Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Hunter selection for larger and older male bobcats affects annual harvest demography

Wildlife researchers often rely on demographic data collected from harvested animals to estimate population dynamics. But demographic data from harvested animals may be non-representative if hunters/trappers have the ability and motivation to preferentially select for certain physical traits. Hunter preference is well demonstrated for ungulates, but less so for other wildlife species such as furbearers. We used data from bobcats harvested in Wisconsin (1983–2014) to determine if harvest method and demographics (mass, male:female sex ratio and age) have changed over time, and if bobcat hunters/trappers exhibited selection. Each trait of harvested bobcats that we tested changed over time, and because these selected traits were interrelated, we inferred that harvest selection for larger size biased harvests in favour of older, male bobcats. The selection of older, male bobcats appears primarily driven by hound hunters (hereafter hunters) compared to trappers, with hunters more frequently creating taxidermy mounts from their harvested bobcats. We found an increase in the proportion of bobcats that were harvested by hunting compared to trapping over time, and this was associated with increased selectivity and substantial changes in the characteristics of harvested bobcats. Selection by hunters may bias population models that are based on the demography of harvested bobcats, and accounting for biases that may occur, including from different harvest methods, is critical when using harvest-dependent data.
Robust RGB-D Face Recognition Using Attribute-Aware Loss

Existing convolutional neural network (CNN) based face recognition algorithms typically learn a discriminative feature mapping, using a loss function that enforces separation of features from different classes and/or aggregation of features within the same class. However, they may suffer from bias in the training data such as uneven sampling density, because they optimize the adjacency relationship of the learned features without considering the proximity of the underlying faces. Moreover, since they only use facial images for training, the learned feature mapping may not correctly indicate the relationship of other attributes such as gender and ethnicity, which can be important for some face recognition applications. In this paper, we propose a new CNN-based face recognition approach that incorporates such attributes into the training process. Using an attribute-aware loss function that regularizes the feature mapping using attribute proximity, our approach learns more discriminative features that are correlated with the attributes. We train our face recognition model on a large-scale RGB-D data set with over 100K identities captured under real application conditions. By comparing our approach with other methods on a variety of experiments, we demonstrate that depth channel and attribute-aware loss greatly improve the accuracy and robustness of face recognition.
Research progress in the estimation of the postmortem interval by Chinese forensic scholars

ABSTRACT The determination of time since death or the postmortem interval (PMI) is one of the most important and frequently asked questions in forensic medicine. Medicolegal scholars and forensic pathologists around the world have studied the estimation of PMI extensively in the past, and many novel methods and advanced technologies have now been applied in the field. For several centuries, Chinese forensic examiners have also worked on the estimation of the PMI, and there are a large number of excellent studies published in Chinese rather than in English, and these are not easily accessible or known internationally. Therefore we have conducted a review of relevant studies published by Chinese forensic scholars in the last few decades. The scope of this review is to provide a concise summary of the current progress in the estimation of PMI by Chinese forensic researchers using molecular biology, spectroscopic technology, entomological methods, energy changes, thanatochemistry and other methods.
Reasons for failed endovascular recanalization attempts in stroke patients

Purpose Mechanical thrombectomy (MT) is a highly effective therapy in patients with acute ischemic stroke due to large vessel occlusion (LVO). However, complete recanalization of the occluded vessel cannot be achieved in all patients, leading to poor clinical outcome. We analyzed the reasons for failed recanalization to help direct future improvements in therapy. Methods 648 consecutive stroke patients with LVO and an MT attempt were retrospectively analyzed for none or minimal recanalization, assessed according to the Thrombolysis in Cerebral Infarction (TICI) score (0/1). Procedural parameters were evaluated in a standardized approach. Among other variables, number of retrieval attempts, devices, duration of the intervention, and rescue methods were analyzed. Results TICI 0/1 was observed in 72/648 patients (11%). In these patients, the thrombus could not be reached in 21% (n=15/72), was reached but not passed in 21% (n=15/72), and was reached and passed in 58% (n=42/72). Only a minor degree of initial recanalization was achieved in 19% (n=8/42) of patients with a reached occlusion during the course of the intervention. Furthermore, a higher number of passes with a single retriever device led to significant prolongation of the intervention. Therefore, major reasons for failed endovascular recanalization were difficult anatomical access and hard or resistant occlusions that might reflect hard thrombi or pre-existing atherosclerotic stenosis. Procedural complications such as dissection or perforation played a minor role. Conclusion In stroke patients with failed MT attempts, approximately 60% of occlusions can be passed. In such cases, rescue therapy might be considered to improve recanalization and clinical outcome. Further development of access devices might help in the remaining cases where the microcatheter could not be manipulated to or through the occlusion.
Exercise Capacity and Association with Quality of Life in Peritoneal Dialysis Patients

Background: Muscle wasting, common and progressive in uremic patients, is associated with a high probability for morbidity, lower health-related quality of life (HRQOL), and mortality. However, exercise tolerance in peritoneal dialysis (PD) patients has not been fully elucidated. The aim of this study was to evaluate exercise capacity, its determinants, and its association with HRQOL in PD patients. Methods: Outpatients treated with PD at Keio University Hospital from December 2016 to March 2018 were included in this single-center cross-sectional observational study. Exercise capacity was assessed by incremental shuttle walking test (ISWT) and handgrip and quadriceps strength. In addition to evaluation of PD-related parameters, HRQOL was assessed by the Kidney Disease Quality of Life-Short Form questionnaire. Results: Among the 50 recruited PD outpatients, age and PD vintage were 63.8 ± 9.6 and 3.8 ± 2.8 years, respectively. Physical examination revealed ISWT of 312.0 ± 138.2 m, handgrip strength of 27.5 ± 6.9 kg, and quadriceps strength of 23.3 ± 10.0 kg. Multivariate analysis showed that younger age and male sex were significantly associated with higher ISWT and handgrip and quadriceps strength. Skeletal mass index (SMI) remained a significant predictor of handgrip and quadriceps strength. Moreover, only ISWT was strongly correlated with higher HRQOL scores, including physical, mental, and kidney-specific domains, even after adjustment for age and sex. Conclusions: Exercise tolerance in PD patients was partially determined by age, sex, and SMI. Moreover, this is the first study to demonstrate the strong relationship between aerobic capacity and HRQOL in PD patients.
Stochastic Gradient Descent Optimizes Over-parameterized Deep ReLU Networks

We study the problem of training deep neural networks with Rectified Linear Unit (ReLU) activation function using gradient descent and stochastic gradient descent. In particular, we study the binary classification problem and show that for a broad family of loss functions, with proper random weight initialization, both gradient descent and stochastic gradient descent can find the global minima of the training loss for an over-parameterized deep ReLU network, under mild assumption on the training data. The key idea of our proof is that Gaussian random initialization followed by (stochastic) gradient descent produces a sequence of iterates that stay inside a small perturbation region centering around the initial weights, in which the empirical loss function of deep ReLU networks enjoys nice local curvature properties that ensure the global convergence of (stochastic) gradient descent. Our theoretical results shed light on understanding the optimization for deep learning, and pave the way for studying the optimization dynamics of training modern deep neural networks.
The carry-over effect of an aquatic-based intervention in children with cerebral palsy

Background Cerebral palsy (CP) is the most common motor disability in childhood. Children with CP are more likely to have lower levels of physical activity than their peers, which has negative implications for their health. However, aquatic exercise can be used to improve levels of fitness among children with CP. Objective To determine the carry-over effect of an aquatic-based programme (postural control and balance) on land (walking, running and jumping) in children with CP, post aquatic intervention. Method The study used a pretest-post-test, randomised group, cross-over design. Children aged 8–12 years (n = 10) were divided into intervention (n = 5) and control (n = 5) groups. The intervention group participated in two 30-min sessions a week, while the control group continued with normal activities. Pre- and post-intervention testing was conducted using gross motor function measurement. The 10-point programme of the Halliwick Concept was used. Results Results demonstrated that the aquatic therapy had a significant effect on gross motor function scores. The aquatic programme-based group showed increased motor function following the intervention, compared to the control group (z = -2.803, p = 0.005). Furthermore, the aquatic-based therapy improved the average score for gross motor function measurement, post-intervention. Conclusion Together with conventional modes of therapy, aquatic-based programmes should be integrated and considered as an essential, ongoing mode of treatment for children with CP, in order to ensure long-term gross motor function improvements.
Is There Any Association Between Blood Groups And Hepatocellular Carcinoma (HCC)?: A Preliminary Study

The study conducted on randomly selected 54 patients: 38 patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC); 16 patients with cirrhosis and 10 healthy volunteers during the period of December 2001 to June 2002. 10 ml blood from each patient and control were collected. Each sample was divided into two parts: 1) 2 ml freshly used blood on ethylene – diamine – tetracetic acid (EDTA) as a preservative for testing the following blood group antigens by agglutination technique: Major blood groups [ABO and RhD] and Minor blood groups [Rhd, MNSs, Duffy (Fy) and Lewis (Le)]. 2) The sera of the remaining blood samples (8 ml) were used to diagnose HCC patients: Two hepatitis markers: p53 autoantibodies (p53 Abs) and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF). The results reveal that, no significant correlation is found between any of the studied blood group systems and HCC or cirrhosis. Also, no significant correlation is found between any of the studied blood group systems and VEGF and p53 markers except the significant correlation between M blood group and VEGF (p = 0.02).
Physiological function of myocilin and its role in the pathogenesis of glaucoma in the trabecular meshwork (Review)

Myocilin is highly expressed in the trabecular meshwork (TM), which plays an important role in the regulation of intraocular pressure (IOP). Myocilin abnormalities may cause dysfunction of the TM, potentially leading to increased IOP. High IOP is a well-known primary risk factor for glaucoma. Myocilin mutations are common among glaucoma patients, and they are implicated in juvenile-onset open-angle glaucoma (JOAG) and adult-onset primary open-angle glaucoma (POAG). Aggregation of aberrant mutant myocilins is closely associated with glaucoma pathogenesis. The aim of the present review was to discuss the recent findings regarding the major physiological functions of myocilin, such as intra- and extracellular proteolytic processes. We also aimed to discuss the risk factors associated with myocilin and the development of glaucoma, such as misfolded/mutant myocilin, imbalance of myocilin and extracellular proteins, and instability of mutant myocilin associated with temperature. Finally, we further outlined certain issues that are yet to be resolved, which may represent the basis for future studies on the role of myocilin in glaucoma.
Reciprocal Dynamics of Solo-Living and Health among Older Adults in Contemporary China.

Objectives Solo-living has far-reaching implications for older adults' well-being. The causal impacts and the pathways of solo-living on health and wellbeing of older adults are still unclear. This study examines the correlates of solo-living and subsequent health outcomes of solo-living among older adults in mainland China. Methods We draw data from four waves of a nationwide survey with a total of 9,714 older adults aged 65 or older who had at least three interviews in 2005-2014. A generalized structural equation modeling approach was applied to examine what factors are associated with solo-living status and whether and how the antecedent of solo-living status subsequently affects wellbeing and health. Results Owning a home, having no living child, and a preference to live independently are positively correlated with living alone, whereas living in a city, having economic independence, being educated, and having poor physical and cognitive functions are associated with lower odds of solo-living. Older Chinese adults who live alone are more likely to feel lonely and have a lower life satisfaction, yet they are more likely to be involved in social/leisure activities, have fewer physical disabilities and a lower mortality risk. Discussion There is a bi-directional relationship between solo-living and wellbeing/health among the Chinese older adults. Solo-living is a conditioned choice of a set of critical factors among older Chinese. The greater involvement in social/leisure activities is likely a key for Chinese solo-living older adults to mitigate the negative impact of their lower psychological wellbeing on subsequent mortality.
Phylogenetic relationships of the fox-like canids: mitochondrial DNA restriction fragment, site and cytochrome b sequence analyses

The fox-like canids include taxa from the genera Alopex, Otocyon, Fennecus, Urocyon and Vulpes. Previous morphological analysis indicated that species from the latter three genera are very similar and should be included in the same genus whereas Alopex and Otocyon are sufficiently different to be included in separate genera. Using phylogenetic methods, we analyse mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) restriction fragment and restriction site data, and 402 bp of cytochrome b sequence variation in fox-like canids. Our results suggest that Alopex lagopus, the arctic fox, is actually a very close relative of the swift fox, a species in the genus Vulpes. Similarly, the fennec, Fennecus zerda is related to the co-existing desert species, the Blanford's fox, Vulpes cana. The grey fox, Urocyon cinereoargenteus, and the bat-eared fox, Otocyon megalotis, are not closely related to each other or to any of the sampled fox taxa. Our results indicate that desert adaptations have evolved independently at least twice in the Canidae, and that Pleistocene glaciations and character divergence may be important causes of morphological change in canids.
Study description and baseline characteristics of the population enrolled in a multinational, observational study of teriparatide in postmenopausal women with osteoporosis: the Asia and Latin America Fracture Observational Study (ALAFOS)

Abstract Objective: To describe the study design and baseline patient characteristics of the Asia and Latin America Fracture Observational Study (ALAFOS) to better understand the profile of patients receiving teriparatide during the course of routine clinical practice in Asia, Latin America, the Middle East and Russia. Methods: Prospective, observational, non-interventional study in postmenopausal women with osteoporosis who are prescribed teriparatide for up to 24 months, according to local medical standards, with a 12 month post-treatment follow-up. Measures: Demographics, risk factors for osteoporosis and fractures, history of fracture, prior osteoporosis medications, comorbidities, physical function, back pain and quality of life (QoL). Results: In total 3031 postmenopausal women (mean age 72.5 years) recruited at 152 sites in 20 countries were analyzed; 62.9% had a history of fragility fracture after age 40 (33.0% of patients with spinal, 14.2% with hip fractures). The mean (SD) bone mineral density T-scores at baseline were −3.06 (1.40) and −2.60 (1.05) at the lumbar spine and femoral neck, respectively. At entry, 43.7% of patients were naïve to prior osteoporosis treatments; 40.5% of patients reported ≥1 fall in the past year. The median (Q1; Q3) EuroQoL Visual Analog Scale (EQ-VAS) for perceived overall health status was 60 (50; 80). The mean (SD) worst back pain Numeric Rating Scale in the last 24 hours was 4.6 (3.3). Conclusions: Our data indicates that patients who were prescribed teriparatide in the ALAFOS participant countries had severe osteoporosis, high prevalence of fractures, disabling back pain and poor QoL. The frequency of patients receiving prior osteoporosis medications was lower than in previous observational studies conducted in other locations.
EpCAMhigh and EpCAMlow circulating tumor cells in metastatic prostate and breast cancer patients

The presence of high expressing epithelial cell adhesion molecule (EpCAMhigh) circulating tumor cells (CTC) enumerated by CellSearch® in blood of cancer patients is strongly associated with poor prognosis. This raises the question about the presence and relation with clinical outcome of low EpCAM expressing CTC (EpCAMlow CTC). In the EU-FP7 CTC-Trap program, we investigated the presence of EpCAMhigh and EpCAMlow CTC using CellSearch, followed by microfiltration of the EpCAMhigh CTC depleted blood. Blood samples of 108 castration-resistant prostate cancer patients and 22 metastatic breast cancer patients were processed at six participating sites, using protocols and tools developed in the CTC-Trap program. Of the prostate cancer patients, 53% had ≥5 EpCAMhigh CTC and 28% had ≥5 EpCAMlow CTC. For breast cancer patients, 32% had ≥5 EpCAMhigh CTC and 36% had ≥5 EpCAMlow CTC. 70% of prostate cancer patients and 64% of breast cancer patients had in total ≥5 EpCAMhigh and/or EpCAMlow CTC, increasing the number of patients in whom CTC are detected. Castration-resistant prostate cancer patients with ≥5 EpCAMhigh CTC had shorter overall survival versus those with <5 EpCAMhigh CTC (p = 0.000). However, presence of EpCAMlow CTC had no relation with overall survival. This emphasizes the importance to demonstrate the relation with clinical outcome when presence of CTC identified with different technologies are reported, as different CTC subpopulations can have different relations with clinical outcome.
Fast Calculation of Flow Ensembles

Computing Ensembles occurs frequently in the simulation of complex flows to increase forecasting skill, quantify uncertainty and estimate flow sensitivity. The main issue with ensemble calculation is its high demand of computer resources vs. the limited computer resources existing. Generally computing a large ensemble is prohibitive due to the high computational cost of numerical simulation of nonlinear dynamical systems. Moreover, to compute ensembles of moderate/small size, resolution is very often sacrificed to reduce computation time. In this thesis, we study an efficient ensemble simulation algorithm that can reduce the computing cost significantly making computing a large ensemble or an ensemble of high resolution possible. The motivation for the new algorithm is that for linearly implicit methods, the linear solve is a large contributor to overall complexity and it is far cheaper in both storage and solution time to solve linear systems with the same coefficient matrix than with different coefficient matrices. We present this algorithm with different ensemble time stepping methods. These methods are carefully derived and both theoretically and numerically investigated. Computing an ensemble simultaneously allows each realization to access ensemble data and the use of means and fluctuations in numerical regularizations for each realization. We put forth two ensemble eddy viscosity regularizations that remove severe timestep condition for high Reynolds number flows. The study of the ensemble eddy viscosity regularizations also suggests reconsidering an old but not as well developed definition of the mixing length. This mixing length vanishes at solid walls without van Driest damping, increases stability and improves flow predictions in our preliminary tests. The goal of conventional turbulence models is to produce a model that accurately predicts time averaged or ensemble averaged flow statistics. In this thesis, we develop a new family of ensemble based turbulence models and study their convergence by analyzing the evolution of model variance. For these new turbulence models from the calculated ensemble (at low cost), the kinetic energy in fluctuations can be directly calculated without additional modeling, reducing the computing cost while increasing the physical fidelity of the models.
Mitochondrial genome annotation and phylogenetic placement of Oreochromis andersonii and O. macrochir among the cichlids of southern Africa

Genetic characterization of southern African cichlids has not received much attention. Here, we describe the mitogenome sequences and phylogenetic positioning of Oreochromis andersonii and O. macrochir among the cichlids of southern Africa. The complete mitochondrial DNA sequences were determined for O. andersonii and O. macrochir, two important aquaculture and fisheries species endemic to southern Africa. The complete mitogenome sequence lengths were 16642 bp and 16644 bp for O. andersonii and O. macrochir respectively. The general structural organization follows that of other teleost species with 13 protein–coding genes, 2 rRNAs, 22 tRNAs and a non-coding control region. Phylogenetic placement of the two species among other African cichlids was performed using Maximum Likelihood (ML) and Bayesian Markov-Chain-Monte-Carlo (MCMC). The consensus trees confirmed the relative positions of the two cichlid species with O. andersonii being very closely related to O. mossambicus and O. macrochir showing a close relation to both species. Among the 13 mitochondrial DNA protein coding genes ND6 may have evolved more rapidly and COIII was the most conserved. There are signs that ND6 may have been subjected to positive selection in order for these cichlid lineages to diversity and adapt to new environments. More work is needed to characterize the southern Africa cichlids as they are important species for capture fisheries, aquaculture development and understanding biogeographic history of African cichlids. Bioconservation of some endangered cichlids is also essential due to the threat by invasive species.