Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Population Genetics and Conservation of the Marine Otter (Lontra felina) at the Peruvian Coast

The marine otter Lontra felina is an endangered species living at the coast of Peru and Chile. Intensive hunting was the major threat to the world´s smallest marine mammal in the past while today urbanization, pollution and intensive fisheries have a great impact on its population. Between 2008 and 2011, non-invasive samples were collected to perform a population genetic analysis, revealing relatively high levels of genetic variability and a moderate gene flow for the Peruvian marine otter population. A Population Viability Analysis showed that extinction of all populations is predominantly related to habitat reduction, while inbreeding, catastrophes and diseases are decisive factors for smaller, more isolated populations. Further ecological and genetic studies, environmental education work, law enforcement and management plans that include a system of protected areas are recommended to compensate the loss of natural habitat and secure the survival of the species.
Monthly high-dose vitamin D supplementation does not increase kidney stone risk or serum calcium: results from a randomized controlled trial.

BACKGROUND A growing number of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) are investigating the potential health benefits of high-dose vitamin D supplementation. However, there are limited RCT data on the safety of calcium-related adverse effects. OBJECTIVE We investigated the incidence of kidney stone and hypercalcemia events in a large, population-based RCT of vitamin D supplementation. DESIGN The Vitamin D Assessment (ViDA) study was a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial of vitamin D supplementation in 5110 participants in Auckland, New Zealand. This trial investigated the impact of monthly 100,000 IU vitamin D3 supplementation over several years on cardiovascular events, respiratory infections, and falls/fractures. Participants provided information about recent kidney stone events in regular questionnaires sent to them with study capsules. Hospitalization data for kidney stones were collected from health authorities. Serum calcium was measured in an 8% subsample of participants who returned annually for blood tests. HRs of time to the first kidney stone event were calculated by Cox regression. RESULTS During a median follow-up of 3.3 y, 158 participants reported a kidney stone event (76 vitamin D, 82 placebo). The HR of reporting the first kidney stone event was 0.90 (95% CI: 0.66, 1.23; P = 0.51) for participants in the vitamin D arm compared with the placebo arm. There were 18 urolithiasis events in the hospitalization records: 7 in the vitamin D arm and 11 from the placebo arm. The HR to the first hospitalization urolithiasis event was 0.62 (95% CI: 0.24, 1.26; P = 0.30) in the vitamin D arm compared with the placebo arm. From the subsample annual blood test, there was no case of hypercalcemia in the vitamin D arm, compared with 1 in the placebo arm. CONCLUSION Over a median of 3.3 y, monthly supplementation with 100,000 IU vitamin D3 did not affect the incidence rate of kidney stone events, or hypercalcemia. This study was registered at clinicaltrials.gov as ACTRN12611000402943.
Numerical analysis of surface crack propagation in flexible pavements using XFEM and cohesive zone model

Surface initiated (top-down) cracking in the longitudinal direction of pavements has become a predominant mode of failure in thick asphalt pavements. Most previous researchers studied crack propagation using the traditional Linear Elastic Fracture Mechanics (LEFM) method by calculating the stress intensity factor around the crack tip. In this paper, Extended Finite Element Method (XFEM) was used to study the key factors causing surface initiated crack propagation under surface tension and/or shear. A two-dimensional (2-D) finite element (FE) model for a two-lane flexible pavement was built to predict pavement responses and crack propagation potential under various scenarios. It was found that surface tension is the major driving force for crack propagation when the crack is at some distance away from tire loading. The results show that the distance from the location of crack to tire loading, the depth and direction of the crack, and the modulus ratio between the hot-mix asphalt (HMA) layer and the base layer have significant influences on crack propagation under surface tension. On the other hand, this study shows that shear stress can induce surface initiated crack propagation near the loading area as the shear resistance of material becomes low at the high temperature.
Exponential-Growth Bias and Lifecycle Consumption

Exponential-growth bias (EGB) is the tendency for individuals to partially neglect compounding of exponential growth. We develop a model wherein biased agents misperceive the intertemporal budget constraint, and derive conditions for overconsumption and dynamic inconsistency. We construct an incentivized measure of EGB in a US-representative population and find substantial bias, with approximately one third of subjects estimated as the fully biased type. The magnitude of the bias is negatively associated with asset accumulation, and does not respond to a simple graphical intervention.
P-ULTIMATE FOR UNDRAINED ANALYSIS OF LATERALLY LOADED PILES. DISCUSSION AND CLOSURE

A discussion of a paper with the aforementioned title by Murff and Hamilton, published in this journal (Volume 119, Number 1, January 1993), is presented. The discussion focuses on laterally loaded piles in layered soils. Maugeri, Castelli, and Motta assert that the authors' method overpredicts the ultimate lateral resistance on the pile. Discussion is followed by closure from the authors.
Feedforward Motion Control With a Variable Stiffness Actuator Inspired by Muscle Cross-Bridge Kinematics

High mechanical impedance, sensor resolution, and computing bandwidth are desirable for achieving stability in feedback control. In contrast, although the human body is physically inferior to man-made systems in terms of feedback control due to signal transmission delay, humans can achieve not only stable but also robust and adaptive control ability. For these reasons, the significance of the feedforward control of the human has been emphasized in neuroscience. In previous studies, virtual trajectory control and internal model hypotheses were used to explain the principle of human feedforward control in view of the mechanical stiffness of joints and the internal model of the brain, respectively. Inspired by these insights, in this paper, we focus on the relationship between the joint stiffness and inverse model accuracy and attempted to apply it to the field of robotics. We present a variable stiffness actuator developed using variable radius gear transmission inspired by muscle cross-bridge kinematics. The developed mechanism allows the joint stiffness to be accurately controlled without any sensor-based feedback control. Using the developed actuator, we conduct a feedforward motion generating experiment with respect to variations in the inverse dynamics model uncertainty and verified that joint stiffness can compensate for inverse model uncertainty and external disturbances. These results indicate that the developed variable stiffness actuator can be applied to the robotics field for feedforward applications and support the hypothesis that humans may utilize joint stiffness to compensate for the inverse dynamics model uncertainty.
Millennial Scale Impacts of Marine Biogenic Calcification Changes on Ocean Carbon Cycling

Ocean acidification resulting from increasing anthropogenic carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions are likely to impact calcification rates in pelagic organisms which may, in turn, lead to changes in the strength of the ocean carbon sink. However, the responses of pelagic calcifying organisms to acidification driven changes vary widely between species. This leads to a degree of uncertainty in predicting the future fate of anthropogenic CO2 and the resulting climate change. Here, I address this uncertainty by introducing a dependence of calcium carbonate (CaCO3) production on calcite saturation state (ΩCaCO3) in the University of Victoria Earth System Climate Model, an intermediate complexity coupled carbon-climate model. In a series of model simulations, I examine the changes in global ocean carbon cycling following both “business-as-usual” and “mitigation” CO2 emissions scenarios. By the year 3500, global CaCO3 production rates will have decreased by between 0.003 Pg C y-1 and 0.264 Pg C y-1 relative to the standard model configuration depending on the sensitivity of calcification rates to ΩCaCO3. This, in turn, would result in an atmospheric CO2 drawdown of 0.630 – 59.8 Pg C, a weakening of the vertical ocean alkalinity and DIC gradients, and a change to sediment and ocean carbon pools of 1.00 – 42.0 Pg C and 0.800 to 70.0 Pg C respectively. These results suggest that the response of pelagic calcifying organisms to anthropogenically-driven changes in ocean ΩCaCO3 can have an important influence on marine biological carbon cycling, leading to changes in carbon partitioning between the ocean and atmosphere on millennial timescales.
Accurate Models of Time-Invariant Beampatterns for Frequency Diverse Arrays

Different from conventional-phased arrays providing only angle-dependent beampatterns, frequency diverse arrays (FDAs) produce angle–range-dependent and time-variant transmit beampatterns. Recently, time-invariant range focusing beampatterns have been reported in some works, which could not be achieved by traditional antenna arrays. However, this paper shows that these papers neglected the time–range or frequency–phase relationship and led to erroneous simulation results and conclusions. The formulas of time-invariant FDA are carefully reviewed, and the unnoticed misconceptions are analyzed. By reestablishing the correct signal models, a set of numerical examples are presented to demonstrate that the beampatterns of FDA arrays are actually time variant in free space.
Conditioned Placebo Dose Reduction: A new treatment in ADHD?

Objective— This study examined if pairing a placebo with stimulant medication produces a placebo response that allows children with ADHD to be maintained on a lower dose of stimulant medication. Primary aim was to determine the efficacy, side effects and acceptability of a novel conditioned placebo dose reduction (CPDR) procedure. Method— Participants included 99 children ages 6 to 12 years with ADHD. After an initial double-blind dose finding to identify optimal dose of mixed amphetamine salts (MAS), subjects were randomly assigned to one of three treatments of eight weeks duration: (a) CPDR condition (50% Reduced Dose/Placebo– RD/P) or (b) a dose reduction only condition (Reduced Dose - RD) or (c) a no reduction condition (Full Dose–FD). The innovative CPDR procedure involved daily pairing of MAS dose with a visually distinctive placebo capsule administered in open label, with full disclosure of placebo use to subjects and parents. Results— 70 children completed the study. There were no differences in subject retention among the three groups. Most subjects in the RD/P group remained stable during the treatment phase, whereas most in the RD group deteriorated. There was no difference in control of ADHD symptoms between the RD/P group and the FD group, and both RD/P and FD groups showed better ADHD control than the RD group. Treatment emergent side effects were lowest in the RD/P group. Conclusion— Pairing placebos with stimulant medication elicits a placebo response that allows children with ADHD to be effectively treated on 50% of their optimal stimulant dose. Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is the most prevalent neurobehavioral disorder in children, with prevalence estimates of 3–12%. Despite clear evidence of the beneficial effects of stimulant therapy
GEOCHRONOLOGIC AND ISOTOPIC INVESTIGATION OF THE KOIPATO FORMATION, NORTHWESTERN GREAT BASIN, NEVADA: IMPLICATIONS FOR LATE PERMIAN-EARLY TRIASSIC TECTONICS ALONG THE WESTERN U.S. CORDILLERA

The Koipato Formation unconformably overlies the Golconda Allochthon, and this relationship has been used to define the timing of the Sonoma Orogeny. New lithologic and high-precision CA-TIMS U-Pb zircon geochronology from the Koipato Formation in the Humboldt, East, and Tobin Ranges allows for a more detailed understanding of the Koipato Formation’s stratigraphic architecture and its importance for the Early Mesozoic tectonic setting of the U.S. Cordillera. New U-Pb geochronology reveals that Koipato Formation units were deposited predominately in the Early Triassic (Olenekian) and that the majority of Koipato-type volcanism lasted only ~1.2 Ma. The existence of ~254 Ma inherited zircons within the leucogranite of the Humboldt Range has been inferred to represent the earliest stages of Limerick Greenstone-type Koipato volcanism, which extends the age of Koipato Formation volcanism to the latest Permian. The Koipato Formation also records the transition from intermediate to felsic volcanism and a short-term hiatus in volcanism. Volcanism within the Koipato Formation most likely lasted until just after deposition of the youngest Weaver Rhyolite sample from this study (248.32 Ma). U-Pb geochronology was performed on the felsic units (volcanic and intrusive) and shows that the volcanic Rochester and lower Weaver Rhyolites are coeval with the intrusive units. Two phases of
Intraspecific Variation in Growth Rate among Three Populations of the Intertidal Gastropod, Nerita japonica (Dunker) Variasi Intraspesifik dalam Kecepatan Tumbuh di antara Tiga Populasi Gastropoda Intertidal, Nerita japonica (Dunker)

The aim of the present research is to figure out the growth rate of Nerita japonica occurring in three different intertidal habitat of Amakusa Shimoshima Island, western Kyushu, Japan. Rocky shore population (R1) and other two stony shore populations (S3u and S3l) were described based on: its mean growth rate, seasonal mean growth rate pattern, the relationship between growth rate and body size. Data recorded in every two months for a year investigation. The results revealed that there were growth rate variations among three snail populations; rocky shore population is faster growth than other two populations (S3u and S3l). Seasonal growth pattern also varied among them. Growth rate peak occur in May−July for R1, and JulySeptember for S3u and S3l. On the other hand, three populations (R1, S3u and S3l) showed the slowest growth rate occur during November-March. Growth rate decreased significantly with increase in initial body size during growth rate period investigated, with the exception of in November-March, only in two out of three populations, growth rate decreased significantly with increase in initial body size. There was a seasonal intraspecific variation in growth rate among three populations of N. japonica over even small geographic distances.
Milligram Size Rheology of Molten Polymers

During laboratory practice, it is often necessary to perform rheological measurements with small specimens, mainly due to the limited availability of the investigated systems. Such a restriction occurs, for example, because the laboratory synthesis of new materials is performed on small scales, or can concern biological samples that are notoriously difficult to be extracted from living organisms. A complete rheological characterization of a viscoelastic material involves both linear and nonlinear measurements. The latter are more challenging and generally require more mass, as flow instabilities often cause material losses during the experiments. In such situations, it is crucial to perform rheological tests carefully in order to avoid experimental artifacts caused by the use of small geometries. In this paper, we indicate the drawbacks of performing linear and nonlinear rheological measurements with very small amounts of samples, and by using a well-characterized linear polystyrene, we attempt to address the challenge of obtaining reliable measurements with sample masses of the order of a milligram, in both linear and nonlinear regimes. We demonstrate that, when suitable protocols and careful running conditions are chosen, linear viscoelastic mastercurves can be obtained with good accuracy and reproducibility, working with plates as small as 3 mm in diameter and sample thickness of less than 0.2 mm. This is equivalent to polymer masses of less than 2 mg. We show also that the nonlinear start-up shear fingerprint of polymer melts can be reliably obtained with samples as small as 10 mg.
The Effects of Market Liberalization on the Relative Earnings of Chinese Women

In this paper we first explore the effects of differences in labor market institutions and the degree of market liberalization on the size and composition of gender wages gaps in China's urban labor markets. We use enterprise-ownership type, enterprise age, and workers' methods of finding employment as proxies for the extent of market liberalization. We find both the size of the wage gaps and the proportion of the gap left unexplained by differences in productive characteristics largest in the most liberalized (joint venture) sector, and smallest in the least liberalized (state) sector. We next investigate the effects of differences in wage structure on the gender wage gaps. We find that differences in wage structure, in general, and the degree of wage dispersion, in particular, are extremely important in accounting for the larger wage gaps in the joint venture and collective sectors relative to the state-owned sector.
Confinement d’oligomères π-conjugués dans des nanotubes de carbone mono-feuillets : intéractions, dynamique et structure

Ce travail est dedie a l’etude de l’encapsulation de molecules organiques photoactives dans des nanotubes de carbone mono-feuillets. L’effet de confinement sur les proprietes vibrationnelles , structurales, et les interactions entre les sous-systemes est etudie en fonction de la taille des nanotubes. La premiere partie du manuscrit est consacree a l’etude du confinement de dimethylquaterthiophenes dans les tubes. La dynamique vibrationnelle des molecules confinees est etudiee par diffusion inelastique des neutrons et par des simulations DFT. L’etude des interactions entre les deux sous-systemes, en termes de transfert d’energie et de transfert de charge, est realisee en combinant des etudes de photoluminescence et de Raman. La nature des transferts de charge depend de la taille du nanotube. Pour des tubes de petits diametres (<1.1nm), un transfert de charge photo-induit est obtenu lorsque la longueur d’excitation correspond a l’absorption de la molecule. La deuxieme partie est dediee a l’etude de l’organisation structurale de molecules de phtalocyanine encapsulees a l’interieur des nanotubes. Ce travail combine des etudes experimentales par diffraction neutronique et spectroscopie Raman a pression ambiante et sous hautes pressions. Les etudes structurales sont confrontees a des simulations par dynamique moleculaire.
Fish assemblage organization in the Amazon River floodplain : species richness, spatial distribution and recruitment processes

Approved: uglas F. Markle The composition and distribution of fish assemblages was examined in a floodplain lake system in the Amazon basin. Quantitative samples were collected during the 1992-1 993 flooding season at Marchantaria Island, Solimôes River. A total of 25,819 specimens representing 8 orders, 30 families, 101 genera and 139 species of fish were collected. Analysis of species richness distribution among 7 vegetation strata showed that vegetated sites had higher species richness than unvegetated sites. Stands of Paspalum repens had the most diverse fish fauna. Canonical correspondence analysis (CCA) was used to investigate relationship between fish assemblages and 16 environmental variables. CCA revealed that dissolved oxygen, water transparency, water depth and aquatic vegetation structure were significantly related to fish assemblage organization. The results suggest that physiological adaptations to hypoxia and habitat complexity play a major role in the organization of these assemblages. The morphology, ontogenetic development, shape variability and deposition of otolith microincrements are described for floodplain serrasalmin fishes. Serrasalmin otoliths were similar to other ostariophysan, nevertheless their shape was species-specific. Elliptical Fourier analysis showed that Mylossoma Redacted for Privacy aureum lapilli were highly variable in shape when compared to closely related species. PCA and discriminant function analysis indicated that two distinct forms of lapillus can be recognized for M. aureum, and intra-species variation was higher than inter-species variation. Otolith microincrement analysis was tested for these fishes, and microincrement deposition validation showed that Piaractus bra chipomus deposits otolith increments on a daily basis. Patterns of spatial distribution, growth and mortality characteristics of larvae and juvenile were examined for M. aureum inhabiting the Marchantaria Island floodplain. Otolithderived birth date reconstruction showed that M.aureum spawning season extended from late November to March, and peak larvae recruitment to the island occurred in mid-December. Larvae and juveniles had different spatial distributions in relation to habitat usage. Instantaneous growth coefficients (g) varied from O.0197(d1) to O.265(d1) among cohorts. Early-season cohorts had wider otolith microincrements and higher instantaneous growth coefficients than late-season cohorts. Mortality estimated by the decline of loge (abundance) regressed on age indicated that cohort-specific instantaneous mortality varied significantly among cohorts, ranging from O.027(d1) (2.6%Id) to O.103(d1)
Tired and lack focus? Insomnia increases distractibility

Chronic insomnia is associated with subjective daytime cognitive dysfunction, but objective corroborative data are often lacking. In this study, we use Perceptual Load Theory to objectively assess distractibility in participants with insomnia (N = 23) compared with age- and sex-matched controls (N = 23). Following overnight supervised sleep observation, all participants completed a selective attention task which varied in the level of perceptual load and distractor congruency. The insomnia group was found to be more distracted than controls, whereas their selective attention mechanism appeared to be intact, with reduced distractor processing under high load for both groups. Insomnia symptom severity was positively correlated with participant distractibility. These findings suggest that there are insomnia-related daytime cognitive impairments that are likely to arise from compromised cognitive control rather than an ineffective selective attention mechanism. This task may be clinically useful in assessing daytime impairments, and potentially treatment response, in those with insomnia.
Calculations of Beam-Beam Effect and Luminosity for Crab Dynamics Simulations in JLEIC

Crab crossing is an integral part of the Jefferson Lab Electron-Ion Collider (JLEIC) design to achieve high luminosity while meeting the detection and physics program requirements. The crab crossing scheme provides a headon beam-beam collision for beams with a nonzero crossing angle. Simulations of crabbing dynamics currently do not include beam-beam effects. We describe a framework for accurate simulation of beam-beam effects on crabbing dynamics by applying a numerical calculation of the BassettiErskine analytic solution to symplectic particle tracking codes. The numerical calculation is benchmarked against the analytic solution by calculating the luminosity reduction for several colliding beam scenarios. Benchmarking results show good agreement between the numerical calculation and analytic solution, paving the way for implementation of the beam-beam kick to Elegant tracking simulations.