Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Delayed egg‐laying and shortened incubation duration of Arctic‐breeding shorebirds coincide with climate cooling

Abstract Biological impacts of climate change are exemplified by shifts in phenology. As the timing of breeding advances, the within‐season relationships between timing of breeding and reproductive traits may change and cause long‐term changes in the population mean value of reproductive traits. We investigated long‐term changes in the timing of breeding and within‐season patterns of clutch size, egg volume, incubation duration, and daily nest survival of three shorebird species between two decades. Based on previously known within‐season patterns and assuming a warming trend, we hypothesized that the timing of clutch initiation would advance between decades and would be coupled with increases in mean clutch size, egg volume, and daily nest survival rate. We monitored 1,378 nests of western sandpipers, semipalmated sandpipers, and red‐necked phalaropes at a subarctic site during 1993–1996 and 2010–2014. Sandpipers have biparental incubation, whereas phalaropes have uniparental incubation. We found an unexpected long‐term cooling trend during the early part of the breeding season. Three species delayed clutch initiation by 5 days in the 2010s relative to the 1990s. Clutch size and daily nest survival showed strong within‐season declines in sandpipers, but not in phalaropes. Egg volume showed strong within‐season declines in one species of sandpiper, but increased in phalaropes. Despite the within‐season patterns in traits and shifts in phenology, clutch size, egg volume, and daily nest survival were similar between decades. In contrast, incubation duration did not show within‐season variation, but decreased by 2 days in sandpipers and increased by 2 days in phalaropes. Shorebirds demonstrated variable breeding phenology and incubation duration in relation to climate cooling, but little change in nonphenological components of traits. Our results indicate that the breeding phenology of shorebirds is closely associated with the temperature conditions on breeding ground, the effects of which can vary among reproductive traits and among sympatric species.
Harmful alcohol use and alcohol-related sex expectancies as predictors of risky sex among african american female college drinkers

ABSTRACT African American college women are experiencing sex-related negative consequences at alarming rates. Alcohol use and alcohol-related sex expectancies are predictors of risky sexual behavior among college women; however, African American college women are often underrepresented in empirical studies. The purpose of the present study was to examine the link between alcohol-related sex expectancies (i.e., enhancement, sexual risk taking, and disinhibition expectancies), alcohol use, and risky sexual behavior among a sample of 222 sexually active African American female college drinkers. Participants completed measures assessing alcohol-related sex expectancies, typical weekly drinking, harmful alcohol use, and risky sexual behavior. Results indicated that combined sexual risk taking and disinhibition alcohol-related sex expectancies predicted both typical weekly drinking and harmful alcohol use. In addition, enhancement alcohol-related sex expectancies and harmful alcohol use predicted risky sexual behavior; however, typical weekly drinking did not. Clinical and research implications are discussed.
A geostatistical approach for describing spatial pattern in stream networks

The shape and configuration of branched networks influence ecological patterns and processes. Recent investigations of network influences in riverine ecology stress the need to quantify spatial structure not only in a two-dimensional plane, but also in networks. An initial step in understanding data from stream networks is discerning non-random patterns along the network. On the other hand, data collected in the network may be spatially autocorrelated and thus not suitable for traditional statistical analyses. Here we provide a method that uses commercially available software to construct an empirical variogram to describe spatial pattern in the relative abundance of coastal cutthroat trout in headwater stream networks. We describe the mathematical and practical considerations involved in calculating a variogram using a non-Euclidean distance metric to incorporate the network pathway structure in the analysis of spatial variability, and use a non-parametric technique to ascertain if the pattern in the emp.
Universities and scientific research in the Maghreb states: power politics and innovation systems

Universities are called to play a vital role in Maghreb countries. In a relatively short time, the countries will be fully opened through the Free Trade Agreement with Europe and will face tough competition. This article looks at the challenge they face in contributing to build an efficient national innovation system. It examines in depth the internal power game and the race to political positions, which put scientific work and academic achievements in a secondary position. Rent seeking gradually becomes the dominant activity and consumes the largest share of valuable research time contributed. Unless these issues are properly addressed, successive university reforms can only have limited results.
Zidovudine impairs immunological recovery on first-line antiretroviral therapy: collaborative analysis of cohort studies in southern Africa

Objectives:Zidovudine (ZDV) is recommended for first-line antiretroviral therapy (ART) in resource-limited settings. ZDV may, however, lead to anemia and impaired immunological response. We compared CD4+ cell counts over 5 years between patients starting ART with and without ZDV in southern Africa. Design:Cohort study. Methods:Patients aged at least 16 years who started first-line ART in South Africa, Botswana, Zambia, or Lesotho were included. We used linear mixed-effect models to compare CD4+ cell count trajectories between patients on ZDV-containing regimens and patients on other regimens, censoring follow-up at first treatment change. Impaired immunological recovery, defined as a CD4+ cell count below 100 cells/&mgr;l at 1 year, was assessed in logistic regression. Analyses were adjusted for baseline CD4+ cell count and hemoglobin level, age, sex, type of regimen, viral load monitoring, and calendar year. Results:A total of 72 597 patients starting ART, including 19 758 (27.2%) on ZDV, were analyzed. Patients on ZDV had higher CD4+ cell counts (150 vs.128 cells/&mgr;l) and hemoglobin level (12.0 vs. 11.0 g/dl) at baseline, and were less likely to be women than those on other regimens. Adjusted differences in CD4+ cell counts between regimens containing and not containing ZDV were −16 cells/&mgr;l [95% confidence interval (CI) −18 to −14] at 1 year and −56 cells/&mgr;l (95% CI −59 to −52) at 5 years. Impaired immunological recovery was more likely with ZDV compared to other regimens (odds ratio 1.40, 95% CI 1.22–1.61). Conclusion:In southern Africa, ZDV is associated with inferior immunological recovery compared to other backbones. Replacing ZDV with another nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor could avoid unnecessary switches to second-line ART.
Inhibition of receptor binding by high-affinity RNA ligands to vascular endothelial growth factor.

The proliferation of new blood vessels (angiogenesis) is a process that accompanies many pathological conditions including rheumatoid arthritis and solid tumor growth. Among angiogenic cytokines that have been identified to date, vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) is one of the most potent. We used SELEX [systematic evolution of ligands by exponential enrichment; Tuerk, C. , & Gold, L. (1990) Science 249, 505-510] to identify RNA ligands that bind to VEGF in a specific manner with affinities in the low nanomolar range. Ligands were selected from a starting pool of about 10(14) RNA molecules containing 30 randomized positions. Isolates from the affinity-enriched pool were grouped into six distinct families on the basis of primary and secondary structure similarities. Minimal sequence information required for high-affinity binding to VEGF is contained in 29-36-nucleotide motifs. Binding of truncated (minimal) high-affinity ligands to VEGF is competitive with that of other truncated ligands and heparin. Furthermore, truncated ligands from the six ligand families inhibit binding of [125I]VEGF to its cell-surface receptors. Oligonucleotide ligands described here represent an initial set of lead compounds in our ongoing effort toward the development of potent and specific VEGF antagonists.
Efecto de la dosis de eCG sobre la inducción del celo en cabras mestizas luego de un tratamiento corto con medroxiprogesterona

El proposito del presente estudio fue evaluar el efecto de la dosis de gonadotropina corionica equina (eCG) sobre la induccion del celo en cabras mestizas manejadas bajo condiciones tropicales. Las cabras (n = 32) fueron tratadas con una esponja intravaginal impregnada con 50 mg de acetato de medroxiprogesterona (MAP) durante seis dias. Al momento del retiro de las esponjas, las cabras fueron divididas al azar en tres grupos: control (GC, n=11), no recibieron eCG; G250: (n=10) recibieron 250 UI de eCG via intramuscular y G500: (n=11) recibieron 500 UI de eCG via intramuscular. La eCG no afecto la tasa de expresion de celo, siendo 81,8% (9/11) para el GC y de 100% para los grupos G250 y G500 (P>0,05). El intervalo al celo fue significativamente mas corto en el grupo G500 (32,54 ± 3,00 horas, P 0,05). El porcentaje de cabras repitiendo celo, luego de un ciclo estrual de corta duracion, vario segun el grupo, siendo de 27,3% (3/11) en el grupo G500 y de 10% (1/10) en el grupo G250; mientras que ninguna cabra del grupo control repitio celo luego de un ciclo estrual corto; no se observaron diferencias significativas entre los grupos (P>0,05). En conclusion, la eCG no es necesaria para inducir el celo en cabras tratadas por seis dias con una esponja intravaginal conteniendo MAP, sin embargo, la dosis de 500 UI de eCG fue necesaria para acortar el intervalo al celo.
The Effect of Recrystallization of Fine Inclusions on the Enhancement of Flux Pinning in Textured Gd-Ba-Cu-O Bulk Superconductors

Well textured GdBa2Cu3O7-δ single domain bulks have been prepared successfully. Based on these samples, dilute impurities doping for the enhancement of flux pinning has been investigated. To achieve the fine inclusion particles, except ball milling process, a possible recrystallization mechanism is proposed. BaTiO3 powder was synthesized as dopant. BaO2 doping and mixed BaO2 and TiO2 doping were performed as references. The recrystallization mechanism was studied by means of the evolution of flux pinning behaviors along the growth direction of the successfully textured single domain bulks. BaTiO3 retains a semi-melting state in the harsh ambient of the melting process. The state was assumed like a colloidal droplet, which can be divided into more than one smaller fragment by the anisotropic growth of matrix. This hypothesis was studied in the sample, which was grown at a lower initial growth temperature. The evolution of flux pinning behaviors along the c-axis shows a remarkable increase of the critical current density under low field together with the decreased peak effect. The increased low-field pinning strength is partially attributed to the recrystallization of the BaTiO3 doping related fine precipitations.
Micronutrient contents and nutritional values of commercial wheat flours and flours of field-grown wheat varieties — A survey in Hungary

Wheat-based food has great importance in human nutrition: in European countries they provide 20–30% of the daily calorie intake, and additionally, the wholemeal and healthy food becomes even more popular. Mineral content in grains is dependent on genetic and environmental factors (varieties, soil type, geographical location of the growing area, etc.), therefore, it is complicated to estimate how many percentage of the daily micronutrient requirements can be covered by wheat-based products. In this study, copper (Cu), iron (Fe), manganese (Mn), molybdenum (Mo), selenium (Se) and zinc (Zn) contents of 13 commercial wheat flour products, and the white flour and wholemeal of 24 winter type bread wheat varieties were studied to estimate the nutritional value of these products. All investigated samples were produced in Hungary. Significant variation was revealed in the case of all mineral elements in the different brands of wheat flours. Generally, the white flour enriched with germ showed higher mineral contents than the average values of normal white flours. Furthermore, the wholemeal has higher Cu, Fe, Mn and Zn, but not higher Se contents than the white flours. Mo content was also higher in some brands of white flour than in wholemeal. The investigated winter wheat varieties showed significant differences in the case of Fe, Mn, Se and Zn contents, but none of the varieties showed outstandingly high micronutrient content. The milling process – as it was expected – reduces the concentrations of four elements (Fe 33%; Mn 88%; Zn 71%; Cu 44%); however, the Se and Mo concentrations were not affected significantly. Using the average micronutrient content in the wholemeal of varieties, the daily Mn and Fe requirement can be covered by the consumption of about 250 g wholemeal. Additionally, the daily Mo requirement could be met by the daily consumption of 140-190 g of commercial white or wholemeal flour.
Combining Induction and Permanent Magnet Synchronous Machines in a Series-Connected Six-Phase Vector-Controlled Two-Motor Drive

It has been shown recently that a number of multi-phase machines can be controlled independently, with the supply coming from a single multi-phase inverter, provided that the stator windings are connected in series in an appropriate manner. One such drive system is a two-motor drive, consisting of a symmetrical six-phase machine connected in series with a three-phase machine. The supply is provided from a six-phase current-controlled voltage source inverter (VSI). This paper examines operation of such a drive system when a six-phase symmetrical induction machine is connected in series with a three-phase permanent magnet synchronous machine (PMSM). Basic operating principles of the drive system are at first reviewed. This is followed by a brief description of the experimental system. An extensive presentation of experimental results, collected from a laboratory setup, is then provided. It is shown that a truly independent and decoupled vector control of the two machines results, although a single supply source is used. The two-motor drive system of the proposed structure is seen as a potentially viable industrial solution for applications requiring one high-power and one low-power machine
Book-Tax Conformity and Reporting Behavior – A Quasi-Experiment

We examine how a comprehensive change in book-tax conformity affects firms' reporting behavior. To this end, we exploit a Reform Act as a quasi-natural experiment which implied a decrease in book-tax conformity in Germany in 2010. In particular, this reform allows firms to exercise tax accounting options independently from financial accounting. Our study builds on a unique dataset of linked individual financial statements and actual tax return data. It covers roughly 150 incorporated firms for the years 2008 to 2012. Exploiting the exceptional change in conformity, we contribute to the ongoing debate on the impact of booktax conformity. Our results show that profitable companies, which have a clear tax sheltering incentive, actually use the newly introduced reporting leeway to manage taxable income downwards. This is especially attributable to companies exploiting favorable tax depreciation rules. Moreover, we find larger opportunistic tax reporting responses for small companies with less complex and predominantly domestic group structures. In addition, we observe that a decrease in book-tax conformity induces a decrease in the general persistence of taxable income, but at the same time gives rise to higher financial earnings persistence. This corroborates our finding of increased tax sheltering activity in post reform years.
Sex hormones and the development of sexual size dimorphism: 5α-dihydrotestosterone inhibits growth in a female-larger lizard (Sceloporus undulatus)

ABSTRACT Sexual differences in adult body size [sexual size dimorphism (SSD)] and color (sexual dichromatism) are widespread, and both male- and female-biased dimorphisms are observed even among closely related species. A growing body of evidence indicates testosterone can regulate growth, thus the development of SSD, and sexual dichromatism. However, the mechanism(s) underlying these effects are conjectural, including possible conversions of testosterone to estradiol (E2) or 5α-dihydrotestosterone (DHT). In the present study, we hypothesized that the effects of testosterone are physiological responses mediated by androgen receptors, and we tested two specific predictions: (1) that DHT would mimic the effects of testosterone by inhibiting growth and enhancing coloration, and (2) that removal of endogenous testosterone via surgical castration would stimulate growth. We also hypothesized that females share downstream regulatory networks with males and predicted that females and males would respond similarly to DHT. We conducted experiments on eastern fence lizards (Sceloporus undulatus), a female-larger species with striking sexual dichromatism. We implanted Silastic® tubules containing 150 µg DHT into intact females and intact and castrated males. We measured linear growth rates and quantified color for ventral and dorsal surfaces. We found that DHT decreased growth rate and enhanced male-typical coloration in both males and females. We also found that, given adequate time, castration alone is sufficient to stimulate growth rate in males. The results presented here suggest that: (1) the effects of testosterone on growth and coloration are mediated by androgen receptors without requiring aromatization of testosterone into E2, and (2) females possess the androgen-receptor-mediated regulatory networks required for initiating male-typical inhibition of growth and enhanced coloration in response to androgens. Summary: Dihydrotestosterone mimics the effects of testosterone on growth and coloration in a female-larger lizard, and both sexes share downstream regulatory mechanisms required for growth inhibition and enhanced coloration in response to androgens.
Does Media Coverage of Partisan Polarization Affect Political Attitudes?

The past decade has witnessed an explosion of interest in the partisan polarization of the American electorate. Scholarly investigation of this topic has coincided with the media’s portrayal of a polity deeply divided along partisan lines. Yet little research so far has considered the consequences of the media’s coverage of political polarization. We show that media coverage of polarization increases citizens’ beliefs that the electorate is polarized. Furthermore, the media’s depiction of a polarized electorate causes voters to moderate their own issue positions but increases their dislike of the opposing party. These empirical patterns are consistent with our theoretical argument that polarized exemplars in journalistic coverage serve as anti-cues to media consumers. Our findings have important implications for understanding current and future trends in political polarization.
Fecal microbiota transplant by push enteroscopy to treat diarrhea caused by Clostridium difficile

ABSTRACT Clostridium difficile is the major etiological agent of pseudomembranous colitis and is found in up to 20% of adult inpatients. The recommended treatment is antibiotic therapy with metronidazole and/or vancomycin. However, the recurrence rate may reach up to 25% and it increases in each episode. The newest alternative to treat diarrhea due to recurrent Clostridium difficile is fecal microbiota transplantation. The procedure was performed in 12 patients, with a 6-month follow-up on 10 of them. Of the ten cases, bacterial recurrence was diagnosed in only one patient, after a course of antibiotic to treat urinary tract infection, without presenting with diarrhea. The particularity of our study, besides being an unprecedented event in South America, is the way to perform the infusion of fecal microbiota by enteroscopy.
The Central Role of PDR1 in the Foundation of Yeast Drug Resistance*

The widespread pleiotropic drug resistance (PDR) phenomenon is well described as the long term selection of genetic variants expressing constitutively high levels of membrane transporters involved in drug efflux. However, the transcriptional cascades leading to the PDR phenotype in wild-type cells are largely unknown, and the first steps of this phenomenon are poorly understood. We investigated the transcriptional mechanisms underlying the establishment of an efficient PDR response in budding yeast. We show that within a few minutes of drug sensing yeast elicits an effective PDR response, involving tens of PDR genes. This early PDR response (ePDR) is highly dependent on the Pdr1p transcription factor, which is also one of the major genetic determinants of long term PDR acquisition. The activity of Pdr1p in early drug response is not drug-specific, as two chemically unrelated drugs, benomyl and fluphenazine, elicit identical, Pdr1p-dependent, ePDR patterns. Our data also demonstrate that Pdr1p is an original stress response factor, the DNA binding properties of which do not depend on the presence of drugs. Thus, Pdr1p is a promoter-resident regulator involved in both basal expression and rapid drug-dependent induction of PDR genes.
Down-regulation of PTEN expression due to loss of promoter activity in human hepatocellular carcinoma cell lines.

AIM To investigate the regulation of phosphatase and tensin homolog deleted on chromosome ten (PTEN) gene expression in human hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) cell lines. METHODS The mRNA and protein levels of PTEN were detected by Northern blot and Western blot in HCC cell lines, respectively. Plasmids containing different fragments of PTEN promoter with Luciferase reporter were constructed and transiently transfected into HCC cell lines to study the promoter activity. DNA analysis and RT-PCR were performed to detect the mutation of PTEN promoter and PTEN cDNA. RESULTS Either protein or mRNA levels of PTEN in L02 cells (as a control) were significantly higher than that in HCC cell lines. The profile of PTEN promoter activity in 8 cell lines was closely correlated with levels of PTEN mRNA and PTEN protein. Furthermore, the sequence analysis of 8 cells lines showed no mutation in the region of PTEN promoter and PTEN cDNA. CONCLUSION PTEN expression is down-regulated in HCC cell lines probably due to loss of activity of PTEN promoter.
Expectation Confirmation in Information Systems Research: A Test of Six Competing Models

Expectation confirmation research in general, and in information systems (IS) in particular, has produced conflicting results. In this paper, we discuss six different models of expectation confirmation: assimilation, contrast, generalized negativity, assimilation-contrast, experiences only, and expectations only. Relying on key constructs from the technology acceptance model (TAM), we test each of these six models that suggests different roles for expectations and experiences of the key predictor--here, perceived usefulness--and their impacts on key outcomes--here, behavioral intention, use, and satisfaction. Data were collected in a field study from 1,113 participants at two points in time. Using polynomial modeling and response surface analysis, we provide the analytical representations for each of the six models and empirically test them to demonstrate that the assimilation-contrast is the best existing model in terms of its ability to explain the relationships between expectations and experiences of perceived usefulness and important dependent variables--namely, behavioral intention, use, and satisfaction--in individual-level research on IS implementations.