Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Patterns of genetic diversity and candidate genes for ecological divergence in a homoploid hybrid sunflower, Helianthus anomalus

Natural hybridization accompanied by a shift in niche preference by hybrid genotypes can lead to hybrid speciation. Natural selection may cause the fixation of advantageous alleles in the ecologically diverged hybrids, and the loci experiencing selection should exhibit a reduction in allelic diversity relative to neutral loci. Here, we analyzed patterns of genetic diversity at 59 microsatellite loci associated with expressed sequence tags (ESTs) in a homoploid hybrid sunflower species, Helianthus anomalus. We used two indices, ln RV and ln RH, to compare variation and heterozygosity (respectively) at each locus between the hybrid species and its two parental species, H. annuus and H. petiolaris. Mean values of ln RV and ln RH were significantly lower than zero, which implies that H. anomalus experienced a population bottleneck during its recent evolutionary history. After correcting for the apparent bottleneck, we found six loci with a significant reduction in variation or with heterozygosity in the hybrid species, compared to one or both of the parental species. These loci should be viewed as a ranked list of candidate loci, pending further sequencing and functional analyses. Sequence data were generated for two of the candidate loci, but population genetics tests failed to detect deviations from neutral evolution at either locus. Nonetheless, a greater than eight‐fold excess of nonsynonymous substitutions was found near a putative N‐myristoylation motif at the second locus (HT998), and likelihood‐based models indicated that the protein has been under selection in H. anomalus in the past and, perhaps, in one or both parental species. Finally, our data suggest that selective sweeps may have united populations of H. anomalus isolated by a mountain range, indicating that even low gene‐flow species may be held together by the spread of advantageous alleles.
The Relationship between Environmental Uncertainty and Enterprise Performance. A Fuzzy-Set Analysis

Abstract The purpose of this paper is to explore causal complexity in the relationship between environmental uncertainty and firm’s performance. Due to complexity in the external and internal environment, the relationship between environment and firm performance rests not only on a single attribute but on the interrelation and complementarities between multiple characteristics such as firm features and external factors. This study examines the influence of a firm’s specific characteristics and the dimensions of environmental uncertainty on the company’s performance. Fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis is used to analyze data collected via questionnaires from 58 Polish small and medium enterprises (SMEs). The results suggest that characteristics of the general business environment, as well as the firm-specific characteristics all matter to firm performance. In addition, our findings clearly demonstrate that the determination of high firm performance is underpinned by substantial interdependence among the selected conditions and complexity. Therefore, any particular condition may have a different or even opposite effect on the outcome depending on the presence or absence of other conditions. Based on this, we conclude that external environmental uncertainty characteristics, with the dimensions of competitive intensity, technological turbulence and market/demand turbulence, are not as important as the other conditions for high-performing firms. The study offers a new perspective on the relationship between environmental uncertainty and firm performance with its systematic comparative analysis of complex cases. It identifies different combinations of conditions (paths) leading to a high firm performance.
Cytomegalovirus excretion in pregnant and nonpregnant women

Cervical and urinary excretion of cytomegalovirus by Taiwanese women was identified by the presence of a cytomegalovirus-specific immediate-early gene sequence amplified by the polymerase chain reaction. Excretion rates during the first trimester of pregnancy resembled rates for nonpregnant women. As pregnancy proceeded, the cervical excretion rate increased from 13 to 40% and the urinary excretion rate increased from 1 to 13%.
Solar wind density controlling penetration electric field at the equatorial ionosphere during a saturation of cross polar cap potential

[1] The most important source of electrodynamic disturbances in the equatorial ionosphere during the main phase of a storm is the prompt penetration electric field (PPEF) originating from the high-latitude region. It has been known that such an electric field is correlated with the magnetospheric convection or interplanetary electric field. Here we show a unique case, in which the electric field disturbance in the equatorial ionosphere cannot be interpreted by this concept. During the superstorm on Nov. 20–21, 2003, the cross polar cap potential (CPCP) saturated at least for 8.2 h. The CPCP reconstructed by Assimilative Mapping of Ionospheric Electrodynamics (AMIE) procedure suggested that the PPEF at the equatorial ionosphere still correlated with the saturated CPCP, but the CPCP was controlled by the solar wind density instead of the interplanetary electric field. However, the predicted CPCPs by Hill-Siscoe-Ober (HSO) model and Boyle-Ridley (BR) model were not fully consistent with the AMIE result and PPEF. The PPEF also decoupled from the convection electric field in the magnetotail. Due to the decoupling, the electric field in the ring current was not able to comply with the variations of PPEF, and this resulted in a long-duration electric field penetration without shielding.
Cutaneous sclerosing perineurioma of the digits: an uncommon soft‐tissue neoplasm. Report of two cases with immunohistochemical analysis

Background: Cutaneous sclerosing perineurioma is a recently characterized, uncommon tumor composed of perineurial cells, which exhibits immunoreactivity for epithelial membrane antigen (EMA). These lesions occur preferentially in children and young adults and usually develop as dermal or subcutaneous nodules in the hands or palms.
Ovulation Induction and Ovarian Malignancy

Many couples faced with infertility are treated with ovulation inducing medicines. Recently, concerns have been raised about the possible risk of ovarian malignancy after such ovarian stimulation. Theories of pathogenesis for ovarian cancer include incessant ovulation, elevated pituitary gonadotropins, genetic predisposition, and chemical carcinogens. Protective factors include suppression of ovulation, pregnancy, and castration. Low numbers of exposed women who develop ovarian cancer make this a difficult research subject. Research to date demonstrates conflicting results, with some investigators reporting an increased risk of ovarian cancer with fertility drugs, whereas others do not. The likely magnitude of risk, if one believes a risk exists, may be two to three times that of the general population which is at most 4-5% in a woman's lifetime. The present uncertainty makes it challenging to apply this to today's practice of medicine. With continued efforts worldwide, we hope an understanding of this will be forthcoming.
Artificial emotion of face robot through learning in communicative interactions with human

It is pointed out that human-robot interface or human interface must be newly interpreted as intelligence of communicative interaction between robot and human, and is again a key issue for development of a new species of robot that is able to serve humans. We point out a concept of "active human interface (or media) " to be composed of three functions and essential to such new robots. When applying such machine to use for human service, psychological familiarity of robot form is another issue to ensure the psychological acceptance. We refer again to the existence of uncanny valley in familiarity to robot appearance or form. We have been developing a life-like face robot that has been a human media for realizing such intelligence of communicative interaction and technological issues and performance of face robot's recognition function of human emotion and actuation function of facial expressions are briefly summarized to understand the state-of-the arts about the face robot Mark II. Then basic studies for characterizing face robot behavior through communicative interactions with a human partner are described by showing two test results of imitation of facial expressions and personality creation in face robot response. We point out the importance of learning method employed by face robot in communicative interactions is also key issue. We can show that the most suitable learning method for human partner is OR type supervised reinforced one. Finally we discuss the value system in relation to unsupervised learning of face robot in communicative interaction to characterize its emotion or selection criteria or bias at taking a certain response facial expression to the partner's state of mind. At the end concluding remarks and future studies are briefly pointed out.
Reply to the Comments on “Super-Compact Substrate Integrated Waveguide Cruciform Directional Coupler”

For original paper see ibid., vol.17, no.5, p.757-9, (2007). For comment see ibid., p.374, (2008). Our proposed coupler was developed and designed on the basis of an idea similar to the H-plane crossed-waveguide hybrid. In our design, the standard metallic waveguide scheme was replaced by the substrate integrated waveguide (SIW) technology. This technology offers a number of advantages that can overcome several constraints with respect to the standard waveguide technique. A small inventory of coupler structures with the use of standard waveguide techniques was enumerated together with the existing SIW couplers. By properly choosing a dielectric constant and a sheet thickness, a directional coupler can be designed for a given frequency.
Analytical Framework to Study Energy Efficiency Policy Portfolios across Countries/States

Energy conservation and implementation of effective energy efficiency policies have become imperative to curbing the escalating consumption of energy. The imbalance in the supply and demand of a country’s energy has increased the importance of implementing energy efficiency policies. Proper replication of strategic energy efficiency policies that are known to be successful in one country, along with development of new approaches, can be helpful in developing the energy policy portfolio of another country. Some OECD (Organization of Economic Cooperation and Development) countries like Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Italy, the United Kingdom and the United States have benefited from their energy policies during the most recent energy crisis. The motivation of this research is to provide a tool for developing countries, which are still in the stage of formulating their energy efficiency policies, to compare energy efficiency policy portfolios across countries. These countries can improve their energy efficiency policy portfolios based on lessons learned from the developed countries. The research develops a framework to compare energy efficiency policy portfolios across countries / states. Although this framework can be adopted for any type of energy policy, targeting any sector with few modifications, the current focus is on policies that target the residential building sector to reduce energy consumption. The research begins with identification of the functional domains that influence human behavior—people, economy, environment and technology—followed by identification of the factors affecting household energy consumption. It uses the four functional domains as the
Social embeddedness of persuasion: effects of cognitive social structures on information credibility assessment and sharing in social media

Abstract Implicit in prior research has been the assumption that any judgment about the credibility and value of information is made in an individualistic and socially isolated fashion. This assumption is no longer tenable in a social media environment wherein people are exposed to a great deal of information selectively fed to them by others with whom they have relationships. The current study examines the moderating effects of cognitive social structures manifested in the minds of social media users. The findings reveal that consideration of individuals regarding source expertise for credibility assessment and information-sharing decisions varies depending on their particular online social circumstances and how the individuals perceive these circumstances. This suggests that the manner in which people assess and share information in the social media environment is partly a function of how they make sense of their local social worlds.
Orthovoltage radiation and weekly low dose of doxorubicin for the treatment of incompletely excised soft-tissue sarcomas in 39 dogs

The efficacy and toxicity of orthovoltage radiation therapy and concurrent low doses of doxorubicin for the treatment of incompletely excised soft-tissue sarcomas in 39 dogs was investigated retrospectively. The 39 dogs had 40 soft-tissue sarcomas and received 51 Gy orthovoltage radiation in 17 daily 3 Gy fractions; they also received 10 mg/m2 doxorubicin once a week administered intravenously one hour before the dose of radiation. The median follow-up time was 910 days. The tumours recurred locally in seven of the dogs, in five of them within the radiation field; the median time to their recurrence was 213 days (range 63 to 555 days). Six of the dogs developed a distant metastasis after a median time of 276 days (range eight to 826 days). The one-year and two- to four-year tumour control rates were 84 per cent and 81 per cent, respectively, and the one-, two- and three- to four-year survival rates were 85 per cent, 79 per cent and 72 per cent, respectively. Tumours with a mitotic rate of more than 9 per 10 high-power fields were significantly more likely to recur, and the dogs with such tumours survived for significantly shorter periods.
Adenosine Receptors As Drug Targets for Treatment of Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension

Pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) is a clinical condition characterized by pulmonary arterial remodeling and vasoconstriction, which promote chronic vessel obstruction and elevation of pulmonary vascular resistance. Long-term right ventricular (RV) overload leads to RV dysfunction and failure, which are the main determinants of life expectancy in PAH subjects. Therapeutic options for PAH remain limited, despite the introduction of prostacyclin analogs, endothelin receptor antagonists, phosphodiesterase type 5 inhibitors, and soluble guanylyl cyclase stimulators within the last 15 years. Through addressing the pulmonary endothelial and smooth muscle cell dysfunctions associated with PAH, these interventions delay disease progression but do not offer a cure. Emerging approaches to improve treatment efficacy have focused on beneficial actions to both the pulmonary vasculature and myocardium, and several new targets have been investigated and validated in experimental PAH models. Herein, we review the effects of adenosine and adenosine receptors (A1, A2A, A2B, and A3) on the cardiovascular system, focusing on the A2A receptor as a pharmacological target. This receptor induces pulmonary vascular and heart protection in experimental models, specifically models of PAH. Targeting the A2A receptor could potentially serve as a novel and efficient approach for treating PAH and concomitant RV failure. A2A receptor activation induces pulmonary endothelial nitric oxide synthesis, smooth muscle cell hyperpolarization, and vasodilation, with important antiproliferative activities through the inhibition of collagen deposition and vessel wall remodeling in the pulmonary arterioles. The pleiotropic potential of A2A receptor activation is highlighted by its additional expression in the heart tissue, where it participates in the regulation of intracellular calcium handling and maintenance of heart chamber structure and function. In this way, the activation of A2A receptor could prevent the production of a hypertrophic and dysfunctional phenotype in animal models of cardiovascular diseases.
Use of Medicare claims data to evaluate outcomes in elderly patients undergoing lung resection for lung cancer.

OBJECTIVE To estimate, using Medicare claims data, the outcomes in elderly Americans undergoing lung resection for lung cancer. DESIGN We used discharge diagnosis and procedure codes in 1983 to 1985 Medicare hospital (part A) claims records to identify patients who underwent lung resection for lung cancer; we assessed perioperative, one-year, and two-year survival using Medicare enrollment file data. PATIENTS From a nationally random sample of 1,138,000 Medicare beneficiaries over 65 years of age, we identified 1,290 individuals who fulfilled our definition for lung resection for lung cancer. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS Overall perioperative (30-day) mortality was 7.4 percent. Postoperative survival at one and two years was 69 percent and 54 percent, respectively. Male sex, older age, and pneumonectomy, as opposed to a lesser procedure, were associated with reduced perioperative and one-year and two-year survival. The adverse effect of advanced age on one-year and two-year survival following lung resection was not explained by the lower life expectancy of older individuals. CONCLUSIONS Medicare claims data can be used to estimate likely outcomes for elderly patients undergoing surgery for lung cancer. Expected outcomes vary with the patient's age, sex, and the type of surgical procedure performed.
Effects of Heat Stress and Dietary Tryptophan on Performance and Plasma Amino Acid Concentrations of Broiler Chickens

Two experiments were conducted to investigate the impact of high temperature and dietary tryptophan (Trp) on performance, selected organ weights and plasma free amino acid (AA) concentrations in broiler chickens. In Experiment 1, exposure to 27-33°C of chickens for 2 weeks from 2 weeks of age did not affect growth and plasma free AA concentration except for a decrease in the concentration of plasma tyrosine (Tyr). In Experiment 2, 2-week-old birds were allocated to one of three temperature treatments; 24°C (control), 36°C (heat stress, HS) and 24°C pair-fed (24PF) for 2 weeks and fed on diets containing 50, 100 and 300% of NRC requirement for Trp. Heat stress caused a reduction of weight gain and feed intake irrespective of dietary Trp levels compared with control counterparts, while feeding of 300% Trp diet did not attenuate the reduced performance by HS exposure. In groups fed the 100% Trp diets, plasma aromatic AA (AAA) and Tyr concentrations were decreased in the HS birds compared with the 24PF group. Plasma concentrations in most of AA groups were increased by HS in chickens fed the 50% Trp diet, while those were not changed by HS in chickens fed the 300% Trp diet, compared with 24PF counterparts. The plasma Trp/LNAA (LNAA=large neutral AAs, which are comprised of BCAA, AAA and Trp) ratio was increased by HS in chickens fed the 100% Trp diet, while it was decreased in chickens fed on 50% Trp diet as compared with 24PF group. From these results, it is suggested that performance and plasma amino acid profile deranged by heat stress are modulated, at least, to be relieved from the heat stress by feeding 50% Trp diet but not at all by feeding 300% Trp diet. The involvement of altered plasma AA profiles, in particular plasma Tyr concentrations and Trp/LNAA ratio, is discussed in association with the performance characteristics of HS chickens. (Asian-Aust. J. Anim. Sci. 2002. Vol 15, No. 2 : 247-253)
Analysis and simulation of a multiple input interleaved boost converter for renewable energy applications

With the increasing penetration of wind, solar and other renewable energy sources the demand for modular, reliable power electronic devices are necessary to accommodate the intermittent nature of these sources. Many low voltage communication systems supplied by batteries, super capacitors, and fuel cells utilizes a dc-dc boost converter. For high power applications the boost converter is not as efficient because of the high input current ripple that is added to the current flowing out of a fuel cell and the input current spans over a wide range contributing to a reduction in battery life. With the variety of photovoltaic products available commercially, each device has its own electrical characteristics and the challenge therefore is providing for an aggregate amount of devices for hybrid applications or grid integration. A multiple input converter provides improved operation because it accounts for mismatch in photovoltaic devices and provides for independent and simultaneous power flow from these sources. The interleaved boost converter provides for higher efficiency, reduced input and output ripple while maintaining high power density, thereby making it well suited for high power applications. The interleaved dc-dc boost converter consists of two parallel connected boost converters and employs an interleaving method that provides for an 180o phase shifted switching scheme. The multiple input interleaved boost converter (MIIBC) is analyzed using the synthesis approach and is constituted by a cascade of two interleaved boost converters sharing a common output stage. The dc inputs to the multiple input interleaved boost converter is a 45V/6.5kW fuel cell device and a 50V photovoltaic module, which are modelled using the MATLAB/Simulink package. Simulation results confirm the improvements of using this new converter for renewable energy applications.
Single nucleotide polymorphism and linkage disequilibrium within the TCR α/δ locus

Much attention is being given to the identification of common disease genes through whole-genome linkage disequilibrium (LD) screens with single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs). Simulation studies have suggested that useful LD is unlikely to extend beyond 3 kb, and that > 500,000 SNPs may be needed for comprehensive coverage of the genome. The TCR alpha/delta locus on chromosome 14q contains many V, J and D segments that combine with constant domains to produce either an alpha or a delta chain of the T cell receptor. Multiple SNPs have been recognized within the V segments, and it has been suggested that variation within the locus may modify the course of autoimmune and allergic diseases. We have examined LD within an 850 kb section of the TCR alpha/delta locus on chromosome 14q by typing 24 V gene segment SNPs and two microsatellites. One hundred and fifty-nine nuclear and extended families were genotyped in order to derive haplotypes, and the pair-wise LD between SNPs was investigated in 600 haplotypes from unrelated individuals (the parents). The mean extent of useful LD was much greater than suggested by simulations: significant LD was relatively common at 250 kb and was detectable beyond 500 kb. The mean extent of LD was twice as far between alleles of low frequency than between common alleles. The distribution of LD was highly irregular and concentrated in three distinct islands. The results differ from those obtained by simulation, and if they are typical of other genomic regions, suggest that the minimum number of markers necessary for comprehensive LD mapping may be reduced by at least an order of magnitude.
Twitter Activity, Investor Attention, and the Diffusion of Information

Measures of information traditionally arise from curated, professional sources such as newspapers, analyst coverage, earnings announcements, and business news wires. We utilize Twitter activity to examine the impact of attention generated by individuals. Causal evidence shows that Twitter activity has a direct impact on trading volume in financial markets. Furthermore, increases in Twitter activity are associated with positive abnormal returns and, when occurring in conjunction with traditional information supply events, increase the diffusion of information to investors. Our results identify conditions under which attention generated by individuals drives price discovery and trading activity.