Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Male Fecundity Stimulation: Conflict and Cooperation Within and Between the Sexes: Model Analyses and Coevolutionary Dynamics

Female promiscuity forces the ejaculates of different males to compete for fertilization through sperm competition. In turn, competing ejaculates often influence female promiscuity and fitness, for example, when ejaculate products increase female fecundity. Here we develop theory examining situations where males stimulate female fecundity and compete for fertilization and female remating is influenced by male fecundity stimulation. We consider the fitness consequences that fecundity stimulation has simultaneously for males inseminating the same female and for the female herself, and we show that the way fecundity increases with male stimulation shifts the coevolutionary dynamics of female remating and male ejaculate expenditure from conflict to cooperation among all mating partners. When fecundity stimulation is weak and males “know” their mating roles, the second male to inseminate a female can exploit the fecundity stimulation of the first male, fostering intra‐ and intersexual conflict over female remating. However, in a diversity of species where fecundity more than doubles with remating, we show that the female and both males can gain from female remating, leading to intra‐ and intersexual cooperation over female remating. This coevolutionary perspective yields new insights into the connection between promiscuity, fecundity, and sperm competition and the complex interplay between sexual conflict and cooperation.
1,6 million d'enfants vivent dans une famille recomposée

En 1999, lorsqu'il vit au sein du foyer parental, un jeune de moins de 25 ans sur quatre vit avec un seul de ses deux parents. Il reside une fois sur quatre avec un parent et un beau-parent, et trois fois sur quatre au sein d'une famille monoparentale. U
Effect of social security on fertility and savings: an overlapping generations model.

Old-age pension schemes do not exist in most developing countries, so adults bear children as security investments for the future. This phenomenon leads to unduly high rates of population growth. It has been hypothesized that introducing social security programs in such countries would increase savings rates and reduce the number of children born over the long term. The author studies the general equilibrium effects of some social security programs on rates of population growth and capital accumulation within an overlapping generations framework with endogenous fertility and savings. Specifically, Raul's overlapping generations growth model is extended to study the general equilibrium effects of payroll-tax-financed and child-tax-financed social security programs. It is shown that if the rate of intergenerational income transfers from young to old or child care cost is low, competitive equilibrium leads toward overpopulation and capital accumulation in a modified Pareto optimal sense; a social security program in such a case is therefore Pareto improving. A fully-funded system is not neutral when financed by child taxes. Finally, it is also shown that unlike in the case of exogenous fertility where competitive equilibrium attains steady state only asymptotically, fertility, when endogenous, may attain a unique globally steady state in finite time.
Design and Control of Modular Multilevel Converters for Battery Electric Vehicles

New advanced power conversion systems play an essential role in the extension of range and life of batteries. This paper proposes a new modular multilevel converter with embedded electrochemical cells that achieves very low cell unbalancing without traditional balancing circuits and a negligible harmonic content of the output currents. In this new topology, the cells are connected in series by means of half-bridge converters, allowing high flexibility for the discharge and recharge of the battery. The converter features a cell balancing control that operates on each individual arm of the converter to equalize the state of charge of the cells. The paper shows that the proposed control does not affect the symmetry of the three-phase voltage output, even for significantly unbalanced cells. The viability of the proposed converter for battery electric vehicles and the effectiveness of the cell balancing control are confirmed by numerical simulations and experiments on a kilowatt-size prototype.
Gate-induced transition between metal-type and thermally activated transport in self-catalyzed MBE-grown InAs nanowires

Electronic transport properties of InAs nanowires are studied systematically. The nanowires are grown by molecular beam epitaxy on a SiOx-covered GaAs wafer, without using foreign catalyst particles. Room-temperature measurements revealed relatively high resistivity and low carrier concentration values, which correlate with the low background doping obtained by our growth method. Transport parameters, such as resistivity, mobility, and carrier concentration, show a relatively large spread that is attributed to variations in surface conditions. For some nanowires the conductivity has a metal-type dependence on temperature, i.e. decreasing with decreasing temperature, while other nanowires show the opposite temperature behavior, i.e. temperature-activated characteristics. An applied gate voltage in a field-effect transistor configuration can switch between the two types of behavior. The effect is explained by the presence of barriers formed by potential fluctuations.
Pragmatic Failures Experienced by Jacob in Jodi Picoult’s Novel House Rules

Pragmatic failures are often discussed in the context of cross-cultural studies. However, pragmatic failures have also been evident in other circumstances. People who are diagnosed with Asperger Syndrome, for example, also often experience pragmatic failures, even when they converse with others who come from the same geographical area and share the same culture. This paper examines pragmatic failures produced by Jacob, a character diagnosed with Asperger syndrome (AS) in Jodi Picoult’s novel House Rules. The data were excerpts taken from the novel that show Jacob’s failures to understand the other speakers. The data were classified into 12 categories of pragmatic failures: sarcasm, idioms, common phrases, metaphors, hyperbole, words with multiple meanings, the maxim of quality, maxim of quantity, maxim of relation, maxim of manner, joke, and indirect speech acts. The results showed that the most frequent type of pragmatic failures that Jacob produces in the novel is the infringement of the maxim of relation. In other words, Jacob often produces irrelevant utterances.
Arterialization of peripheral venous blood in sickle cell disease.

Arterialization of the venous blood is thought to be indicative of cutaneous shunting, and occurs in patients with sickle cell disease (SCD) during vaso-occlusive crisis (VOC). We performed the present study to quantify the amount of shunting that occurs in sickle cell patients presenting at the Howard University Sickle Cell Center, Washington, D.C., as outpatients and for hospitalizations associated with sickle cell crisis. Peripheral venous blood was drawn anaerobically into heparinized syringes from 9 normal control subjects (NC), 24 outpatients (steady-state group), and 14 inpatients during crisis (VOC group). Spectrophotometric measurements were made for the following species of hemoglobin (Hb): oxy-Hb (O2Hb), reduced Hb (RHb), carboxy-Hb (COHb), and met-Hb (MHb). In addition, fetal hemoglobin (HbF) was measured by high-pressure liquid chromatography (HPLC). The O2Hb saturations of the steady state group were not significantly different than those of the NC group (55 +/- 4% vs. 40 +/- 6%). However, the O2Hb saturations of the VOC group were 73 +/- 3%, and this value was found to be significantly greater than those of both the steady-state and the NC groups (p < 0.05). Reduced hemoglobin saturations were inversely related to the O2Hb values, as expected. Compared to the NC group, the steady-state, and VOC groups had greater dyshemoglobin (COHb and MHb) levels (p < 0.05). These findings suggest that the percentages of venous O2Hb and dyshemoglobins may be increased in sickle cell disease even in the absence of VOC. Therefore, the venous O2Hb saturation may be a useful biochemical marker for the arteriovenous shunting and hemodynamic adaptations associated with sickle cell disease.
Performance of Blind Deconvolution and Super Resolution Image Reconstruction

Super Resolution (SR) is a technique for improving the resolution of digital images. Super Resolution Image Reconstruction (SRR) is one of the most common SR techniques. However, in addition to SRR, there are several other techniques to improve image resolution. A technique called Blind Deconvolution (BD) has been used to process out of focus images in the field of astronomy. When BD was first described, in the 1970s, it was not considered to be a viable candidate to be used for SR. However, the process of improving resolution is very similar to that of focusing images. SRR and BD both use iterations to create a high quality image from low resolution images. Compared with SRR, BD comes with some disadvantages. For example, algorithms sometimes cause divergences or limit cycles which means that the high resolution image cannot be obtained. In this study, we describe a method of fixing the issues that prevent BD from achieving a high-resolution image using simulation to increase its stability. The output from the improved algorithm for BD is compared with the current SR technique, SRR. We show that the BD technique is in fact superior to SRR.
Can an Intraoperative Bevacizumab Injection Prevent Recurrent Postvitrectomy Diabetic Vitreous Hemorrhage?

Purpose To evaluate the recurrence of vitreous hemorrhage (VH) in patients treated with intravitreal bevacizumab (IVB) injection (2.5 mg/0.1 mL) intraoperatively at the end of vitrectomy for treatment of diabetic nonclearing VH. Methods A prospective pilot study of 30 eyes of 28 consecutive diabetic patients who underwent pars plana vitrectomy and IVB injection intraoperatively at the end of vitrectomy was performed. The amount of VH was graded with slit lamp biomicroscopy by three masked retinal specialists from grade 0 to grade 3. Main outcome measures were rate of recurrence of the VH, improvement in visual acuity, incidence of cataract formation, and postoperative complications through a follow-up of 6 months. Results The percentage of severe recurrent VH with no fundus details (grade 3) was 7%, 13%, 27%, and 30%, respectively, at 7 days and 1-, 3-, and 6-month follow-up. At 6-month follow-up, the best-corrected visual acuity improved from 1.00 to 0.4 logMAR (p=0.01) in 21 out of 30 eyes (70%). Nine out 20 (40%) phakic patients developed cataract during the follow-up period, and 7 (31%) of them underwent cataract surgery. Conclusions The study suggests that intravitreal bevacizumab injection cannot prevent rebleeding in eyes undergoing pars plana vitrectomy for treatment of diabetic vitreous hemorrhage.
Science Vocabulary Acquisition: A Nonequivalent Control-Group Examination of Vodcasts and Fifth Grade Students

This study investigated the effect of using video podcasts (vodcasts) as a supplement to traditional science instruction in fifth grade students and those students who participated in traditional science instruction only. In this quantitative study, a quasi-experimental, pretest/post-test nonequivalent control-group design was conducted using a sample population of fifth grade students at Bailey Elementary. After approval, the fifth grade students completed a pre-test of a released version of the North Carolina READY Science End of Grade Assessment, which also served as the study’s post-test. Participants in the treatment group received supplemental science instruction using content specific vodcast viewing sessions, provided by the classroom teacher, in addition to traditional classroom instruction. Participants in the control group received traditional classroom instruction only. Upon completion of the vodcast viewing sessions, all participants completed a post-test. Data from the pre-test and the post-test was statistically analyzed using a one-way analysis of covariance (ANCOVA). The conclusion was that, after controlling for pre-test scores, the treatment group post-test mean was significantly different from the control group post-test mean, with indications that the post-test mean scores for those participants receiving traditional science instruction plus the supplemental vodcast viewing sessions were higher than the post-test mean scores for those only receiving traditional instruction with no vodcast viewing sessions.
Effects of Alloxan-induced Diabetes on Corpus Luteum Function in the Pseudopregnant Rat

The effects of alloxan-induced diabetes mellitus on rat ovarian structure and function were examined throughout pseudopregnancy (PSP). Animals received either saline (C) or alloxan (40 mg/kg) treatment on the day of proestrus (PA) preceding PSP or on day 1 (D-1A) of PSP (day 0 = ovulation). Serum samples were analyzed by radioimmunoassay for progesterone (P) and 17-β-estradiol (E) levels and compared with the corresponding changes in ovarian and uterine weights in C, PA, and D-1A rats. In addition, the effects of daily treatment with 6 IU ovine insulin (Al) on serum P levels were assessed in D-1A-treated rats and compared with controls. Alloxan treatment effectively elevated blood glucose levels (P ≤ 0.01) in PA and D-1 A groups as compared with controls or AI rats. Alloxan treatment reduced both ovarian and uterine weights of PA and D-1A groups as compared with C and Al rats. Serum P levels were significantly reduced in PA (P ≤ 0.01) and D-1 A (P ≤ 0.05–0.01) rats as compared with control rats throughout PSP. Daily insulin treatment reversed the suppressive effects of D-1 A treatment on serum P levels, but did not restore luteal function to control levels. Neither C nor D-1 A groups exhibited any marked differences in serum E levels throughout PSP. The results of these studies indicate that the administration of alloxan before the onset of PSP effectively inhibits luteal function, whereas D-1 A treatment induces early luteolysis as compared with controls. The associated declines in both uterine and ovarian weights reflect the impaired ovarian steroid production associated with diabetes. Since insulin partially restored luteal activity, it is suggested that diabetes-associated reproductive impairment is directly related to an insulin deficiency in the alloxan-treated rat.
The Dombrock blood group system: a review

Abstract The Dombrock blood group system (Do) consists of two antithetical antigens (Doa and Dob ) and five antigens of high prevalence (Gya, Hy, Joa, DOYA, and DOMR). Do antigens are carried on the Dombrock glycoprotein, which is attached to the RBC membrane via a glycosylphosphatidylinositol linkage. The gene (DO, ART4 ) encoding the Do glycoprotein, located on the short arm of chromosome 12, has been cloned and sequenced, allowing the molecular basis of the various Do phenotypes to be determined. Doa and Dob have a prevalence that makes them useful as genetic markers; however, the paucity of reliable anti-Doa and anti-Dob has prevented this potential from being realized. The ease with which these antigens can be predicted by analysis of DNA opens the door for such studies to be carried out. Anti-Doa and anti-Dob are rarely found as a single specificity, but they have been implicated in causing hemolytic transfusion reactions. This review is a synthesis of our current knowledge of the Dombrock blood group system. Immunohematology2010;26:71–78.
Productivity Effects of Business Process Outsourcing - A Firm-Level Investigation Based on Panel Data

This paper analyses the impact of business process outsourcing (BPO) on firm productivity based on a comprehensive German firm-level panel data set covering manufacturing and service industries. The growing importance of service inputs into the production process is undisputed. Firms increasingly buy all or at least parts of selected services they need from external service providers. This is especially true for services which rely to a great extent on new information and communication technologies. Outsourcing firms can concentrate on their core competencies. Additionally, they benefit from the expertise of the external service provider. Finally, external vendors are able to provide services at lower price because of scale effects. By estimating a production function, I show that BPO has a positive and significant impact on firm-level productivity. The results are robust across different estimation techniques.
The Hematopoietic Stem Cell in Myelodysplasia

The mechanisms underlying hematopoietic stem cell or progenitor cell abnormalities in myelodysplastic syndromes (MDSs) remain poorly characterized. Current evidence exists for multiple intrinsic and extrinsic influences upon the stem cell in these disorders. These influences are outlined in this review and include: stem cell characteristics in MDSs, as compared with those in acute myelogenous leukemia; the role of increased apoptosis; the role of signaling pathway abnormalities; the influences of immune modulation; and the effect of stromal cells and stromal cell cytokine production. Despite numerous studies that have examined these factors, how they converge to produce a situation in which accelerated proliferation and accelerated death occur simultaneously remains largely an unexplored area. It is anticipated that future studies that focus on well‐characterized and purified progenitor populations in these disorders will elucidate the process by which ineffective hematopoiesis results from the influences of stem cell abnormalities versus abnormalities in the stem cell's microenvironmental and immunologic milieu.
The Natural History of the Anterior Cruciate Ligament-Deficient Knee

Restoring knee stability through reconstruction, while providing symptomatic relief, has not been shown to decrease the incidence of degenerative changes after rupture of the anterior cruciate ligament. This suggests that posttraumatic osteoarthritis may not be purely bio mechanical in origin, but also biochemical. To test this, we measured the levels of seven cytokine modulators of cartilage metabolism in knee joint synovial fluid after anterior cruciate ligament rupture. We also measured keratan sulfate, a product of articular cartilage catab olism. The sample population consisted of patients with uninjured knee joints (N = 10), and patients with acute ( N = 60), subacute (N = 18), and chronic (N = 8) anterior cruciate ligament-deficient knees. Synovial fluid samples were analyzed by enzyme-linked immu nosorbent assays. Normal synovial fluids contained high levels of the interleukin-1 receptor antagonist but low concentrations of other cytokines. Immediately af ter ligament rupture there were large increases in in terleukins 6 and 8, tumor necrosis factor α, and keratan sulfate. Interleukin-1 levels remained low throughout the course. As the injury became subacute and then chronic, interleukin-6, tumor necrosis factor-α, and keratan sulfate levels fell but remained considerably elevated 3 months after injury. Concentrations of inter leukin-1Ra fell dramatically. Granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor concentrations were normal acutely and subacutely but by 3 months after injury were elevated 10-fold. Our data reveal a persistent and evolving disturbance in cytokine and keratan sulfate profiles within the anterior cruciate ligament-deficient knee, suggesting an important biochemical dimension to the development of osteoarthritis there.
Separating habit and recollection in young and older adults: effects of elaborative processing and distinctiveness.

An extension of L. L. Jacoby's (1991) process-dissociation procedure was used to examine the effects of aging on recollection and automatic influences of memory (habit). Experiment 1 showed that older adults were impaired in their ability to engage in recollection but did not differ from young adults in their reliance on habit. Elderly adults were also less able to exploit distinctive contextual information to enhance recollection. Experiments 2 and 3 showed that with more supportive conditions, older adults were able to benefit from distinctive contextual information. Quantitative and qualitative deficits in recollective abilities are interpreted within a dual-process model of memory. The problem of distinguishing between a deficit in recollection and a deficit in inhibitory processes in older adults (e.g., L. Hasher & R. T. Zacks, 1988) and the importance of this distinction for purposes of repairing memory performance are discussed.
Atypical Disease Phenotypes in Pediatric Ulcerative Colitis: 5-year Analyses of the EUROKIDS Registry

Background:Definitive diagnosis of pediatric ulcerative colitis (UC) may be particularly challenging since isolated colitis with overlapping features is common in pediatric Crohn’s disease (CD), while atypical phenotypes of UC are not uncommon. The Paris classification allows more accurate phenotyping of atypical inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) patients. Our aim was to identify the prevalence of atypical disease patterns in new-onset pediatric UC using the Paris classification. Methods:Information was collected from the EUROKIDS Registry, an inception cohort of untreated pediatric IBD patients undergoing evaluation at diagnosis. Patients with IBD-unclassified were excluded. Patients with isolated Crohn’s colitis served as a control group. Results:Data from 898 pediatric patients (643 UC, 255 CD colitis) were included. Extensive or pancolitis was present in 77% of UC patients and macroscopic rectal sparing in 5%. Rectal sparing was inversely associated with age (mean age with rectal sparing 9.9 years vs. 11.8 without; P = 0.02). Upper gastrointestinal (UGI) involvement occurred in 4% of patients. Erosions in the stomach were present in 3.1% of children, but frank ulcerations in 0.4%; 0.8% of children had erosions or ulcerations limited to the esophagus or duodenum. The corresponding UGI involvement in Crohn’s colitis was 22%. A cecal patch occurred in 2% of patients. Conclusions:Extensive disease and rectal sparing are age-dependent phenotypes in pediatric UC. Rectal sparing, cecal patch, backwash ileitis, and gastric erosions are not uncommon at diagnosis, while gastric ulcerations and erosions in the duodenum or esophagus are. Recognition of atypical phenotypes in pediatric-onset UC is crucial to prevent misclassification of IBD.
The Role of Gender in the Association Between Child Maltreatment and Substance Use Behavior: A Systematic Review of Longitudinal Research from 1995 to 2011

This systematic review analyzes the role of gender in the association between childhood maltreatment and substance use outcomes, among longitudinal papers published between 1995 and 2011. Ten papers examined gender as a moderating variable. Results on gender differences were mixed. When studies that found no gender effects were compared with studies that did identify gender effects, differences in measurement, sample composition, and developmental timing of outcomes were identified. This review also examines how gender effects are assessed. Implications and limitations of these findings are discussed. Areas for future research are identified.