Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Selection on body size and sexual size dimorphism differs between host species in a seed‐feeding beetle

Sexual size dimorphism varies substantially among populations and species but we have little understanding of the sources of selection generating this variation. We used path analysis to study how oviposition host affects selection on body size in a seed‐feeding beetle (Stator limbatus) in which males contribute large ejaculates (nuptial gifts) to females. Females use nutrients in these ejaculates for egg production. Male body size, which affects ejaculate size, affects female fecundity and is thus under fecundity selection similar in magnitude to the fecundity selection on female body size. We show that when eggs are laid on a host on which larval mortality is low (seeds of Acacia greggii) fecundity predicts fitness very well and fecundity selection is the major source of selection on both male and female adult size. In contrast, when eggs are laid on a host on which larval mortality is high (seeds of Parkinsonia florida) fecundity poorly predicts fitness such that fecundity selection is relaxed on both male and female size. However, because egg size affects larval mortality on this poor host (P. florida) there is selection on female size via the female size → egg size → fitness path; this selection via egg size offsets the reduction in fecundity selection on female, but not male, body size. Thus, differences in host suitability (due to differences in larval mortality) affect the relative importance of two sources of selection on adult body size; fecundity selection on both male and female body size is lower on the poor quality host (P. florida) relative to the high quality host (A. greggii) whereas selection on female body size via effects of egg size on offspring survival (body size → egg size → fitness) is greater on the poor quality host relative to the high quality host. Because selection via the egg size path affects only females the difference in larval survival between hosts shifts the relative magnitude of selection on female vs. male size. Researchers working on other study systems should be alerted to the possible importance of subtle, but consequential, indirect selection on their study organisms.
Oscillations in Ionized Gases.

A simple theory of electronic and ionic oscillations in an ionized gas has been developed. The electronic oscillations are so rapid (ca. ${10}^{9}$ cycles) that the heavier positive ions are unaffected. They have a natural frequency ${\ensuremath{\nu}}_{e}={(\frac{n{e}^{2}}{\ensuremath{\pi}m})}^{\frac{1}{2}}$ and, except for secondary factors, do not transmit energy. The ionic oscillations are so slow that the electron density has its equilibrium value at all times. They vary in type according to their wave-length. The oscillations of shorter wave-length are similar to the electron vibrations, approaching the natural frequency ${\ensuremath{\nu}}_{p}={\ensuremath{\nu}}_{e}{(\frac{{m}_{e}}{{m}_{p}})}^{\frac{1}{2}}$ as upper limit. The oscillations of longer wave-length are similar to sound waves, the velocity approaching the value $v={(\frac{k{T}_{e}}{{m}_{p}})}^{\frac{1}{2}}$. The transition occurs roughly (i.e. to 5% of limiting values) within a 10-fold wave-length range centering around $2{(2)}^{\frac{1}{2}}\ensuremath{\pi}{\ensuremath{\lambda}}_{D}$, ${\ensuremath{\lambda}}_{D}$ being the "Debye distance. " While the theory offers no explanation of the cause of the observed oscillations, the frequency range of the most rapid oscillations, namely from 300 to 1000 megacycles agrees with that predicted for the oscillations of the ultimate electrons. Another observed frequency of 50 to 60 megacycles may correspond to oscillations of the beam electrons. Frequencies from 1.5 megacycles down can be attributed to positive ion oscillations. The correlation between theory and observed oscillations is to be considered tentative until simpler experimental conditions can be attained.
The impact of income on private patients’ access to GP services in Ireland

Objectives: To examine the extent to which proximity to the income threshold for free GP care results in significant differences in GP visiting. Approximately 30% of the Irish population receives free GP care (medical card patients), while the remaining 70% pays in full (private patients). Medical card eligibility exerts a significant influence on GP visiting, but how do GP visiting rates differ among private patients on differing incomes, and has the differential in visiting among private patients changed over time? Methods: Using micro-data from three nationally representative surveys of the Irish population undertaken in 1987, 1995 and 2001, multivariate models of GP utilization are estimated. Results: There is little evidence that proximity to the income threshold results in significant differences in GP visiting. The most significant difference is between medical card and private patients, rather than between private patients on differing incomes. There is also little evidence that the differential in GP visiting between private patients on different incomes changed over time. Conclusions: While recent commentary has focused on the plight of individuals just above the income threshold for free GP care, these results suggest that the key difference in GP visiting is between those with, and without, eligibility for free care. If private patients are prevented from accessing GP care due to cost, this is as much an issue for those at the top of the income distribution as for those at the bottom.
Burst Bubbles or Build Steam? Entrepreneurship Education, Entrepreneurial Self‐Efficacy, and Entrepreneurial Intentions

This paper contextualizes the relationship between student's self‐efficacy beliefs and entrepreneurial intentions in the content and pedagogy of the entrepreneurship course. Using the logic of regulatory focus theory, we argue that the nature of the entrepreneurship course—whether theoretically or practically oriented—creates a distinct motivational frame for entrepreneurship in promotion or prevention terms. When coupled with students' self‐efficacy beliefs, this frame can strengthen or weaken their intentions for future entrepreneurial efforts. We test this hypothesis through a survey of 114 students enrolled in different entrepreneurship courses at a major ritish university. Our results show that higher self‐efficacy is associated with lower entrepreneurial intentions in the theoretically oriented courses and higher entrepreneurial intentions in the practically oriented courses. We draw a number of implications for the theory and practice of entrepreneurship education.
Birds in Atlantic Forest fragments in north-east Brazil

Durante o mes de outubro de 2001 os autores percorreram 15 fragmentos florestais no Estado de Alagoas, Brasil. O objetivo principal foi localizar novas populacoes e obter mais dados sobre os taxons endemicos do ‘Centro Pernambuco’. Foram realizados censos em cada um dos fragmentos, que tambem foram analisados quanto ao estado geral de conservacao. Discute-se a presenca de especies-chave, como grandes frugivoros ou aquelas sensiveis a fragmentacao ou as mudancas na estrutura da vegetacao. Os dois fragmentos mais importantes, com relacao ao numero de especies encontrado e o numero de taxons endemicos, estao localizados na Usina Serra Grande (Mata do Pinto e Mata do Engenho Coimbra), onde foram registrados 16 taxons endemicos e/ou ameacados de extincao. Recomenda-se pesquisa taxonomica urgente, que procure evidenciar os taxons endemicos do ‘Centro Pernambuco’, alem de uma efetiva protecao aos fragmentos e as aves que ainda os habitam, uma maior vigilância contra a caca, a retirada de madeira e o desmatamento e um programa de reflorestamento que procure conectar os fragmentos mais proximos entre si.
CD11b Expression on Circulating Leukocytes Increases in Preparation for Parturition

Problem: Initiation of parturition is associated with migration of leukocytes to the reproductive tract. This migration is controlled in part by expression of adhesion molecules on the surface of leukocytes and vascular endothelial cells. Within the reproductive tract, certain endothelial adhesion molecules, including intercellular adhesion molecule‐1 (ICAM‐1), are up‐regulated at the end of gestation. ICAM‐1 binds to the β2 integrin CD11b on the leukocytes. In this study, we wanted to investigate whether complementary changes occur in expression of adhesion molecules on maternal leukocytes in preparation for parturition.
A Strategic Alignment Model for IT Flexibility and Dynamic Capabilities: toward an Assessment Tool

The Dynamic Capabilities View (DCV) has emerged as an influential theoretical and management framework in modern IS research. However, despite the view's significant contributions, its strength and core focus are essentially in its use for historical firm performance explanation. Furthermore, valuable contributions have been made by several researchers in order to extend the DCV to fit the constantly changing IT environments and other imperative drivers for competitive performance. Nevertheless, to our knowledge, no DCV extension has been developed which allows firms to assess their current state of maturity and to derive imperative steps for further performance enhancement. To fill this gap, this article develops a strategic alignment model for IT flexibility and dynamic capabilities and empirically validates proposed hypotheses using correlation and regression analyses on a sample of 322 international firms. Findings suggest that there is a positive relationship between a firm’s degree of alignment of IT flexibility and dynamic capability dimensions – defined as the degree of balance between all dimensions – and competitive firm performance. Alignment can, therefore, be seen as an important condition that significantly influences a firm’s competitive advantage in constantly changing environments. The proposed framework helps firms assess and improve their IT flexibility and dynamic capabilities. Results are discussed, while theoretical and practical implications are highlighted, concluding with suggestions for future research.
Genotypic characterization of drug-resistant Mycobacterium tuberculosis isolates from Peru.

SETTING Twenty-nine epidemiological unrelated and mostly multidrug-resistant Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MDR-TB) strains from Peruvian patients. OBJECTIVE To investigate the molecular genetics of MDR-TB strains recovered in a Latin American country. DESIGN Antimicrobial agent susceptibility testing, major genetic group designation, IS6110 fingerprinting, spoligotyping, and automated deoxyribonucleic acid sequencing of regions of the katG, rpoB, embB, gyrA, and pncA genes with mutations commonly associated with drug resistance. RESULTS Nineteen isolates were found to be multidrug-resistant by susceptibility testing. IS6110 typing showed that virtually all isolates were unique and therefore had independently acquired drug resistance. Seventy-nine percent of isoniazid-resistant strains had a Ser315Thr amino acid change in KatG. Ninety-five percent of rifampin-resistant isolates had amino acid replacements in the rifampin-resistance determining region of RpoB. Six of 11 ethambutol-resistant strains had EmbB alterations. Eleven pyrazinamide-resistant strains had distinct mutations in pncA. CONCLUSION Virtually all organisms evolved drug resistance independently. The types of drug resistance-associated mutations identified were very similar to changes occurring in isolates from other areas of the world. Nucleotide sequence-based strategies for rapid detection of drug resistance-conferring mutants will be applicable to organisms recovered in Peru, and potentially other areas of Latin America.
Hypothalamo-hypophysial Neurosecretory System in Normal and Hypophysectomised Catfish, Clarias Batrachus L

Two neurosecretory centers, nucleus preopticus (NPO) and nucleus lateralis tuberis (NLT), are distinguished in the hypothalamus of Clarias batrachus L. The cell bodies of NPO are grouped into nucleus preopticus magnocellularis (NPM) and nucleus preopticus parvocellularis (NPP). The NLT is recognised into three divisions: pars rostralis, pars medialis and pars ventrolateralis. The neurons of both the NLT and NPO are aldehyde-fuchsin (AF) positive. The axons from NPO run into four or five bundles ventrolaterally and caudally for some distance before all of them from either side join ventromedially into a single thick cord of neurosecretory fibers which finally enters the pars intermedia to form the neurointermediate lobe. The fibers from NLT, which are separate from the neurosecretory fibers of the NPO, anastomose in the region of the pars distalis. The neurosecretory material (NSM) of NPO is transported by axonal route whereas that of NLT is by axonal as well as ependymovascular pathways. Hypophysectomy results in the increase of AF-positive material in the neurons of NPO shortly after the operation, but later on, the material begins to deplete in them. The AF-positive material at the cut end of neurosecretory fibers, however, accumulates. The AF-positive material in the cell bodies of NLT is also depleted, but the nuclei increase in size, after hypophysectomy.
Zombie Lending and Depressed Restructuring in Japan

In this paper, we propose a bank-based explanation for the decade-long Japanese slowdown following the asset price collapse in the early 1990s. We start with the well-known observation that most large Japanese banks were only able to comply with capital standards because regulators were lax in their inspections. To facilitate this forbearance the banks often engaged in sham loan restructurings that kept credit flowing to otherwise insolvent borrowers (that we call zombies). Thus, the normal competitive outcome whereby the zombies would shed workers and lose market share was thwarted. Our model highlights the restructuring implications of the zombie problem. The counterpart of the congestion created by the zombies is a reduction of the profits for healthy firms, which discourages their entry and investment. In this context, even solvent banks do not find good lending opportunities. We confirm our story's key predictions that zombie-dominated industries exhibit more depressed job creation and destruction, and lower productivity. We present firm-level regressions showing that the increase in zombies depressed the investment and employment growth of non-zombies and widened the productivity gap between zombies and non-zombies.
High prevalence of cagA and vacA seropositivity in asymptomatic Bangladeshi children with Helicobacter pylori infection

Aim: To evaluate the prevalence of antibodies against two major markers of virulence of Helicobacter pylori—cytotoxin‐associated gene A (cagA) and the vacuolating cytotoxin gene (vacA)—among children in a peri‐urban community of Bangladesh, and to evaluate Western blot (WB) assay for detection of H. pylori infection diagnosed by 13C urea breath test (UBT) in such children. Methods: One hundred and eighty‐two children aged 18–60 mo, of the peri‐urban community of Dhaka, were screened for H. pylori infection using UBT, and the serum samples were analysed for antibody against cagA and vacA by Western blot. Results: The overall prevalence of H. pylori infection by 13C‐urea breath test was 80%. The seroprevalence of cagA with or without vacA, vacA with and without cagA, and both cagA and vacA were 82%, 82% and 81%, respectively. Among children with a positive UBT, 95% were seropositive for both cagA and vacA, indicating that the products of these genes are frequently co‐expressed in H. pylori infection in this community. The sensitivity, specificity, positive and negative predictive value of the Western blot test for H. pylori infections, compared to UBT, were 94%, 68%, 92% and 76%, respectively.
Treatment for femoral pseudoaneurysms.

BACKGROUND Femoral pseudoaneurysms may complicate up to 8% of vascular interventional procedures. Small pseudoaneurysms can spontaneously clot, but sometimes definitive treatment is needed. Surgery has traditionally been considered the 'gold standard' treatment, although it is not without risk in patients with severe cardiovascular disease. Less invasive treatment options such as Duplex ultrasound-guided compression and percutaneous thrombin injection are available, however, evidence of their efficacy is limited. This is an update of a Cochrane review first published in 2006. OBJECTIVES To assess the effects of different treatments for femoral pseudoaneurysms resulting from endovascular procedures, specifically assessing less invasive treatment options such as blind manual or mechanical compression, ultrasound-guided compression, or percutaneous thrombin injection. SEARCH METHODS For this update the Cochrane Peripheral Vascular Diseases Group Trials Search Co-ordinator searched the Specialised Register (last searched October 2013) and CENTRAL (2013, Issue 9). SELECTION CRITERIA Randomised controlled trials (RCTs) comparing two treatments for femoral pseudoaneurysms following vascular interventional procedures were considered for inclusion in the review. DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS Four studies were included in the analyses comparing: manual compression versus ultrasound-guided compression; ultrasound-guided application of a mechanical device (FemoStop) versus blind application; and ultrasound-guided compression versus percutaneous thrombin injection (two studies). There were no studies with a surgical intervention arm. Data were extracted independently by both authors. MAIN RESULTS Compression (manual or FemoStop) was effective in achieving pseudoaneurysm thrombosis although ultrasound-guided application failed to confer any benefit (risk ratio (RR) 0.96; 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.88 to 1.04). Percutaneous thrombin injection was more effective than a single session of ultrasound-guided compression in achieving primary pseudoaneurysm thrombosis within individual RCTs but merged data failed to show statistical significance (RR 2.81; 95% CI 0.44 to 18.13). There was no statistically significant difference in the length of hospital stay between the two groups and no complications were reported apart from one deep vein thrombosis in the compression group. AUTHORS' CONCLUSIONS The limited evidence base appears to support the use of thrombin injection as an effective treatment for femoral pseudoaneurysm. A pragmatic approach may be to use compression (blind or ultrasound-guided) as first-line treatment, reserving thrombin injection for those in whom the compression procedure fails.
Pathogen Dose Infectivity Curves as a Method to Analyze the Distribution of Host Susceptibility: A Quantitative Assessment of Maternal Effects after Food Stress and Pathogen Exposure

Stress conditions have been found to change the susceptibility of hosts or their offspring to infection. The usual method of testing at just one parasite dose level does not allow conclusions on the distribution of susceptibility. To better understand the epidemiology and evolution of host‐parasite systems, however, knowledge about the distribution of host susceptibility, the parameters that characterize it, and how it changes in response to environmental conditions is required. We investigated transgenerational effects of different stress factors by exposing Daphnia magna to standard conditions, to low food levels, or to a high dose of the bacterial pathogen Pasteuria ramosa and then measuring the susceptibility of the offspring to different spore doses of the parasite. For the analysis we used a mathematical model that predicts the fraction of infected hosts at different parasite doses, allowing us to estimate the mean and variance of host susceptibility. We find that low food levels reduce both the mean and the variance of offspring susceptibility. Parasite exposure, on the other hand, widens the offspring’s susceptibility distribution without affecting its mean. Our analysis uncovered previously unknown transgenerational effects on the distribution of susceptibilities. The finding of an alteration in the variance of susceptibility to infection has implications for host and parasite dynamics and can contribute to our understanding of the stability of host‐parasite interactions.
MRI characterization of 124 CT-indeterminate focal hepatic lesions: evaluation of clinical utility.

OBJECTIVE To evaluate the diagnostic yield of MRI performed for characterization of focal hepatic lesions that are interpreted as indeterminate on CT. PATIENTS AND METHODS In a retrospective investigation, 124 indeterminate focal hepatic lesions in 96 patients were identified on CT examinations over 5 years from 1997 to 2001. All patients had MRI performed for the liver within 6 weeks of their CT examination. CT and MR images were reviewed independently by two separate groups of two radiologists. The value of MRI in characterizing these lesions was assessed. Diagnoses were confirmed based on histology, characteristic imaging features, and clinical follow-up. RESULTS MRI definitely characterized 73 lesions (58%) that were indeterminate on CT. MRI was accurate in 72/73 of these lesions. MRI could not definitely characterize 51 lesions (42%). Ten lesions were not visualized on MRI, and follow-up imaging confirmed that no lesion was present in eight of these cases (pseudolesions). CONCLUSION MRI is valuable for the characterization of indeterminate focal hepatic lesions detected on CT.
Use of thyroid transcription factor 1, PE‐10, and cytokeratins 7 and 20 in discriminating between primary lung carcinomas and metastatic lesions in fine‐needle aspiration biopsy specimens

The distinction of a primary lung carcinoma from a metastatic lesion is important, because the treatment and prognosis differ for patients with these malignancies. Such a distinction can be difficult because of overlapping cytologic features. It has been shown that antibodies to thyroid transcription factor 1 (TTF‐1) and PE‐10 are fairly specific markers for primary lung tumors in histologic specimens. TTF‐1 regulates the expression of surfactant protein production, and PE‐10 is a monoclonal antibody against components of human surfactant proteins. The combination of cytokeratin 7 (CK7) and cytokeratin 20 (CK20) immunoprofiling has been helpful in the identification of the primary site of origin of lung tumors.
Meteonowcasting using Deep Learning Architecture

The area of deep learning has enjoyed a resurgence on its peak, in almost every field of interest. Weather forecasting is a complicated and one of the most challenging tasks that includes observing and processing huge amount of data. The present paper proposes an effort to apply deep learning approach for the prediction of weather parameters such as temperature, pressure and humidity of a particular site. The implemented predictive models are based on Deep Belief Network (DBN) and Restricted Boltzmann Machine (RBM). Initially, each model is trained layer by layer in an unsupervised manner to learn the non-linear hierarchical features from the input distribution of dataset. Subsequently, each model is re-trained globally in supervised manner with an output layer to predict the appropriate output. The obtained results are encouraging. It is found that the feature based forecasting model can make predictions with high degree of accuracy. This implies that the model can be suitably adapted for making longer forecasts over larger geographical areas.