Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
INTROGRESSION OF COYOTE MITOCHONDRIAL DNA INTO SYMPATRIC NORTH AMERICAN GRAY WOLF POPULATIONS

Mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) genotypes of gray wolves and coyotes from localities throughout North America were determined using restriction fragment length polymorphisms. Of the 13 genotypes found among the wolves, 7 are clearly of coyote origin, indicating that genetic transfer of coyote mtDNA into wolf populations has occurred through hybridization. The transfer of mtDNA appears unidirectional from coyotes into wolves because no coyotes sampled have a wolf‐derived mtDNA genotype. Wolves possessing coyote‐derived genotypes are confined to a contiguous geographic region in Minnesota, Ontario, and Quebec, and the frequency of coyote‐type mtDNA in these wolf populations is high (>50%). The ecological history of the hybrid zone suggests that hybridization is taking place in regions where coyotes have only recently become abundant following conversion of forests to farmlands. Dispersing male wolves unable to find conspecific mates may be pairing with female coyotes in deforested areas bordering wolf territories. Our results demonstrate that closely related species of mobile terrestrial vertebrates have the potential for extensive genetic exchange when ecological conditions change suddenly.
Blood pressure changes during labour and whilst ambulating with combined spinal epidural analgesia

Objective To determine the influence of combined spinal epidural analgesia with fentanyl and low dose bupivacaine on maternal blood pressure and pulse rate in labour. Also, to evaluate the maternal cardiovascular response to mobilising with this form of analgesia in labour. Finally, to define the changes that occur in blood pressure and pulse rate during the second stage of labour and immediately postpartum when using combined spinal epidural analgesia.
Larval helpers and age polyethism in ambrosia beetles

Division of labor among the workers of insect societies is a conspicuous feature of their biology. Social tasks are commonly shared among age groups but not between larvae and adults with completely different morphologies, as in bees, wasps, ants, and beetles (i.e., Holometabola). A unique yet hardly studied holometabolous group of insects is the ambrosia beetles. Along with one tribe of ants and one subfamily of termites, wood-dwelling ambrosia beetles are the only insect lineage culturing fungi, a trait predicted to favor cooperation and division of labor. Their sociality has not been fully demonstrated, because behavioral observations have been missing. Here we present behavioral data and experiments from within nests of an ambrosia beetle, Xyleborinus saxesenii. Larval and adult offspring of a single foundress cooperate in brood care, gallery maintenance, and fungus gardening, showing a clear division of labor between larval and adult colony members. Larvae enlarge the gallery and participate in brood care and gallery hygiene. The cooperative effort of adult females in the colony and the timing of their dispersal depend on the number of sibling recipients (larvae and pupae), on the presence of the mother, and on the number of adult workers. This suggests that altruistic help is triggered by demands of brood dependent on care. Thus, ambrosia beetles are not only highly social but also show a special form of division of labor that is unique among holometabolous insects.
Could a mobile-assisted learning system support flipped classrooms for classical Chinese learning?

In this study, the researcher aimed to develop a mobile-assisted learning system and to investigate whether it could promote teenage learners' classical Chinese learning through the flipped classroom approach. The researcher first proposed the structure of the Cross-device Mobile-Assisted Classical Chinese CMACC system according to the pilot survey and reviewed literature, and then adopted a quasi-experimental design to understand whether the developed system could promote and support flipped classroom learning for classical Chinese. A total of 56 eleventh graders from two classes participated in the experiment. The learners in the experimental group learned classical Chinese with the flipped classroom learning strategy with the assistance of the CMACC system, while the control group adopted the flipped classroom learning strategy without using the CMACC system. The results reveal that all of the students improved their Chinese performance, but it was noticeable that the learners who used the CMACC system showed better motivation in terms of self-directed preview learning, while those who only learned with the traditional textbooks tended to be more passive. In sum, the mobile-assisted learning system added value in providing learners with opportunities to achieve anytime and anywhere flipped classroom learning. The integration of ubiquitous mobile learning technology and the flipped classroom strategy can be viewed as a critical factor leading to students achieving self-regulated learning. It is also suggested that instructors should carefully take the targeted learners' cultural background and the availability of supporting learning devices into consideration so as to prevent the flipped classroom from exacerbating the digital divide. Other suggestions for educators and instructional designers are also proposed.
Modeling Nonlinear Dose-Response Relationships in Epidemiologic Studies: Statistical Approaches and Practical Challenges

Non-linear dose response relationships pose statistical challenges for their discovery. Even when an initial linear approximation is followed by other approaches, the results may be misleading and, possibly, preclude altogether the discovery of the nonlinear relationship under investigation. We review a variety of straightforward statistical approaches for detecting nonlinear relationships and discuss several factors that hinder their detection. Our specific context is that of epidemiologic studies of exposure-outcome associations and we focus on threshold and J-effect dose response relationships. The examples presented reveal that no single approach is universally appropriate; rather, these (and possibly other) nonlinearities require for their discovery a variety of both graphical and numeric techniques.
Exploring Social Media for Event Attendance

Large popular events are nowadays well reflected in social media fora (e.g. Twitter), where people discuss their interest in participating in the events. In this paper we propose to exploit the content of non-geotagged posts in social media to build machine-learned classifiers able to infer users’ attendance of large events in three temporal periods: before, during and after an event. The categories of features used to train the classifier reflect four different dimensions of social media: textual, temporal, social, and multimedia content. We detail the approach followed to design the feature space and report on experiments conducted on two large music festivals in the UK, namely the VFestival and Creamfields events. Our attendance classifier attains very high accuracy with the highest result observed for the Creamfields dataset ∼87% accuracy to classify users that will participate in the event.
Neurophysiological evidence for cerebellar dysfunction in primary focal dystonia

Recent studies have suggested that there may be functional and structural changes in the cerebellum of patients with adult onset primary focal dystonia. The aim of this study was to establish whether there is any neurophysiological indicator of abnormal cerebellar function, using the classic eyeblink conditioning paradigm. This paradigm at short intervals is dependent on the olivo-cerebellar circuit and does not require cerebral and basal ganglia structures. Eyeblink conditioning was performed by pairing an auditory tone with a supraorbital nerve stimulus with a delay interval of 400 ms in 12 patients with primary focal dystonia (seven cervical dystonias, five focal hand dystonias) and eight healthy controls. Healthy controls produced more conditioned eyeblink responses than patients with focal dystonia, indicating an abnormality of associative learning in this patient population. This study provides neurophysiological evidence for functional changes in the olivo-cerebellar pathway of patients with primary focal dystonia. Further work needs to be done to determine if these changes are primary, secondary or epiphenomenal to the disease.
Mechanical and structural characterization of whey protein concentrate/montmorillonite/lycopene films.

BACKGROUND The production/characterization of nanocomposites based on whey protein concentrate (WPC) and montmorillonite (MMT) with lycopene as functional substance is presented and their potential use as alternative biomaterials in foodstuff applications is discussed. A full factorial design with varying levels of MMT (0 and 20 g kg-1 ) and lycopene (0, 60 and 120 g kg-1 ) was used. The mechanical properties (tensile and puncture tests), thermal stability, Fourier transform infrared vibrational spectra and film morphology of the resulting materials were evaluated. RESULTS Lycopene and MMT nanoparticles could be successfully included in WPC films using the casting/evaporation method. The films were flexible and homogeneous and a uniform dispersion of the components was achieved. CONCLUSION Inclusion of 20 g kg-1 of MMT in the polymeric matrix improved both mechanical and thermal properties. Lycopene at the tested concentrations, besides its red coloring ability, did not promote any detectable interference in the structural or physical properties. These findings are important in devising applications and open a new perspective on the use of these materials in bioactive packaging processing. © 2017 Society of Chemical Industry.
Mortality among oral contraceptive users.

Llewellyn and A Fraser-Moodie' illustrates the result of having been "bitten" by a stone fish and makes recommendations for treatment. The stone fish, genus synancejidae, does not bite but injects its venom by way of an adapted dorsal fin2 into the flesh of unwary bathers. The advice given that "the affected part should be immersed in hot water at up to 50°C to denature the venom" is a dangerous suggestion, as not only the venom but also the affected part will be denatured. Moritz and Henriques showed that water at 47°C caused full thickness burns in humans after 18 minutes and that the process was without discomfort in some cases; water at 50°C caused full thickness burns after five minutes. ' Between 44°C and 5 1°C the time required to produce irreversible tissue damage is halved for each one degree rise in temperature (from 180 minutes to under two minutes). We think that the advice of Drs Llewellyn and Fraser-Moodie, although given for treatment of a potentially fatal injury, is incorrect and could well result in serious tissue destruction.
Detection of Toxin B Gene of Clostridium difficile by Polymerase Chain Reaction from Clinical Isolates

원 본 접 수:1999년 1 월 19일 접수번호:C M 9 9 -1 4 수정본접수:1999년 2 월 23일 교 신 저 자:이 경 원 (120-752) 서울 서대문구 신촌동 134번지 연세대학교 의과대학 임상병리과학교실·세균내성연구소 전화:02-361 -5 8 6 6 Fax:02 -313 -0956 Background:Clostridium difficile causes antibiotic-associated diarrhea or pseudomembranous colitis by producing of toxins in patients treated with antimicrobial agents. Stool cultures for C. difficile and tests for the presence of its toxin are the most widely used methods for the diagnosis of infection. The aim of this study was to determine the usefulness of polymerase chain reaction for the detection of toxin B gene from C. difficile isolates. Methods:In this study, 85 strains of C. difficile were used, which were isolated from stool specimens of patients with suspected antibiotic-associated diarrhea or pseudomembranous colitis from 1987 to 1994 using cefoxitin-cycloserine-fructose agar. DNA of the C. difficile isolates was extracted by boiling and by conventional methods. The primers used for toxin B gene amplification were YT-17, 5'-GGTGGAGCTTCAATTGGAGAG-3' and YT-18, 5'GTGTAACCTACTTTCATAACACCAG-3'. Amplification products were electrophoresed in a 1% agarose gel containing ethidium bromide and the presence of the 399 bp band was examined under ultraviolet light. The results were compared with those of toxin A detection by PCR and with the results of quantitative cultures. Results:Toxin B gene was detected in 74% (63/85) of the C. difficile isolates. Toxin B gene was detected in all strains with toxin A gene, but not in the strains without toxin A gene. DNA extraction by boiling and by conventional methods gave the same detection rate. The positive rate of toxin B gene was slightly higher in the strains which were isolated with a higher colony count from stool than nontoxigenic ones. Conclusions:The PCR detection of toxin B gene is a useful method for identifying the toxigenic C. difficile strain in the clinical laboratory, and the boiling method is simple for DNA extraction. The use of a toxin test can reduce false positive diagnosis due to the presence of nontoxigenic strains among the isolates. (Korean J Clin Microbiol 1999;2:77~81)
Quantitative analysis of oyster larval proteome provides new insights into the effects of multiple climate change stressors

The metamorphosis of planktonic larvae of the Pacific oyster (Crassostrea gigas) underpins their complex life‐history strategy by switching on the molecular machinery required for sessile life and building calcite shells. Metamorphosis becomes a survival bottleneck, which will be pressured by different anthropogenically induced climate change‐related variables. Therefore, it is important to understand how metamorphosing larvae interact with emerging climate change stressors. To predict how larvae might be affected in a future ocean, we examined changes in the proteome of metamorphosing larvae under multiple stressors: decreased pH (pH 7.4), increased temperature (30 °C), and reduced salinity (15 psu). Quantitative protein expression profiling using iTRAQ‐LC‐MS/MS identified more than 1300 proteins. Decreased pH had a negative effect on metamorphosis by down‐regulating several proteins involved in energy production, metabolism, and protein synthesis. However, warming switched on these down‐regulated pathways at pH 7.4. Under multiple stressors, cell signaling, energy production, growth, and developmental pathways were up‐regulated, although metamorphosis was still reduced. Despite the lack of lethal effects, significant physiological responses to both individual and interacting climate change related stressors were observed at proteome level. The metamorphosing larvae of the C. gigas population in the Yellow Sea appear to have adequate phenotypic plasticity at the proteome level to survive in future coastal oceans, but with developmental and physiological costs.
[Liver transplantation for hepatocellular carcinoma: prognostic analysis of 89 cases].

OBJECTIVE To summarize the experience of liver transplantation (LT) for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) in one center and identify prognostic factors for survival. METHODS The clinical data and survival results of 89 patients with HCC receiving LT from January 1999 to December 2003 were retrospectively analyzed and various clinicopathologic risk factors for actuarial survival and tumor free survival were evaluated by univariate and multivariate analysis. RESULTS Six-month, 1-, and 2-year survival rates were 81.8%, 55.3% and 43.7%, respectively. The 6-month, 1-, and 2-year tumor free survival rates were 62.4%, 35.6% and 24.9%, respectively. The overall tumor recurrence and metastasis rate was 52.8%. In the univariate analysis, portal vein tumor thrombi (PVTT) (chi(2) = 15.14, P = 0.0001), tumor size (chi(2) = 15.05, P = 0.0001), hepatic cirrhosis background (chi(2) = 6.14, P = 0.0132), preoperative alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) level (chi(2) = 5.82, P = 0.0159) and histopathologic grading (chi(2) = 4.61, P = 0.0319) were found to be significantly associated with actuarial survival rate. Seven factors influencing tumor free survival included PVTT (chi(2) = 26.30, P < 0.0001), tumor size (chi(2) = 25.25, P < 0.0001), preoperative AFP level (chi(2) = 14.83, P = 0.0001), histopathologic grading (chi(2) = 12.54, P = 0.0004), tumor distribution (chi(2) = 12.73, P = 0.0004), number of nodules (chi(2) = 9.81, P = 0.0017) and cirrhosis background (chi(2) = 9.76, P = 0.0018). In the multivariate Cox regression analysis, the prognostic factors independently associated with patient survival were identified to be PVTT (RR = 4.721, P = 0.001), age (RR = 3.282, P = 0.007) and histopathologic grading (RR = 2.368, P = 0.037). For tumor free survival, histopathologic grading (RR = 3.739, P < 0.0001), PVTT (RR = 4.382, P = 0.001), cirrhosis background (RR = 0.421, P = 0.011), age (RR = 2.312, P = 0.027) and AFP (RR = 2.301, P = 0.047) were identified as prognostic parameters. CONCLUSIONS LT is a good therapeutic option for strictly selected patients with HCC. PVTT and histopathologic grading are the most important factors of predicting outcomes of HCC patients undergoing LT. Further studies should be strengthened to establish a reliable and feasible selection criteria and an optimal prognosis scoring system for LT.
The Relationship between Residential Magnetic Fields and Contact Voltage: A Pooled Analysis

It has been suggested that residential exposure to contact currents may be more directly associated with the potential for an increased risk of leukemia in childhood than magnetic fields. Contact current exposure occurs when a child contacts a bathtub's water fixtures, which are usually contiguous with a residence's electrical ground, and when the drainpipe is conductive. The Northern California Childhood Leukemia Study (NCCLS) is the only epidemiological study known to address whether contact current may confound the reported association between residential magnetic fields and childhood leukemia. The study contributed contact voltage and magnetic-field data for over 500 residences of leukemia cases and control children. We combined these data with the results of previous measurement studies of contact voltage in other communities to conduct an analysis of the relationship of magnetic fields with contact voltage for a total sample of 702 residences. The Spearman correlation of magnetic field with contact voltage was 0.29 (Spearman, P < 0.0001). Magnetic-field and contact voltage data were both divided into tertiles, with an upper magnetic-field cutpoint of 0.3 μT suggested by values used in epidemiological results and an upper contact voltage cutpoint of 60 mV based on dosimetric considerations. Expressed as an exposure odds ratios (EOR), we report an association of contact voltage with magnetic fields of 15.1 (95% CI 3.6–61) as well as a statistically significant positive trend across magnetic-field strata (EOR of 4.2 per stratum with 95% CI 2.4–7.4). The associations appear to be large enough to support the possibility that contact current could be responsible for the association of childhood leukemia with magnetic fields.
Body Mass and Circumference of Upper Arm Are Associated With Race Performance in Ultraendurance Runners in a Multistage Race—The Isarrun 2006

In the present study, we investigated the association of anthropometric parameters with race performance in ultraendurance runners in a multistage ultraendurance run, in which athletes had to run 338 km within 5 consecutive days. In 17 male successful finishers, calculations of body mass, body height, skinfold thicknesses, extremity circumference, skeletal muscle mass (SM), and percentage body fat (%BF) were performed before the race to correlate anthropometric parameters with race performance. A positive association was shown between total running time and both body mass (r2 = .29, p < .05) and upper arm circumference (r2 = .23, p < .05). In contrast, body height, skinfold thicknesses, extremity circumference, SM, and %BF showed no association with race performance (p > .05). We concluded that in a multistage ultraendurance run, body mass and upper arm circumference were negatively associated with race performance in well experienced ultraendurance runners. In contrast, body height, skinfold thicknesses, circumferences of the other extremities, SM, and %BF showed no association with race performance.
The Health Legacy of the Emigration: The Irish in Britain and Elsewhere, 1845–1995

Arguing that the life chances of the Irish emigration in different countries of destination are a highly significant topic for sociologists, this article examines aspects of the health of people of Irish descent born in Britain. This is the subject of a research programme in the Medical Sociology Unit in Glasgow, funded by the UK's Medical Research Council. This historical background to this venture lies in the discovery of a health disadvantage among the Irish in Britain, and the establishment of links between the Irish emigration and high mortality in British cities, despite low mortality in Ireland when the migration was at its height. Theoretical accounts which have guided investigation of this issue include the possibility of prolonged effects from early capitalism in Britain, or that of entrenched effects from cultural exclusion, whether derived from competition for jobs and housing, or from political and religious divisions. These varying accounts lead to competing predictions, and the paper concludes by reviewing progress in testing these predictions, and by suggesting implications for research in other countries of destination.
Designing planning and control interfaces to support user collaboration with flying robots

Robots are becoming increasingly prevalent and are already providing assistance in a variety of activities, ranging from space exploration to domestic housework. Recent advances in the design of sensors, motors, and microelectromechanical systems have enabled the development of a new class of small aerial robots. These free-flying robots hold great promise in assisting humans by acting as mobile sensor platforms to collect data in areas that are difficult to access or infeasible to instrument. In this work, we explored the design of interfaces that support users in working with free-flying robots to accomplish tasks including inventory logistics and management, environmental data collection, and visual inspection. Extending prior work in control interfaces for ground robots, we conducted a formative study in order to identify key design requirements for free-flyer interfaces. We designed several realistic tasks for use in evaluating human–robot interaction within the context of indoor free-flyer operation. We implemented three prototype interfaces that each provide varying degrees of support in enabling remote users to work with a flying robot to plan, communicate goals, accomplish tasks, and respond to changes in a dynamic environment. An experimental evaluation of each interface found that the interface designed to support collaborative planning and replanning using an interactive timeline and three-dimensional spatial waypoints significantly improved users’ efficiency in accomplishing tasks, their ability to intervene in response to spontaneous changes in task demands, and their ratings of the robot as a teammate compared to interfaces that support low-level teleoperation or waypoint-based supervisory control. Our results demonstrate the utility of a data-driven design process and show the need for free-flyer interfaces to consider planning phases in addition to task execution. In addition, we demonstrate the importance of providing interface support for interrupting robot operations as unplanned events arise.