed that uptake was high only for M4Beu, whereas the incorporation in trichloroacetic acid-precipitable proteins was very low for both model cell lines, with no correlation with melanin content. Experiments with synthetic melanin showed that BZA binding to melanin was saturable and reversible, and involved several types of interaction. The influence of the ionic environment indicated that electrostatic forces play a role in the affinity, and the decrease in binding produced by the presence of an alcohol in the medium suggested that hydrophobic interactions may be involved in the binding mechanism. This was supported by the Scatchard analysis, which revealed two classes of binding sites, and the determination of two association constants (K1 = 3.9 ± 1.9 × 106/M and K2 = 2.9 ± 0.9 × 104/M). The affinity of BZA for melanin might explain the good results obtained in a phase II clinical trial for the diagnosis of malignant melanoma metastases, in which the specificity was 100%.
[The relationship between serum parathormone levels and the severity of coronary artery disease].

OBJECTIVES It has been reported that increased parathormone (PTH) levels have unfavorable effects on the cardiovascular system. PTH produces unfavorable effects via either PTH receptors or the renin angiotensin aldosterone system. Data shows that there is a relationship between PTH and coronary artery disease (CAD), although this relationship is still being debated. In this study, we evaluate the relationship between serum PTH levels and CAD. STUDY DESIGN The study included 260 patients (125 males, 135 females, mean age 56.01±11.9 years) who underwent coronary angiography with a prediagnosis of CAD. Venous blood samples were taken 6 hours before the coronary angiography for the measurement of serum PTH levels. The extent of CAD was evaluated by calculation of Gensini scores. RESULTS The Gensini score was 0 in 99 of the patients. Mild atherosclerosis and severe atherosclerosis were determined in 67 and 94 patients, respectively. According to the Gensini score, serum PTH levels were 5.17±2.07 pmol/l, 4.88±2.40 pmol/l and 4.98±3.04 pmol/l, respectively. PTH levels were similar in patients with mild atherosclerosis and with normal coronary arteries (Gensini score 0) (p=0.55). There was no difference in PTH levels between patients with mild and severe atherosclerosis (p=0.77). In addition, no significant difference in PTH levels were detected between those with normal coronary arteries and those with severe atherosclerosis (p=0.78). CONCLUSION Serum PTH level does not determine the extensity of CAD.
Prevalence of Small-for-Gestational-Age and Its Mortality Risk Varies by Choice of Birth-Weight-for-Gestation Reference Population

Background We use data from rural Nepal and South India to compare the prevalence of small-for-gestational-age (SGA) and neonatal mortality risk associated with SGA using different birth-weight-for-gestation reference populations. Methods We identified 46 reference populations in low-, middle-, and high-income countries, of which 26 met the inclusion criteria of being commonly cited and having numeric 10th percentile cut points published. Those reference populations were then applied to populations from two community-based studies to determine SGA prevalence and its relative risk of neonatal mortality. Results The prevalence of SGA ranged from 10.5% to 72.5% in Nepal, and 12.0% to 78.4% in India, depending on the reference population. Females had higher rates of SGA than males using reference populations that were not sex specific. SGA prevalence was lowest when using reference populations from low-income countries. Infants who were both preterm and SGA had much higher mortality risk than those who were term and appropriate-for-gestational-age. Risk ratios for those who are both preterm and SGA ranged from 7.34–17.98 in Nepal and 5.29–11.98 in India, depending on the reference population. Conclusions These results demonstrate the value of a common birth-weight-for-gestation reference population that will facilitate comparisons of SGA prevalence and mortality risk across research studies.
Integrating artificial neural network and imperialist competitive algorithm (ICA), to predict the energy consumption for land leveling

Purpose This work aims to determine the best linear model using an artificial neural network (ANN) with the imperialist competitive algorithm (ICA-ANN) and ANN to predict the energy consumption for land leveling. Design/methodology/approach Using ANN, integrating artificial neural network and imperialist competitive algorithm (ICA-ANN) and sensitivity analysis (SA) can lead to a noticeable improvement in the environment. In this research, effects of various soil properties such as embankment volume, soil compressibility factor, specific gravity, moisture content, slope, sand per cent and soil swelling index on energy consumption were investigated. Findings According to the results, 10-8-3-1, 10-8-2-5-1, 10-5-8-10-1 and 10-6-4-1 multilayer perceptron network structures were chosen as the best arrangements and were trained using the Levenberg–Marquardt method as the network training function. Sensitivity analysis revealed that only three variables, namely, density, soil compressibility factor and cut-fill volume (V), had the highest sensitivity on the output parameters, including labor energy, fuel energy, total machinery cost and total machinery energy. Based on the results, ICA-ANN had a better performance in the prediction of output parameters in comparison with conventional methods such as ANN or particle swarm optimization (PSO)-ANN. Statistical factors of root mean square error (RMSE) and correlation coefficient (R2) illustrate the superiority of ICA-ANN over other methods by values of about 0.02 and 0.99, respectively. Originality/value A limited number of research studies related to energy consumption in land leveling have been done on energy as a function of volume of excavation and embankment. However, in this research, energy and cost of land leveling are shown to be functions of all the properties of the land, including the slope, coefficient of swelling, density of the soil, soil moisture and special weight dirt. Therefore, the authors believe that this paper contains new and significant information adequate for justifying publication in an international journal.
Five Questions for Digital Migration Studies: Learning From Digital Connectivity and Forced Migration In(to) Europe

This Special Collection “Forced migration and digital connectivity in(to) Europe” historicizes, contextualizes, empirically grounds, and conceptually reflects on the impact of digital technologies on forced migration. In this introductory essay, we elaborate digital migration as a developing field of research. Taking the exceptional attention for digital mediation within the recent so-called “European refugee crisis” as a starting point, we reflect on the main conceptual, methodological and ethical challenges for this emerging field and how it is taking shape through interdisciplinary dialogues and in interaction with policy and public debate. Our discussion is organized around five central questions: (1) Why Europe? (2) Where are the field and focus of digital migration studies? (3) Where is the human in digital migration? (4) Where is the political in digital migration? and (5) How can we de-center Europe in digital migration studies? Alongside establishing common ground between various communities of scholarship, we plea for non-digital-media-centric-ness and foreground a commitment toward social change, equity and social justice.
First-principles predictions of yet-unobserved ordered structures in the Ag-Pd phase diagram.

The complexity of first-principles total energy calculations limits the pool of structure types considered for a ground-state search for a binary alloy system to a rather small, O(10), group of "usual suspects. " We conducted an unbiased search of fcc-based Ag(1)-(x)Pd(x) structures consisting of up to many thousand atoms by using a mixed-space cluster expansion. We find an unsuspected ground state at 50%-50% composition-the L1(1) structure, currently known in binary metallurgy only for the Cu(0.5)Pt(0.5) alloy system. We also provide predicted short-range-order profiles and mixing enthalpies for the high temperature, disordered alloy.
The realized warming fraction: a multi-model sensitivity study

The degree of physical-biogeochemical equilibration of the climate system determines for how long global warming will continue after anthropogenic CO2 emissions have ceased. The physical part of this equilibration process is quantified by the realized warming fraction (RWF), but RWF estimates differ strongly between different climate models. Here we analyze the RWF spread and its physical causes in three model ensembles: 1. an ensemble of comprehensive climate models, 2. an ensemble of reduced-complexity models, and 3. an observationally constrained parameter ensemble of the Bern3D-LPX reduced-complexity model. We show that RWF is generally lower in models with higher equilibrium climate sensitivity. The RWF uncertainty from applying different extrapolation methods for climate sensitivity is substantial, but smaller than the inter-model spread in the three ensembles. We decompose the inter-model spread of RWF using a diagnostic global energy balance model, to compare the spread contribution by the climate sensitivity to contributions by other physical quantities: the efficiency and efficacy of ocean heat uptake, and the effective radiative forcing. In the ensembles of the comprehensive climate models and the Bern3D-LPX model, the spread of the RWF is mostly determined by the spread of the climate sensitivity; for the reduced-complexity models, the spread contribution by the ocean heat uptake efficiency is dominant. Compared to the comprehensive models, the reduced-complexity models have a lower range of climate sensitivities and lower, more unitary ocean heat uptake efficacies, resulting in higher RWF. However, by tuning such models to higher climate sensitivities, they can also achieve RWF values in the lower range of comprehensive models, as demonstrated for Bern3D-LPX. This suggests that reduced-complexity models remain useful tools for future climate change projections, but should employ a range of climate sensitivity tunings to account for the uncertainty in both the long-term warming and the RWF.