Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Timing of spring migration in birds: long-term trends, North Atlantic Oscillation and the significance of different migration routes

We studied long-term trends and the yearly variation in mean spring passage time in 36 passerine bird species trapped at Ottenby Bird Observatory in south-eastern Sweden. Between the years 1952-2002, data were available for 22-45 years depending on species. Most long-distance migrant species passed progressively earlier over the study period (range: 2.5 days earlier to 0.7 days later per 10 years, with an average of 0.9 days earlier per 10 years). The annual variation in timing of migration in most species, regardless of migration distance, correlated negatively with the winter index of the North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO), a large-scale climate phenomenon influencing the climate in the North Atlantic region. Birds passed earlier after mild and humid winters. , corresponding to the high phase of the NAO. This corroborates the pattern round at a nearby migration site with a comparable dataset (Helgoland, 600 km WSW of Ottenby). However, short/medium-distance migrant species at Otterby, in contrast to the situation at Helgoland, have shown no general trend of earlier passage in recent years. This was probably a consequence of the shorter study period at Ottenby, which included only the last 22-32 years (41 years at Helgoland), when the NAO showed no significant trend. At the species-specific level, the long-term trends in passage time were similar at the two sites, and there was some congruence to the extent that a given species was affected by NAO. Long-distance migrants wintering south and south-east of the breeding grounds showed some of the strongest changes in long-term trends (passing progressively earlier) at Ottenby, and for some of these species passage time varied negatively with NAO. Obviously, and contrary to previous suggestions, variations in NAO also influence birds migrating through eastern Europe, although the direct or indirect mechanisms through which this is achieved are unknown. (Less)
Characterization of a radial laser scanner for mobile robot navigation

A radial laser scanner is a device that provides distances to the surrounding objects by scanning the environment in a plane (usually parallel to the ground). This paper is concerned with the calibration of one of such a sensor, called the Explorer. In particular we present a probabilistic sensor model that considers the sensor readings to be affected by Gaussian noise as well as truncated by the sensor resolution. We also describe some experiments aimed to characterize the range measurements against the operating time, different target materials, beam incidence angle, etc. A brief analysis of the angular error is also presented.
Fivefold reduction in peritonitis using a multifaceted continuous quality initiative program.

Despite recent advances in peritoneal dialysis (PD) systems, peritonitis is a significant clinical problem in patients on PD. Risk factors for peritonitis are identifiable and modifiable and require focused intervention. During a baseline period in 1998, we observed consistent differences in peritonitis rates among patients using various PD connection systems. In January 1999, motivated by a need to reduce peritonitis, we initiated a multifaceted continuous quality initiative (CQI) program that included retraining all current patients and all new patients 6 months after initiation and then annually; changing from plastic to titanium adapters between the catheter and the transfer set; and using equipment from a single PD manufacturer for all new patients and for current patients with high peritonitis rates. Furthermore, all patients using HomeChoice cyclers (Baxter Healthcare Corporation, McGaw Park, IL, U.S.A.) were taught to use the Compact Exchange Device II to avoid contamination when spiking solution bags. Peritonitis rates improved from 1 episode per 7.5 patient-months (over 512 patient-months) in 1998 to 1 episode per 36.5 patient-months (over 292 patient-months) as of September 2002. Further analysis also showed a significant difference in peritonitis rates between equipment produced by various manufacturers. There was a statistically significant difference in peritonitis for automated peritoneal dialysis systems. Patients using the Freedom Cycler PD+ (Fresenius Medical Care, Frankfurt, Germany) had an average peritonitis rate of 1 episode per 6.9 patient-months as compared with patients using the HomeChoice cycler (Baxter Healthcare), who experienced 1 episode of peritonitis per 23.9 patient-months on average (p < 0.0001). For continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis patients using UltraBag (Baxter Healthcare), the peritonitis rate was 1 episode per 26 patient-months as compared with the Premier Double Bag (Fresenius Medical Care), for which a peritonitis rate of 1 episode per 6.3 patient-months was seen (p < 0.0001). Comparison of the UltraBag (1 episode per 26.0 patient-months) with the Disposable Freedom Set, a single-bag "Y" system (Fresenius Medical Care; 1 episode per 7.5 patient-months) yielded similar results (p < 0.0001). We conclude that ongoing CQI efforts can significantly reduce peritonitis rates. Our efforts included aggressive patient retraining, protocol changes, use of a titanium adapter between the catheter and the transfer set, and careful choice of connectology systems (possible supplier-dependent effect).
Biometric storyboards : a games user research approach for improving qualitative evaluations of player experience

Developing video games is an iterative and demanding process. It is difficult to achieve the goal of most video games — to be enjoyable, engaging and to create revenue for game developers — because of many hard-to-evaluate factors, such as the different ways players can interact with the game. Understanding how players behave during gameplay is of vital importance to developers and can be uncovered in user tests as part of game development. This can help developers to identify and resolve any potential problem areas before release, leading to a better player experience and possibly higher game review scores and sales. However, traditional user testing methods were developed for function and efficiency oriented applications. Hence, many traditional user testing methods cannot be applied in the same way for video game evaluation. This thesis presents an investigation into the contributions of physiological measurements in user testing within games user research (GUR). GUR specifically studies the interaction between a game and users (players) with the aim to provide feedback for developers to help them to optimise the game design of their title. An evaluation technique called Biometric Storyboards is developed, which visualises the relationships between game events, player feedback and changes in a player’s physiological state. Biometric Storyboards contributes to the field of human-computer interaction and GUR in three important areas: (1) visualising mixedmeasures of player experience, (2) deconstructing game design by analysing game events and pace, (3) incremental improvement of classic user research techniques (such as interviews and physiological measurements). These contributions are described in practical case studies, interviews with game developers and laboratory experiments. The results show this evaluation approach can enable games user researchers to increase the plausibility and persuasiveness of their reports and facilitate developers to better deliver their design goals. Biometric Storyboards is not aimed at replacing existing methods, but to extend them with mixed methods visualisations, to provide powerful tools for games user researchers and developers to better understand and communicate player needs, interactions and experiences. The contributions of this thesis are directly applicable for user researchers and game developers, as well as for researchers in user experience evaluation in entertainment systems.
Biogeography of the ubiquitous marine bacterium Alteromonas macleodii determined by multilocus sequence analysis

Twenty‐three isolates of the widely distributed marine bacteria Alteromonas macleodii have been analysed by multilocus sequence analysis combined with phylogenetic and multivariate statistical analyses. The strains originated from the Pacific Ocean, Mediterranean Sea, English Channel, Black Sea and Thailand. Using the nucleotide sequences of nine loci for each of the 23 isolates, a robust identification was achieved of different clades within the single species. Strains generally clustered with the depth in the water column from which the isolate originated. Strains also showed more recombination with isolates from the same vicinity, suggesting that genetic exchange plays a role in diversification of planktonic marine prokaryotes. This study thus shows for the first time for a large set of isolates of a species of planktonic marine prokaryotes that multilocus sequence analysis overcomes the problems associated with the analysis of individual marker genes or presence of extensive recombination events. It can thus achieve intraspecific identification to the level of genotypes and, by comparison with relevant environmental data, ecotypes.
RNA Folding on Parallel Computers

Secondary structure prediction is a standard tool in the analysis of RNA sequences. The prediction of RNA secondary structures is inherently non-local. This makes the analysis of long sequences (more than 4000 nucleotides) infeasible on present-day workstations. An implementation of the secondary structure prediction algorithm for hypercube-type parallel computers allows to compute efficiently the structure of complete RNA virus genomes such as HIV-1 and other Ientiviruses. 1. RNA Secondary Structures RNA structure can be broken down conceptually into a secondary structure and a tertiary structure. The secondary structure is a pattern of complementary base pairings, see Figure 1. The tertiary structure is the three-dimensional configuration of the molecule. As opposed to the protein case, the secondary structure of RNA sequences is well defined; it provides the major set of distance constraints that guide the formation of tertiary structure, and covers the dominant energy contribution to the 3D structure. Secondary structures are conserved in evolutionary phylogeny, and they represent a qualitatively important description of the molecules, as documented by their extensive use for the interpretation of molecular evolution data. In this paper we will be concerned only with secondary structure. A secondary structure on a sequence is a list of base pairs i, j with i < j such that for any two base pairs i, j and k, Zwith i :::; k holds: i=k ~ j=Z k<j ==? i<k<Z<j (1) The first condition implies that each nucleotide can take part in not more that one base pair, the second condition forbids knots and pseudoknots1 . Knots and pseudoknots are excluded by the great majority of folding algorithms which are based upon dynamic programming concepts. 1 A pseudoknot is a configuration in which a nucleotide that is inside a loop base pairs with a nucleotide outside that loop.
Effect of Dietary Components on the Indigenous Oral Bacterial Flora of BALB/c Mice

Diet is recognized as one of the most important factors affecting the equilibrium of the oral bacterial flora. Studies related to dental caries development have focused mainly on the effect of carbohydrates. In the present work, using swabbing coupled with an immuno-colony-blot assay, we followed the indigenous oral bacterial populations of BALB/c mice fed diets with different concentrations of sucrose, starch, proteins, lipids, vitamins, and minerals for a period of 14 days. The results indicate that although high-sucrose diet favored an increase of the proportion of S. faecalis, only variations in the protein and the starch concentrations significantly influenced the composition of the indigenous oral bacterial populations of BALB/c mice. With low-protein diets, the proportion of Lactobacillus murinus decreased, that of Streptococcus faecalis increased, while that of Staphylococcus aureus was relatively stable. A diet containing a high proportion of starch (65%) resulted in a significant increase in the population of S. faecalis, while that of S. aureus decreased proportionally. With the same diets used as in vitro culture media, growth of L. murinus was the fastest at high protein concentrations, while that of S. faecalis was not affected by the protein concentrations. These results indicate a direct effect of dietary protein content on the indigenous oral bacterial populations of BALB/c mice.
Chemically Induced Electronic Excitations at Metal Surfaces

The energy released in low-energy chemisorption or physisorption of molecules on metal surfaces is usually expected to be dissipated by surface vibrations (phonons). Theoretical descriptions of competing electronic excitations are incomplete, and experimental observation of excited charge carriers has been difficult except at energies high enough to eject electrons from the surface. We observed reaction-induced electron excitations during gas interactions with polycrystalline silver for a variety of species with adsorption energies between 0.2 and 3.5 electron volts. The probability of exciting a detectable electron increases with increasing adsorption energy, and the measured time dependence of the electron current can be understood in terms of the strength and mechanism of adsorption.
An investigation of employees' use of e-learning systems: applying the technology acceptance model

The purpose of this study is to apply the technology acceptance model to examine the employees' attitudes and acceptance of electronic learning (e-learning) systems in organisations. This study examines four factors (organisational support, computer self-efficacy, prior experience and task equivocality) that are believed to influence employees' perceived usefulness, perceived ease of use, attitudes and intention to use e-learning systems. Participants were selected from Taiwanese companies that have already implemented e-learning systems. Three hundred and thirty-two valid questionnaires were collected, and structure equation modelling was conducted to test the research hypotheses. The findings provided practical implications for organisational trainers, educators and e-learning system developers.
Cytotoxicity of chloroquine in isolated rat hepatocytes

Chloroquine is a synthetic quinoline being used as an antimalaria and antirheumatoid agent. Several cases of hepatotoxicity have been reported with the use of chloroquine. However, the mechanism(s) of its hepatotoxic effect is unknown. The purpose of this study was to investigate the cytotoxic mechanism of chloroquine.
Subclinical thyroid dysfunction and hip fracture and bone mineral density in older adults: the cardiovascular health study.

BACKGROUND Subclinical thyroid dysfunction is common in the elderly, yet its relationship with hip fracture and bone mineral density (BMD) is unclear. OBJECTIVE We examined the association between endogenous subclinical hyper- and hypothyroidism and hip fracture and BMD in older adults. METHODS A total of 4936 US individuals 65 years old or older enrolled in the Cardiovascular Health Study and not taking thyroid preparations were included. Analyses of incident hip fracture were performed by thyroid status, over a median follow-up of 12 years. A cross-sectional analysis of thyroid status and BMD was performed in a subset of 1317 participants who had dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry scans. Models were adjusted for risk factors and stratified by sex. RESULTS No association was found between subclinical hypothyroidism and incident hip fracture compared with euthyroidism, when assessed at a single time point or persisting at two time points, in either women [hazard ratio (HR) 0.91, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.69-1.20 for a single and HR 0.79, 95% CI 0.52-1.21 for two time points] or men (HR 1.27, 95% CI 0.82-1.95 for a single and HR 1.09, 95% CI 0.57-2.10 for two time points). Likewise, no association was found between subclinical hyperthyroidism and incident hip fracture in either sex (HR 1.11, 95% CI 0.55-2.25 in women and HR 1.78, 95% CI 0.56-5.66 in men). No association was found between subclinical thyroid dysfunction and BMD at the lumbar spine, total hip, or femoral neck sites. CONCLUSIONS Our data suggest no association between subclinical hypothyroidism or subclinical hyperthyroidism and hip fracture risk or BMD in older men and women. Additional data are needed to improve the precision of estimates for subclinical hyperthyroidism and in men.
The impact of electromagnetic fields with frequency of 50 Hz on metabolic activity of cells in vitro

The article presents the results of research on the influence of the sinusoidal electromagnetic field with a frequency of 50 Hz on the metabolic activity of two cell lines normal BJ and cancer 143b, with different exposure times (0.5 h, 1 h, 2 h and 3 h). It is shown the difference in its effect on cancer and physiological line. In order to analyze the viability there was performed the MTT test. Streszczenie. W artykule zostały zaprezentowane wyniki badań wpływu sinusoidalnego pola elektromagnetycznego o częstotliwości 50 Hz na aktywność metaboliczną dwóch linii komórkowych normalnej BJ i nowotworowej 143b przy różnych czasach ekspozycji (0.5 h, 1 h, 2 h i 3 h). Wykazano różnice w oddziaływaniu na linię fizjologiczną oraz nowotworową. W celu dokonania analizy żywotności wykonano test MTT. (Oddziaływanie pola elektromagnetycznego o częstotliwości 50 Hz na aktywność metaboliczną komórek w warunkach in vitro)
Metalloproteinase inhibition prevents acute respiratory distress syndrome.

BACKGROUND The acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) occurs in patients with clearly identifiable risk factors, and its treatment remains merely supportive. We postulated that patients at risk for ARDS can be protected against lung injury by a prophylactic treatment strategy that targets neutrophil-derived proteases. We hypothesized that a chemically modified tetracycline 3 (COL-3), a potent inhibitor of neutrophil matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) and neutrophil elastase (NE) with minimal toxicity, would prevent ARDS in our porcine endotoxin-induced ARDS model. METHODS Yorkshire pigs were anesthetized, intubated, surgically instrumented for hemodynamic monitoring, and randomized into three groups: (1) control (n = 4), surgical instrumentation only; (2) lipopolysaccharide (LPS) (n = 4), infusion of Escherichia coli lipopolysaccharide at 100 microg/kg; and (3) COL-3 + LPS (n = 5), ingestion of COL-3 (100 mg/kg) 12 h before LPS infusion. All animals were monitored for 6 h following LPS or sham LPS infusion. Serial bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) samples were analyzed for MMP concentration by gelatin zymography. Lung tissue was fixed for morphometric assessment at necropsy. RESULTS LPS infusion was marked by significant (P < 0.05) physiological deterioration as compared with the control group, including increased plateau airway pressure (P(plat)) (control = 15.7 +/- 0.4 mm Hg, LPS = 23.0 +/- 1.5 mm Hg) and a decrement in arterial oxygen partial pressure (P(a)O(2)) (LPS = 66 +/- 15 mm Hg, Control = 263 +/- 25 mm Hg) 6 h following LPS or sham LPS infusion, respectively. Pretreatment with COL-3 reduced the above pathophysiological changes 6 h following LPS infusion (P(plat) = 18.5 +/- 1.7 mm Hg, P(a)O(2) = 199 +/- 35 mm Hg; P = NS vs control). MMP-9 and MMP-2 concentration in BAL fluid was significantly increased between 2 and 4 h post-LPS infusion; COL-3 reduced the increase in MMP-9 and MMP-2 concentration at all time periods. Morphometrically LPS caused a significant sequestration of neutrophils and monocytes into pulmonary tissue. Pretreatment with COL-3 ameliorated this response. The wet/dry lung weight ratio was significantly greater (P < 0.05) in the LPS group (10.1 +/- 1.0 ratio) than in either the control (6.4 +/- 0.5 ratio) or LPS+COL-3 (7.4 +/- 0.6 ratio) group. CONCLUSIONS A single prophylactic treatment with COL-3 prevented lung injury in our model of endotoxin-induced ARDS. The proposed mechanism of COL-3 is a synergistic inhibition of the terminal neutrophil effectors MMPs and NE. Similar to the universal practice of prophylaxis against gastric stress ulceration and deep venous thromboses in trauma patients, chemically modified tetracyclines may likewise be administered to prevent acute lung injury in critically injured patients at risk of developing ARDS.
Natural Frequencies Help Older Adults and People with Low Numeracy to Evaluate Medical Screening Tests

Background. Understanding information about medical screening tests often requires estimating positive predictive values (i.e., posterior probabilities), which is a notoriously difficult task. Previous studies have shown that representation of information in terms of natural frequencies (i.e., counts of occurrences that preserve base rates) facilitates judgments of positive predictive values. The objective of this study was to investigate whether natural frequencies facilitate accurate estimates in elderly people and whether performance depends on numeracy skills. Elderly people are more often than younger people required to use such information to make informed choices regarding medical procedures (e.g., screenings). Method. This was an experimental study in which information about 2 medical screening tests was presented either as conditional probabilities or natural frequencies. Participants were 47 older adults (62—77 years of age; average numeracy score 8.6) and 115 younger adults (18—35 years of age; average numeracy score 10.3). Results. When the screening information was presented in terms of conditional probabilities, only 15% of the younger adults and 18% of the older adults provided accurate estimates in at least 1 of the tasks. When information was presented in terms of natural frequencies, 55% of the younger adults and 58% of the elderly participants gave correct estimates. This effect occurred without explicit training. Furthermore, participants with higher numeracy scores performed better in the estimation tasks than those with lower numeracy scores. Conclusions. Natural frequencies help elderly and young patients—including those with lower numeracy skills—to understand positive predictive values of medical screening tests.
Reflections on the face of Japan: a multivariate craniofacial and odontometric perspective.

Craniofacial variables for modern and prehistoric Japanese were subjected to multivariate analysis to test the relationships of the people of Japan with mainland Asian and Oceanic samples. The modern Japanese are tied to Koreans, Chinese, Southeast Asians, and the Yayoi rice agriculturalists who entered Japan in 300 B.C. Together they make up a Mainland-Asia cluster of related populations. The prehistoric Jomon foragers, the original inhabitants of the Japanese archipelago, are the direct ancestors of the modern Ainu, who made a recognizable contribution to the warrior class--the Samurai--of feudal Japan. Together, they are associated with Polynesians and Micronesians in a Jomon-Pacific cluster of related populations. Jomon-to-Ainu tooth size reduction proceeded at the same rate as that observable in the post-Pleistocene elsewhere in the Old World.