Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Using invasive species to study evolution. Case studies with Drosophila and salmon

As invasive species spread through a new environment, they encounter novel selection pressures and challenges. Invasives thus offer rich opportunities to monitor the rate and predictability of evolution in the wild. Moreover, their evolutionary responses can alter their rate of spread as well as their interactions with native species; thus understanding whether invasive species evolve quickly or not is directly relevant to evolutionary biologists, ecologists, and conservation biologists. Here we review empirical studies of invasive species of fruit flies ( Drosophila , focusing primarily on D. subobscura ) and salmon (mainly Oncorhynchus ). Both taxa have been introduced multiple times (the former by accident, the latter intentionally), offering replicated “experiments” of evolution in action. D. subobscura is an Old World fly that was introduced into both South and North America in the late 1970s. Studies pioneered by Catalonian and Chilean scientists document not only that some traits (e.g., chromosome inversions, wing size) evolved with extraordinary rapidity, but also that some (though not all) evolved predictably. Studies of introduced salmon have shown that most introductions fail; but when they succeed, many life history and morphological traits evolve quickly and (often) pre-dictably. These and related studies show that invasive species can evolve remarkably quickly; therefore, evolutionary processes probably affect ecological
The Monge problem for strictly convex norms in Rd

We prove the existence of an optimal transport map for the Monge problem in a convex bounded subset of R d under the assumptions that the first marginal is absolutely continuous with respect to the Lebesgue measure and that the cost is given by a strictly convex norm. We propose a new approach which does not use disintegration of measures.
and Prebiotic on Activity of Humoral Immune

A great deal of research has been carried out to investigate the effect of antibiotic growth promoters in promoting performance parameters of broilers. Numerous studies have been conducted on antibiotic growth promoters such as Avilamycin, Virginiamycin, Lincomycin, Flavophospholipol, and Bacitracin (Bedford, 2000; Elwinger et al. 1998; Salminen et al. 1998). In general, the investigations have shown different reasons concerning the effect of antibiotic growth promoters. The reasons can be categorized briefly as follows: 1. Changes can occur in intestinal microflora, especially in gram positive bacteria because these bacteria absorb a lot of food energy. Some gram positive bacteria like Clostridiums have caused diseases such as necrotic enteritis (Bedford, 2000; Chen et al. 2005; George et al. 1982). These bacteria even destroy alimentary enzymes and reduce food digestion and absorption. Also, these bacteria have extended the length of intestine through producing volatile fatty acids and Polyamines. 2. The efficient microfloras of intestine may increase. 3. The membrane of intestine gets thinner and accordingly the food-intake increases. The aims of this study were the comparative study of probiotic, acidifier, antibiotic growth promoters and prebiotic on activity of humoral immune and performance parameters of broiler chickens.500 one day old male broilers (308 Ross strain) were divided into 5 groups: A, B, C, D and E. Each group with equal numbers of male included 4 replicates (25 chicks per replicate). Group A was as control and the other groups were administrated with distinct dose of drugs, comprised: Virginamycine 150 gr/ton, protexin 100 gr/ton, salkil 6 kg/ton, immunoval 1 kg/ton, respectively. 40 broilers were selected from each group randomly and performance parameters such as weight, mortality, amount of grain for consumption, feed conversion rate (FCR) were calculated by means of scale and reference formula. Moreover, at three time points (9, 17 and 24 days) about 1 cc of blood was taken from broilers’ brachial vein, within each of the five groups. Laboratory analysis conducted on blood samples featured Hemagglutination Inhibition (HI) test performed on sera and humoral immunity assessed as antibody production to Newcastle disease virus. The results showed that the group C and the group E were the best groups in terms of the performance parameters and the HI rate.
Polyclonal free light chains: promising new biomarkers in inflammatory disease

License. The full terms of the License are available at http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/3.0/. Non-commercial uses of the work are permitted without any further permission from Dove Medical Press Limited, provided the work is properly attributed. Permissions beyond the scope of the License are administered by Dove Medical Press Limited. Information on how to request permission may be found at: http://www.dovepress. com/permissions.php Current Biomarker Findings 2014:4 139–149 Current Biomarker Findings Dovepress
Can intraspecific brood parasitism be detected using egg morphology only

Intraspecific brood parasites lay their eggs in the nests of conspecifics. There are a number of methods for detecting intraspecific brood parasitism (IBP) in birds based on egg morphology. Here we test Eadie's (1989) method, which calculates the Euclidean distances between eggs in a given clutch in a three-dimensional space (weight, length and width). A parasitised clutch is predicted to contain an egg (or eggs) that is significantly different from the clutch's other eggs. Data from three species were analysed. Our captive zebra finch Taeniopygia guttata clutches did not include any instances of IBP, the wild jackdaw Corvus monedula data were unlikely to contain any, and for the goldeneye Bucephala clangula data set we had an observational estimate of IBP. We simulated IBP in the zebra finch, jackdaw and goldeneye data to test whether the method reliably detects an experimentally 'parasitised' clutch. We show that the distributions of the test statistics greatly overlap in 'parasitised' and unmodified clutches, and are dependent on the clutch size. We therefore conclude that the method can only be used with caution, after calibrating it for a given population. (Less)
Production and Evaluation of Gluten-Free Cakes

This study was carried out to use sorghum flour (SF), gelatinized corn flour (GCF), germinated rice flour (GRF), rice flour (RF), and their blends for production of gluten-free cakes suitable for celiac patients. Xanthan gum was used to improve the quality of cakes at level of 0.5%. Cake made of 100% wheat flour (WF) was prepared for comparison. Chemical composition, dough rheological properties, starch gelatinization, starch crystallinity, samples spectra by Fourier Transform Infra- Red ( FT-IR), color attributes, staling rate, baking quality and sensory properties of cake were evaluated. A remarkable improvement in minerals (Ca, P, K and Fe), fat, and crude fiber was found in cakes prepared from SF and GCF as compared with control cake. Viscoamylograph and falling number parameters were significantly affected. Baking performance showed that all cake samples had lower volume and specific volume than control. Sensory evaluation of cakes indicated that all samples were acceptable, but sample which contained SF, GCF, and GRF (1:1:1) had superior sensory characteristics, nutritional value and was suitable for gluten - hyper- sensitive patients. FT-IR spectroscopy, DSC, x- ray techniques revealed remarkable differences in control and tested samples and supported the obtained results.
VEGETABLE AND FRUITS QUALITY WITHIN HEAVY METALS POLLUTED AREAS IN ROMANIA

There are, in Romania, three areas, Copşa Mica, Zlatna and Baia Mare, very strongly polluted with heavy metals caused by non-ferrous ores extraction and processing industry performed more than two centuries. Intensifying of these activities, especially in the last part of the twentieth century, most often without environment protection measures, has led to pollution of all environment components, particularly soil. The soil cover in these three areas is composed of very contrasting soils in terms of origin, physical and chemical properties, fact that leads to a differentiate absorption of heavy metals in edible parts of vegetable and fruits. The soils belonging to these three zones are prevalent acid, with small areas covered by neutral or slight alkaline, oligo-mezo-basic soils. The humus and total nitrogen content level is different. Phosphorous and potassium soil supply is low, up to medium level. Loamy texture is dominant. The heavy metals total contents in soil take up to 2.3 times (Cd), 1.7 times (Cu) and 2.1 times (Zn) the maximum allowable limits. The mobile forms contents are 4.2 times to 10.5 times higher than maximum allowable limits values. The most part of the cadmium total content in soils (63%) belongs to the soil solution, exchangeable colloidal complex and organic matter. The lead in soil solution and exchangeable colloidal complex represents only 13% from the total content. The most part of the lead is bounding by the organic matter. In the edible part of the fresh root vegetables (carrots, radish, potatoes) high cadmium and lead contents were recorded, that exceeded up to 2.5 times, respectively 11 times, the maximum allowable limits. In leafy vegetables (lettuce, parsley, dill, orach) were recorded systematic contents of heavy metals higher than the normal, reaching up to 7 times for Cd, or 17 times for Pb higher than normal concentration. Between content in mobile forms of heavy metals in soils and vegetables were set up direct proportionality, in most cases provided statistically. Systematic consumption of vegetables and fruits polluted with heavy metals by the inhabitants of thus polluted zones is leading to the healthiness state altering and to appearance of some chronically diseases with unpredictable final.
Adaptive Deep Brain Stimulation in Advanced Parkinson's Disease: Bridging the Gap beetween Concept and Clinical Application

Parkinson’s disease (PD) is a common neurodegenerative disorder. Recent evidence points towards increased synchronous neuronal oscillations of the cortico-thalamic-basal ganglia circuits in the beta band (12–30 Hz) as the main pathophysiological abnormality associated with PD. Deep brain stimulation (DBS) of the subthalamic nucleus (STN) is an effective treatment for improving PD motor symptoms. However, the current DBS systems have several limitations, mainly related to the fixed and continuous application of stimulation. Especially in the long-term, DBS can only partially control clinical fluctuations and can exacerbate undesirable adverse effects often reversible with a change of stimulation parameters. A new strategy called adaptive DBS (aDBS) allows for continuous adaptation of STN stimulation to the patient’s clinical state by directly harnessing the recordings of the STN pathological oscillatory activity or local field potentials (LFPs). With this project, we aimed to accelerate the clinical translational process by suggesting a pathway to the clinical practice. To do so, we developed an external portable LFPs-based aDBS device for clinical investigations in acute experimental sessions. We then conducted a proof of concept study investigating the functioning of the device and comparing aDBS and conventional DBS (cDBS) and how they interacted with the concurrent pharmacological treatment. Then, we monitored the clinical and neurophysiological fluctuations over a period of eight hours with and without aDBS. We thus investigated the preservation of LFPs-clinical state correlation and the aDBS management of motor fluctuations during daily activities. Because in the clinical practice the DBS therapy is provided by means of implantable pulse generators (IPGs), we evaluated whether the proposed aDBS approach, based on real-time LFPs processing, fits the power constraints of implantable devices. Finally, we contextualized our results and proposed an overview of the possible pathways toward the clinical practice.
Follicular kinetics in the mare ovary

HAL is a multi-disciplinary open access archive for the deposit and dissemination of scientific research documents, whether they are published or not. The documents may come from teaching and research institutions in France or abroad, or from public or private research centers. L’archive ouverte pluridisciplinaire HAL, est destinée au dépôt et à la diffusion de documents scientifiques de niveau recherche, publiés ou non, émanant des établissements d’enseignement et de recherche français ou étrangers, des laboratoires publics ou privés. Follicular kinetics in the mare ovary M. -A. Driancourt, Monique Cardon
The Interpersonal Situation : An Integrative Framework for the Study of Personality , Psychopathology , and Psychotherapy

This chapter reviews structural and process assumptions of the Contemporary Integrative Interpersonal Theory of personality and presents the interpersonal situation as a synthetic and widely applicable framework for integrating the structure and dynamics of persons and situations. It is an interactional-dynamic perspective that is variable-centered and dimensional (agency and communion; valence and arousal), specifies the important characteristics of situations, synthesizes objective and subjective perspectives, and is applicable to multimethod, multi-informant, multi-timescale assessments in situ, juxta situm, or ex situ organized by the interpersonal circumplex. Emphasizing clinical implications, we review multimethod, multitimescale empirical research employing intensive repeated measures designs (Event Contingent Recording, Continuous Assessment of Interpersonal Dynamics) supporting the interpersonal situation and its relevance for studying personality, psychopathology, and psychotherapy. We then elaborate on the utility of the interpersonal situation framework for psychotherapy practice and training. Finally, we identify future directions for advancing this contemporary interpersonal perspective on psychological situations.
Characterization of Pacific whiting protease and food-grade inhibitors for surimi production

approved: Haejung An Cathepsin B was the most active cysteine proteinase in the Pacific whiting (Merluccius productus) fish fillet, and cathepsin L in surimi when the activities of the most active cysteine proteinases (cathepsin L, B, and H) were compared. Cathepsin L showed maximum activity at 55C in both fish fillet and surimi, indicating its function in myosin degradation during conventional cooking of fish fillet and surimi. Washing during surimi processing removed cathepsin B and H but not cathepsin L. Autolytic analysis of surimi proteins showed that the myosin was the primary target, while actin and myosin light chain showed limited hydrolysis during 2 hr incubation. When purified Pacific whiting proteinase was incubated with various component of fish muscle, proteinase was capable of hydrolyzing purified myofibrils myosin, and native and heat-denatured collagen. The degradation pattern of myofibrils by the proteinase was the same as the autolytic pattern of surimi. Inhibition by the food-grade proteinase inhibitors varied with the catalytic type of proteinase. Beef plasma protein (BPP) had a higher percentage of papain inhibitors. followed by whey protein concentrate (WPC), potato powder (PP), and egg white (EW). On the other hand, EW had a higher percentage of trypsin inhibitors followed by BPP, PP, and WPC. EW inhibited trypsin activity completely at levels as low as 1%. WPC inhibited the autolytic activity of fresh surimi. Bovine serum albumin (BSA) was not effective as WPC. WPC can be used as an inhibitor for the Pacific whiting surimi, but high concentration is required. A limited number of inhibitory components were found, as the components in food-grade inhibitors were characterized by inhibitory activity staining. Both EW and PP showed more serine proteinase inhibitors than cysteine proteinase inhibitors. PP showed one cysteine inhibitory component while EW did not show any. BSA in both WPC and BPP acts as an nonspecific competitive inhibitor and reduces the enzyme activity. An unidentified high molecular weight protein (HMP) found in WPC, BPP, and BSA functions as an alternative substrate for papain while it functions as true inhibitor for trypsin. Characterization of Pacific Whiting Protease and Food-Grade Inhibitors for Surimi Production by Vasana C. Weerasinghe
Optical Properties and Electronic Band Structure of Topological Insulators (on A5 2B6 3 Compound Based)

We have performed a first principles study of structural, electronic, and optical properties of rhombohedral Sb2Te3 and Bi2Te3 compounds using the density functional theory within the local density approximation. The lattice parameters, bulk modulus, and its pressure derivatives of these compounds have been obtained. The linear photon-energy dependent dielectric functions and some optical properties such as the energy-loss function, the effective number of valance electrons and the effective optical dielectric constant are calculated and presented in the study.
NEURO-FUZZY MODELING IN BANKRUPTCY PREDICTION *

For the past 30 years the problem of bankruptcy prediction had been thoroughly studied. From the paper of Altman in 1968 to the recent papers in the '90s, the progress of prediction accuracy was not satisfactory. This paper investigates an alternative modeling of the system (firm), combining neural networks and fuzzy controllers, i.e. using neuro-fuzzy models. Classical modeling is based on mathematical models that describe the behavior of the firm under consideration. The main idea of fuzzy control, on the other hand, is to build a model of a human control expert who is capable of controlling the process without thinking in a mathematical model. This control expert specifies his control action in the form of linguistic rules. These control rules are translated into the framework of fuzzy set theory providing a calculus, which can stimulate the behavior of the control expert and enhance its performance. The accuracy of the model is studied using datasets from previous research papers.
Cognitive Assessment System : Rede fi ning Intelligence From a Neuropsychological Perspective

Luria’s theoretical account of dynamic brain function is perhaps one of the most complete (Lewandowski & Sco , 2008). Luria conceptualized four interconnected levels of brain–behavior relationships and neurocognitive disorders that the clinician needs to know: the structure of the brain, the functional organization based on structure, syndromes and impairments arising in brain disorders, and clinical methods of assessment (Korkman, 1999). His theoretical formulations, methods, and ideas are articulated in works such as Higher cortical functions in man (1966, 1980) and The Working Brain (1973). Luria viewed the brain as a functional mosaic, the parts of which interact in different combinations to subserve cognitive processing (Luria, 1973). There is no area of the brain that functions without input from other areas; thus, integration is a key principle of brain function within the Lurian framework. Cognition and behavior then result from an interaction of complex brain activity across various areas. Luria’s (1966, 1973, 1980) research on the functional aspects of brain structures formed the basis for the development of the planning, a ention, simultaneous, successive processing (PASS) theory, initially described by Das, Naglieri, and Kirby (1994) and operationalized by Naglieri and Das (1997a) in the Cognitive Assessment System (CAS). In the Lurian framework, cognitive functions, such as a ention, executive functions, language, sensory perception, motor function, visuospatial facilities, and learning and memory, are complex capacities. They are composed of fl exible and interactive subcomponents that are mediated by equally fl exible, interactive, neural networks (Luria, 1962, 1980). These cognitive functions could be conceptualized as three separate but connected “functional units” that provide four basic psychological processes. The three brain systems are referred to as INTRODUCTION
What does a mean mean? The temporal evolution of detrital cosmogenic denudation rates in a transient landscape

In equilibrium landscapes, 10 Be concentrations within detrital quartz grains are expected to quantitatively refl ect basin-wide denudation rates. In transient landscapes, though detrital quartz is derived from both the incising, adjusting lowland and the unadjusted, relict upland, the integrated 10 Be concentrations still provide a denudation rate averaged across the two domains. Because fi eld samples can provide only a snapshot of the current upstream-averaged erosion rate, we employ a numerical landscape evolution model to explore how 10 Be-derived denudation rates vary over time and space during transient adjustment. Model results suggest that the longitudinal pattern of mean denudation rates is generated by the river’s progressive dilution of low-volume, high-concentration detritus from relict uplands by the integration of high-volume, low-concentration detritus from adjusting lowlands. The proportion of these materials in any detrital sample depends on what fraction of the upstream area remains unadjusted. Because the boundary of the adjusting part of the landscape changes over time, the longitudinal trend in cosmogenic nuclide‐derived erosion rates changes over time. These insights are then used to guide our interpretation of geomorphic and longitudinal cosmogenic nuclide data from the South Fork Eel River (SFER) in the California Coast Range (United States). The northward-propagating crustal thickening and rock uplift associated with the passage of the Mendocino triple junction generates a mobile wave of uplift that progressively sweeps longitudinally down the SFER. The consequences of this forcing can be both replicated in the model environment and observed in the fi eld. The SFER contains transient landforms including knickpoints and river terraces along mainstem and tributary channels that defi ne a clear boundary between an incised, adjusting lowland and an unadjusted, relict upland. We report nine nested, basin-wide denudation rates in the mainstem of the SFER using terrestrial cosmogenic 10 Be in river-borne sediment. We fi nd that denudation rates increase in the downstream direction from ~0.2 mm/yr in the upper catchment to ~0.5 mm/yr at the outlet. Using comparisons to the modeled landscape, we show that this pattern of denudation rates, paired with the distribution of relict topography throughout the watershed, refl ect the immaturity of the landscape’s transient adjustment. Later in this modeled transient, the predicted erosion rates decrease downstream before they become uniform. This interpretation of our data has potentially far-reaching implications for quantifying the uplift history and response time of transient landscapes using cosmogenic nuclides.
Investment decisions, net present value and bounded rationality

The Net Present Value maximizing model has a respectable ancestry and is considered by most scholars to be a theoretically sound decision model. In real-life applications, decision makers use the NPV rule, but apply a subjectively determined hurdle rate, as opposed to the ‘correct’ opportunity cost of capital. According to a heuristics-and-biases-program approach, this implies that the hurdle-rate rule is a biased heuristic. This work shows that the hurdle-rate rule may be interpreted as a fruitful strategy of bounded rationality, where several domain-specific and project-specific elements are integrated and condensed into an aspiration level. The paper also addresses the issue of a productive cooperation between bounded and unbounded rationality.