Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Recruitment of old genes to new functions: evidences obtained by comparing the orthologues of human XLMR genes in mouse and chicken

Gene mapping data indicate that the human X chromosome is enriched in genes that affect both, higher cognitive efficiency and reproductive success. This raises the question whether these functions are ancient, or whether conserved X-linked genes were recruited to new functions. We have studied three X-linked mental retardation (XLMR) genes by RNA in situ hybridization in mouse and in chicken, in which these genes are autosomal: Rho guanine nucleotide exchange factor 6 (ARHGEF6), oligophrenin (OPHN1), and p21 activated kinase 3 (PAK3). In the mouse these genes are specifically expressed in telencephalic regions. Their orthologues in the chicken gave patterns of similar specificity in ancient parts of the brain, i.e. cerebellum and mesencephalon, but were not expressed in the telencephalon. Also in the testes, specific expression was only found in mouse, not in chicken. These data are interpreted such that certain genes on the X chromosome gained novel functions during evolution.
Cost-sharing in health insurance and its impact in a developing country: evidence from a quasi-natural experiment

Though the impact of cost-sharing on health care demand is well documented in developed countries, evidence from developing countries is rare. This paper’s contribution is to analyse the impact of increasing coinsurance in a developing nation, Vietnam, by exploiting a quasi-natural experiment in that country. In 2007, the Vietnam government reintroduced a 20 percent coinsurance for individuals who hold voluntary health insurance policies. As individuals with compulsory health insurance were exempt from this re-imposition of coinsurance, this policy change may be regarded as a quasi-natural experiment. To exploit this change, we use a difference-in difference approach to examine whether the increase in coinsurance effectively reduced the demand for health care services among those affected. We find it has no statistically significant effect on the quantity of health care demanded. We however find that those who were under 18 or in low income households reduced their health care use after the increase in coinsurance. These findings hold – at least in the short-run, with a variety of different outcomes and estimators.
Probabilistic forecasts of severe convection with a WRF-DART analysis and convection-permitting forecast system

Convection-permitting models provide useful forecast guidance on expected convective mode, but often struggle to accurately forecast timing and location for small-scale and extreme events. Additionally, with horizontal grid spacing on the order of 1-4 km, small-scale convective features and severe weather phenomena are not fully resolved, necessitating the use of severe storm proxies. In this study, a five-member Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) model ensemble was used to assess the performance of probabilistic convection-permitting model guidance in forecasting severe storms that occurred on 19-20 May 2012 across the central Great Plains. Forecasts were initialized with an ensemble mesoscale analysis from the real-time NCAR WRF Data Assimilation Research Testbed (WRF-DART) ensemble data assimilation system. Model forecasts were subjectively evaluated by comparing radar observations and storm reports to model fields and severe storm proxies such as simulated reflectivity and maximum updraft helicity. Precipitation forecasts were verified against Stage IV analysis using a “neighborhoodbased” approach, which has been shown to produce more representative forecast skill scores when verifying high-resolution model output. Results suggested the ensemble system produced a reliable forecast of convection that would have provided useful guidance on storm mode, location and intensity on this day. Probabilities of maximum updraft were found to be most useful for identifying locations of observed severe storm reports, while discriminating hazard types using their associated severe storm proxies was less skillful. This work was performed under the auspices of the Significant Opportunities in Atmospheric Research and Science Program. SOARS is managed by the University Corporation for Atmospheric Research and is funded by the National Science Foundation, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Science, the University of Colorado at Boulder, and by the Center for Multiscale Modeling of Atmospheric Processes.
Corrosion of High-Density Sintered Tungsten Alloys. Part 1. Immersion Testing

Abstract : Sintered tungsten alloys are candidate materials for certain Australian ammunition components, namely kinetic energy penetrators, because of their high density. It is probable that a storage life of twenty years in an uncontrolled environment will be a requirement for this ammunition. Thus there is a need to determine the long-term storage capability of these alloys, in particular their capability to remain un-corroded during this period. The corrosion behaviour of four candidate alloys has therefore been evaluated through weight loss measurements after total immersion in both distilled water and 5% sodium chloride solutions. The propensity of these alloys to corrode in a crevice situation was assessed in the sodium chloride solution. Some insight into the mechanism of corrosion was afforded by an examination of the surfaces after the tests using the SEM and through an analysis of the corrosion products. Pure tungsten and all the alloys studied underwent corrosion during the tests, and in each case the rate of corrosion in sodium chloride solution was markedly less than that in distilled water. Examination of the data shows that for each of the tests copper as an alloying element accelerates corrosion of tungsten alloys. Keywords: Corrosion resistant alloys.
Periodontitis-associated risk factors in pregnant women

OBJECTIVE: The main objective of this study was to investigate the risk factors associated with periodontitis in pregnant women. METHODS: This study was conducted in two stages. In Stage 1, a cross-sectional study was conducted to determine the prevalence of periodontitis among 810 women treated at the maternity ward of a university hospital. In Stage 2, the factors associated with periodontitis were investigated in two groups of pregnant women: 90 with periodontitis and 720 without. A hierarchized approach to the evaluation of the risk factors was used in the analysis, and the independent variables related to periodontitis were grouped into two levels: 1) socio-demographic variables; 2a) variables related to nutritional status, smoking, and number of pregnancies; and 2b) variables related to oral hygiene. Periodontitis was defined as a probing depth ≥4 mm and an attachment loss ≥3 mm at the same site in four or more teeth. A logistic regression analysis was also performed. RESULTS: The prevalence of periodontitis in this sample was 11%. The variables that remained in the final multivariate model with the hierarchized approach were schooling, family income, smoking, body mass index, and bacterial plaque. CONCLUSION: The factors identified underscore the social nature of the disease, as periodontitis was associated with socioeconomic, demographic status, and poor oral hygiene.
Gata2 is required for the development of inner ear semicircular ducts and the surrounding perilymphatic space

Gata2 has essential roles in the development of many organs. During mouse inner ear morphogenesis, it is expressed in otic vesicle and the surrounding periotic mesenchyme from early on, but no defects in the ear development of Gata2 null mice have been observed before lethality at embryonic day (E) 10.5. Here, we used conditional gene targeting to reveal the role of Gata2 at later stages of inner ear development. We show that Gata2 is critically required from E14.5–E15.5 onward for vestibular morphogenesis. Without Gata2 the semicircular ducts fail to grow to their normal size and the surrounding mesenchymal cells are not removed properly to generate the perilymphatic space. Gata2 is the first factor known to control the clearing of the vestibular perilymphatic mesenchyme, but interestingly, it is not required for the formation of the cochlear perilymphatic areas, suggesting distinct molecular control for these processes. Developmental Dynamics 239:2452–2469, 2010. © 2010 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
ECONOMIC AND POLITICAL ASPECTS OF A COMPLEX HISTORICAL RELATIONSHIP

In the past and today, Tibetan-Muslim relations in Qinghai and Gansu are often associated with violent conflicts sparked by religious differences or 'interethnic hatred'. A more nuanced study of the history of Tibetan-Muslim relations, however, reveals complexity as well as considerable local difference with regard to how and when contacts were established, maintained, and broken off. TibetanMuslim encounters were manifold and varied, including interethnic marriages, close business relations, political alliances, and armed conflicts. To illustrate this wide range of encounters, examples chosen for this paper, i.e., the relations between Amdo Tibetans and the Muslim Baoan nationality, the Muslim Ma warlords, and the Chinese xiejia institution, span different eras and localities. This study suggests that Tibetan-Muslim relations were predominantly shaped by socio-economic and political factors rather than by religious differences or 'interethnic hatred' as is often assumed.
The role of endothelin-converting enzyme-1 in the development of alpha1-adrenergic-stimulated hypertrophy in cultured neonatal rat cardiac myocytes.

BACKGROUND Accumulating evidence suggests that the local synthesis of endothelin-1 (ET-1) plays a role in the development of heart failure in vivo. We investigated the role of endothelin-converting enzyme-1 (ECE-1), which mediates the conversion of big ET-1 to mature ET-1, in the development of alpha1-adrenergic-stimulated hypertrophy in cultured neonatal rat cardiac myocytes. METHODS AND RESULTS Phenylephrine (PE) induced the expression of ET-1 in rat cardiac myocytes and accelerated the conversion of big ET-1 to ET-1. The ECE-1 mRNA levels were markedly increased 3 hours after PE stimulation (3.6-fold compared with saline stimulation, P<0.005). A specific ECE-1 antagonist, FR901533, inhibited the PE-stimulated increase in protein synthesis rate by 45% (P<0.05). As genetic markers for the hypertrophic response, FR901533 inhibited the PE-stimulated transcriptional activities of the 3.5-kb beta-myosin heavy chain promoter by 79% (P<0.01) but did not affect that of the 3.4-kb atrial natriuretic factor (ANF) promoter. In Bio14.6 Syrian cardiomyopathic hamsters, ventricular ET-1 and ANF mRNA levels did not correlate at 2 different stages. CONCLUSIONS ET-1-independent pathways may mediate activation of the ANF gene program in ventricular myocytes both in vitro and in vivo. These results also indicate that the conversion of big ET-1 to ET-1 in rat cardiac myocytes is required for the development of alpha1-adrenergic-stimulated hypertrophy and beta-myosin heavy chain gene transcription.
Political Incentives and Financial Innovation: The Strategic Use of Toxic Loans by Local Governments

We examine the toxic loans sold by investment banks to local governments. Using proprietary data, we show that politicians strategically use these products to increase chances of being re-elected. Consistent with greater incentives to hide the cost of debt, toxic loans are utilized significantly more frequently within highly indebted local governments. Incumbent politicians from politically contested areas are also more likely to turn to toxic loans. Using a dierence-in-dier ences methodology, we show that politicians time the election cycle by implementing more transactions immediately before an election than after. Politicians also exhibit herding behavior. Our ndings demonstrate how nancial innovation can foster strategic behaviors.
Regional chromatin decompaction in Cornelia de Lange syndrome associated with NIPBL disruption can be uncoupled from cohesin and CTCF

Cornelia de Lange syndrome (CdLS) is a developmental disorder caused by mutations in NIPBL, a protein which has functionally been associated with the cohesin complex. Mutations in core cohesin complex components have also been reported in individuals with CdLS-like phenotypes. In addition to its role in sister chromatid cohesion, cohesin is thought to play a role in regulating gene expression during development. The mechanism of this gene regulation remains unclear, but NIPBL and cohesin have been reported to affect long-range chromosomal interactions, both independently and through interactions with CTCF. We used fluorescence in situ hybridization to investigate whether the disruption of NIPBL affects chromosome architecture. We show that cells from CdLS patients exhibit visible chromatin decompaction, that is most pronounced across gene-rich regions of the genome. Cells carrying mutations predicted to have a more severe effect on NIPBL function show more extensive chromatin decompaction than those carrying milder mutations. This cellular phenotype was reproduced in normal cells depleted for NIPBL with siRNA, but was not seen following the knockdown of either the cohesin component SMC3, or CTCF. We conclude that NIPBL has a function in modulating chromatin architecture, particularly for gene-rich areas of the chromosome, that is not dependent on SMC3/cohesin or CTCF, raising the possibility that the aetiology of disorders associated with the mutation of core cohesin components is distinct from that associated with the disruption of NIPBL itself in classical CdLS.
Wie die Objektorientierung relationaler werden sollte: Eine Analyse aus Sicht der Datenmodellierung

Die Kluft zwischen der relationalen Sichtweise auf Daten, wie sie u. a. in UMLKlassendiagrammen ausgedrückt werden kann, und der objektorientierten Programmierung ist seit langem Gegenstand von Untersuchungen. Angesichts jüngster Bestrebungen, relationale Elemente in die objektorientierte Programmierung einzubringen (wie etwa mit Microsofts LINQ-Projekt), zeigen wir auf, wie das Modell der objektorientierten Programmierung erweitert werden müßte, so daß sich auch die relationalen Teile eines Klassendiagramms direkt, d. h. unter Verzicht auf Transformationen, die umfangreichen stereotypen Code einführen, in objektorientierte Programme umsetzen lassen, ohne daß das objektorientierte Programmiermodell dadurch seinen navigierenden Charakter verlieren würde. Dabei beschränken wir uns hier auf die Ableitung der Anforderungen an eine solche Erweiterung — eine konkrete Umsetzung ist in einer parallelen Arbeit beschrieben.
Calm and smart? A selective review of meditation effects on decision making

Over the past two decades, there has been a growing interest in the use of meditation to improve cognitive performance, emotional balance, and well-being. As a consequence, research into the psychological effects and neural mechanisms of meditation has been accumulating. Whether and how meditation affects decision making is not yet clear. Here, we review evidence from behavioral and neuroimaging studies and summarize the effects of meditation on social and non-social economic decision making. Research suggests that meditation modulates brain activities associated with cognitive control, emotion regulation and empathy, and leads to improved non-social and social decision making. Accordingly, we propose an integrative model in which cognitive control, emotional regulation, and empathic concern mediate the effects of meditation on decision making. This model provides insights into the mechanisms by which meditation affects the decision making process. More evidence is needed to test our explanatory model and to explore the function of specific brain areas and their interactive effects on decision making during meditation training.
An End-to-end Approach to Learning Semantic Frames with Feedforward Neural Network

We present an end-to-end method for learning verb-speciﬁc semantic frames with feedfor-ward neural network (FNN). Previous works in this area mainly adopt a multi-step procedure including part-of-speech tagging, dependency parsing and so on. On the contrary, our method uses a FNN model that maps verb-speciﬁc sentences directly to semantic frames. The simple model gets good results on annotated data and has a good generalization ability. Finally we get 0.82 F-score on 63 verbs and 0.73 F-score on 407 verbs.
Methods and Best Practice to Intercompare Dissolved Oxygen Sensors and Fluorometers/Turbidimeters for Oceanographic Applications

In European seas, ocean monitoring strategies in terms of key parameters, space and time scale vary widely for a range of technical and economic reasons. Nonetheless, the growing interest in the ocean interior promotes the investigation of processes such as oxygen consumption, primary productivity and ocean acidity requiring that close attention is paid to the instruments in terms of measurement setup, configuration, calibration, maintenance procedures and quality assessment. To this aim, two separate hardware and software tools were developed in order to test and simultaneously intercompare several oxygen probes and fluorometers/turbidimeters, respectively in the same environmental conditions, with a configuration as close as possible to real in-situ deployment. The chamber designed to perform chlorophyll-a and turbidity tests allowed for the simultaneous acquisition of analogue and digital signals of several sensors at the same time, so it was sufficiently compact to be used in both laboratory and onboard vessels. Methodologies and best practice committed to the intercomparison of dissolved oxygen sensors and fluorometers/turbidimeters have been used, which aid in the promotion of interoperability to access key infrastructures, such as ocean observatories and calibration facilities. Results from laboratory tests as well as field tests in the Mediterranean Sea are presented.
In-Situ 13 C / 12 C Ratio Analysis in Water Carbonates using FTIR

Natural waters’ carbon isotopes content is an important parameter in many environmental studies, as it hints to the water’s origin and history. Atmospheric water contain a certain amount of dissolved carbon dioxide, in the form of oxygen, hydrogen and carbon through their various species (CO2, HCO3 & CO3), which are commonly used for isotopic characterization of natural water [1]. Carbon possesses two naturally occurring stable isotope, 12C and 13C with the abundance of 98.9% and 1.1% respectively (13C/12C ~0.011) and one radioactive isotope (1 atom per 1012 atoms of the carbon in the atmosphere) 14C.
Natural polymer biomaterials: advanced applications

Advanced applications of natural polymers, including chitosan, alginate, starch, collagen and gelatin, and their utilisation in the fabrication of tissue engineering matrices and drug delivery systems, are discussed. The structure, synthesis pathways and modifications of various classes of natural polymers, spanning biodegradable materials, biomaterials intended for long-term implantation, and those used for targeted drug delivery and highly specific imaging, are also considered.
In Situ Hybridization for Aspergillus and Penicillium in Allergic Fungal Sinusitis: A Rapid Means of Speciating Fungal Pathogens in Tissues

Allergic fungal sinusitis (AFS) is a serious form of sinonasal fungal disease that is commonly associated with Aspergillus or Dematiaceous fungi. This study was performed to determine the incidence ofAspergillus or Penicillium in AFS by using in situ hybridization (ISH) for Aspergillus and Penicillium ribosomal RNA (rRNA). The Fontana‐Masson melanin stain (FMMS) was also used to detect pigmented fungi (A. niger and Dematiaceous fungi). ISH was performed on 26 patients: 17 AFS cases with histologic evidence of fungi, 5 AFS cases without histologic evidence of fungi, 3 cases of invasive fungal sinusitis (IFS), and 1 case of fungus ball. Nine AFS specimens with histologic evidence of fungi were ISH positive. Positivity was also noted in two of three IFS cases, while no staining was seen in the fungus ball and in six AFS specimens without fungi demonstrable by silver stains. Six ISH‐positive cases were FMMS positive, suggestingA. niger. Five ISH‐negative AFS specimens were FMMS positive, suggesting Dematiaceous fungi. In summary, many AFS patients in our institution demonstrate Aspergillus/Penicillium organisms. Ancillary techniques may help identify fungi responsible for AFS if cultures are negative or not performed. ISH for rRNA is a useful means for rapidly speciating fungi in human tissues.
A Component-Based Digital Library Service for Finding Missing Documents

Providing access to the full text of cataloged articles is a highly de- sirable feature for a digital library. However, in many such systems, not all metadata records have (a direct pointer to) a corresponding full-text document. In this paper, we present a new service for finding missing documents from dig- ital library catalogs. This service is implemented as a software component in order to be readily deployable to existing systems. It works as a parameterized meta-search engine and allows digital library administrators to easily set up a search strategy, i.e., a list of existing search engines to be queried for the miss- ing document, as well as the filtering and ranking policies to be applied to the results retrieved by each engine. We present a performance evaluation of our service with respect to its efficiency and the effectiveness of a suggested search strategy for collections in the computer science and in the biomedical and life sciences fields.
How Well Informed are Australian General Practitioners about Adolescent Suicide? Implications for Primary Prevention

Objective: To investigate the extent of knowledge of Australian general practitioners (GPs) in terms of critical information about adolescent suicide. Method: GPs knowledge about adolescent suicide was assessed using the 39-item Adolescent Suicide Behaviour Questionnaire (ASBQ), distributed to all GPs listed on the Medical Practitioners Board register of the Australian state of Victoria. Forty-three percent of GPs (n = 1694) completed and returned the survey. Results: GPs scored, on average, 71 percent of the questionnaire items correct. The mean level of incorrect and uncertain responses was 14 percent and 15 percent, respectively. However, there were wide differences in the number of correct scores between individual GPs, with some respondents scoring as few as four items correct and others as many as 38 items correct. Analysis of knowledge rates within ABSQ content domains showed that GPs were generally well informed about adolescent suicide in relation to precipitating factors, and less well informed about the remaining content domains. Conclusions: Australian GPs are, in general, moderately well informed, and are in a unique position to identify those at risk and to provide appropriate intervention (or referral). However, there is considerable variability in the accuracy of beliefs about adolescent suicide, with some GPs demonstrating excellent knowledge levels but others holding little accurate information. The extent of this variability in knowledge is a cause for concern. Findings highlight the need for ongoing education of GPs as an essential component of prevention strategies for youth suicide.