Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Single paternity of clutches and sperm storage in the promiscuous green turtle (Chelonia mydas)

Paternity of 22 green turtle (Chelonia mydas) clutches from 13 females of the southern Great Barrier Reef breeding population was determined through microsatellite analyses at five loci, including the analysis of successive clutches for nine of the females. A large number of alleles per locus (10–40) provided probabilities of detecting multiple paternity that were quite high, particularly at all loci combined (99.9%). Although green turtles are promiscuous breeders and there was an expectation of finding extensive multiple paternity, only two clutches were multiply sired and, in these, very few eggs had been fertilized by a secondary male. The rarity of multiple paternity may reflect either a low proportion of multiple matings by females in this population, or sperm competition, possibly resulting from a first‐male sperm preference. Additionally, the analysis of > 900 offspring provided data on mutations, which included 20 mutation events that were observed in 27 offspring and involved both maternal and paternal lineages. Most mutations (n = 16) occurred at a single highly variable locus and their presence emphasizes the need to use multiple loci in paternity studies.
Test administrator effects on cognitive performance in a longitudinal study of ageing

Abstract In longitudinal studies, changes in participants’ cognitive performances can partly be attributed to variations in the testing situation (testing specific factors), such as, different test administrators or different testing environments. Focusing on test administrator influence, testing specific factors were examined in a Swedish longitudinal study of ageing. Test scores from 6,686 examinations revealed significant test administrator effects on all instruments measuring speed of processing, episodic memory and spatial ability. 1.4–3.5% of the total variation in test scores was explained by the factor attributed to the test administrator. Further, results indicated task familiarity on speed scores, and fatigue attributable to the time of day of the testing session for memory and spatial ability. Participants tested in the testing centre performed significantly better than participants who received home visits. This study provides evidence that testing specific factors are tangible concerns in longitudinal ageing studies.
Surfactant phospholipids and proteins in lung defence.

Pulmonary surfactant comprises two hydrophobic proteins SP-B and SP-C, which are important for the adsorption and spreading of the surfactant film at the air-liquid interface. Besides the hydrophobic proteins two other surfactant proteins have been described: SP-A and SP-D. These proteins are members of a family of collagenous carbohydrate binding proteins (collagenous C-type lectins), now commonly known as collectins. Collectins consist of oligomers of trimeric subunits. Each monomer consists of a carboxyterminal C-type lectin domain (CLD), bound via a short neck region to a collagen-like domain, and a cysteinecontaining amino terminal cross-linking domain. Collectins are examples of pattern recognition molecules of the innate immune system. The adaptive immune system is most effective when the host has had prior exposure to the pathogen. However, the clonal expansion of B and T lymphocytes necessary for full scale cell mediating humoral immune defences generally require 24-72 h to develop. Accruing evidence suggests that this temporal gap in host immunity is filled by cells and molecules of the innate immune system, such as macrophages and the collectins SP-A and SP-D. These collectins may also have an important protective function during infancy when the adaptive immune system is still developing. SP-A, SPD, and molecules derived from these collectins might be good candidates to be used as drugs to prevent or treat lung infections, because of their ability to interact with a wide variety of micro-organisms and to regulate the inflammatory response. Several functions of SP-A and SP-D and in particular those that we have studied in our laboratory will be discussed below. PRO-INFLAMMATORY AND ANTI-INFLAMMATORY EFFECTS OF SP-A
Parallelization of digital wavelet transformation of ECG signals

The advances in electronics and ICT industry for biomedical use have initiated a lot of new possibilities. However, these IoT solutions face the big data challenge where data comes with a certain velocity and huge quantities. In this paper, we analyze a situation where wearable ECG sensors stream continuous data to the servers. A server needs to receive these streams from a lot of sensors and needs to star various digital signal processing techniques initiating huge processing demands. Our focus in this paper is on optimizing the sequential Wavelet Transform filter. Due to the highly dependent structure of the transformation procedure we propose several optimization techniques for efficient parallelization. We set a hypothesis that optimizing the DWT initialization and processing part can yield a faster code. In this paper, we have provided several experiments to test the validity of this hypothesis by using OpenMP for parallelization. Our analysis shows that proposed techniques can optimize the sequential version of the code.
Non-uniformity-Some Background

The conditional result we saw last time does much more than that. If we have a language in the uniform class E not in the non-uniform class SIZE(s(n)) then a PRG exists. I.e., there is a way to systematically replace random bits with pseudorandom bits such that no BPP algorithm will (substantially) notice the difference. Thus, not only it shows that all languages in BPP are in fact in P (or whatever deterministic class we get) but it also does that in an oblivious way. There is one recipe that is always good for replacing random bits used by BPP algorithms! One recipe to rule them all.
Dendritic cells activated by an anti‐inflammatory agent induce CD4+ T helper type 2 responses without impairing CD8+ memory and effector cytotoxic T‐lymphocyte responses

Prevalence of pro‐inflammatory diseases is rising in developed country populations. The increase in these diseases has fuelled the search for new, immune suppressive, anti‐inflammatory therapies, which do not impact, or minimally impact, CD4+ and/or CD8+ T‐cell‐mediated immunity. The goal of this study was to determine if antigen‐presenting cells (APCs) activated by the anti‐inflammatory oligosaccharide, lacto‐N‐fucopentaose III (LNFPIII), would have an impaired ability to drive CD4+ T helper (Th) or CD8+ memory and effector T‐cell responses. To investigate this we activated splenic dendritic cells (SDCs) with LNFPIII and examined their ability to drive antigen‐specific CD4+ Th, and CD8+ memory and cytotoxic T‐cell (CTL) responses compared with lipopolysaccharide (LPS) ‐stimulated SDCs. The LNFPIII‐activated SDCs had altered co‐stimulatory molecule expression compared with LPS‐stimulated SDCs, while the levels of SDC chemokines following activation by either compound were similar. LNFPIII‐activated SDCs produced significantly lower levels of interleukin‐12 but surprisingly higher levels of interleukin‐6 than LPS‐activated SDCs. Similar to previous studies using bone‐marrow‐derived DCs, LNFPIII‐activated SDCs induced strong Th2 responses in vivo and ex vivo. LNFPIII activation of APCs was independent of the Toll‐interleukin‐1 receptor adaptor myeloid differentiating factor 88. Importantly, LNFPIII‐matured DCs induced CD8+ memory and effector CTL responses similar to those driven by LPS‐matured DCs, including the frequency of interferon‐γ‐producing CD8+ T cells and induction of CTL effectors. Treatment of APCs by the anti‐inflammatory glycan LNFPIII did not impair their ability to drive CD8+ effector and memory cell‐mediated immunity.
Using attachment theory to inform the design and delivery of mental health services: a systematic review of the literature.

PURPOSE The aim of this review was to propose and describe the design and delivery of an attachment-informed general mental health service. METHOD We systematically searched the PsycINFO, MEDLINE, Web of Knowledge, COPAC, CINAHL, and Science Direct databases from 1960 to 2013. We also searched reference lists of relevant papers and directly contacted authors in the field. Literature describing attachment theory and its applicability in designing and delivering general mental health services was synthesized using thematic analysis. Papers published in English, books or chapters in edited books that described applying attachment theory in designing and delivering mental health services for adults and adolescents were included in the review. Of the 1,105 articles identified, 14 met inclusion criteria for the review. Eight key themes, and four subthemes, were extracted and organized to reflect the experience of a service user moving through the mental health system. RESULTS Key themes extracted were as follows: service policy and evaluation; referrals; assessment and formulation; intervention; support for staff; support for carers; moving on; and potential service benefits. Papers reviewed suggested that service users with severe mental health problems have attachment needs that should be met in general mental health services. CONCLUSIONS Attachment theory provides a useful framework to inform the design and delivery of general mental health services. The resource implications for services are discussed, as are limitations of the review and recommendations for future research. PRACTITIONER POINTS Attachment theory should be used to inform the design and delivery of general mental health services. Mental health services should evaluate the extent to which they meet service users' attachment needs. Attachment-informed mental health services should assess outcomes, including cost-effectiveness over time. Papers included in this review focus on long-stay residential care or secure services and there is a limited experimental evidence base to show that providing an attachment-informed service improves patient outcomes.
Outcome Following Intrastriatal Fetal Mesencephalic Grafts for Parkinson's Patients Is Directly Related to the Volume of Grafted Tissue

The effect of varying the volume of grafted fetal mesencephalic tissue was studied in patients with idiopathic Parkinson's disease in a single-blinded study. Evaluations were performed according to the Core Assessment Program for Intracerebral Transplantation and videotaped both prior to transplantation and in 3-month intervals after transplantation. One group, low-volume grafts (six subjects; mean age, 57.2 years), received ventral mesencephalon grafts from one to two donors with an approximate volume up to 20 mm3, while the second group, high-volume grafts (seven subjects; mean age, 59.5 years), received ventral mesencephalon grafts from three or more donors with an approximate volume of 24 mm3. Both groups of patients demonstrated significant improvement over presurgical baseline scores on all major parameters. The high-volume group had significantly greater improvements on all the UPDRS scores and also better performance on a variety of motor performance tasks over that seen among low-volume patients. These results indicate that variations of fetal graft volume do have an impact on clinical outcome.
Changes in the Ca2+-Activated K+ Channels of the Coronary Artery During Left Ventricular Hypertrophy

Abstract— It has been suggested that impairment of smooth muscle cell (SMC) function by alterations in the Ca2+-activated K+ (KCa) channels accounts for the reduction in coronary reserve during left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH). However, this hypothesis has not been fully investigated. The main goal of this study was to assess whether the properties of KCa channels in coronary SMCs were altered during LVH. In patch-clamp experiments, the whole-cell currents of the KCa channels were reduced during LVH. The unitary current amplitude and open probability for the KCa channels were significantly reduced in LVH patches compared with control patches. The concentration-response curve of the KCa channel to [Ca2+]i was shifted to the right. Inhibition of the KCa channels by tetraethylammonium (TEA) was more pronounced in LVH cells than in control cells. Western blot analysis indicated no differences in KCa channel expression between the control and LVH coronary SM membranes. In contraction experiments, the effect of high K+ concentration on the resting tension of the LVH coronary artery was greater than on that of the control. The effect of TEA on the resting tension of the LVH coronary artery was reduced compared with the effect on the control. Our findings imply a novel mechanism for reduced coronary reserve during LVH.
Value Co-creation Mechanism in Software Product Innovation: a Case Study of Seeyon Internet Company

Software product innovation is increasingly emphasizing the importance of users’ participation. But most of the literature regards users as followers of software suppliers. It is rarely discussed in the context of users having the ability to provide and promote information products and services. The paper used the case study method to summarize the product innovation process of Seeyon Internet Company and analyze the value creation mechanism. The paper found that the value creation in the two stages of platform tool support and using, maintenance and feedback followed the service-dominant logic, while in the two stages of self-building system and improvement, releasing and promotion followed the user-dominant logic. The theoretical contribution of the research was to propose a value co-creation process and to clarify the new roles and value creation mechanism of users and suppliers. The management significance of the research was to provide a new perspective for the information system enterprises to practice the product innovation model. Keywords—product innovation; value co-creation; servicedominant logic; user-dominant logic; Seeyon Internet
Early determination of mode decision for HEVC

In this paper, we propose a fast decision method scheme to reduce encoder complexity of high efficiency video coding. It is an early detection of SKIP mode in one CU-level based on the differential motion vector (DMV) and coded block flag (CBF). Experimental results show that the encoding complexity can be reduced by up to 34.55% in random access (RA) configuration and 36.48% in low delay (LD) configuration with only a little bit of rate increment compared to the high efficiency video coding test model (HM) 4.0 reference software.
The AP-1 site is required for basal expression but is not necessary for TPA-response of the human stromelysin gene

We have studied the activity of the AP-1 site, a target for the Fos and Jun family of transcription factors, in the context of the human stromelysin promoter (-1303 to +4). In transiently transfected human HepG2, HeLa and fibroblast cell cultures, point-mutations in any position of the stromelysin AP-1 sequence TGAGTCA (-70 to -64) reduced both the basal level and TPA-induced expression from the stromelysin promoter. TPA-induction fold of the mutant promoters, however, was comparable to that of the wild-type promoter. Similarly, antisense c-Fos mRNA expression reduced basal activity but had no significant effect on the relative TPA-response of the stromelysin promoter. Further, in mouse F9 cells cotransfected with c-Fos and c-Jun expression plasmids, the transfected wild-type stromelysin promoter activity was increased 57-fold whereas no transactivation was detected for an AP-1 mutant stromelysin promoter. In gelshift assays, stromelysin promoter fragments (-101 to -11), containing the mutated AP-1 site, all failed to bind or compete for the in vitro synthesized Fos and Jun proteins. We interpret these data to suggest that the Fos and Jun proteins, or similar activity, and the AP-1 site are required for the basal level expression of the human stromelysin gene. Strikingly, these data also suggest that the stromelysin AP-1 site is not necessary for the TPA-response.
Ivy Loop Wiring: A Useful Form of Endotracheal Tube Stabilization in Burn Patients

The stabilization of endotracheal tubes in the burn population presents many problems. Access to the face for dressings, debridements, and the use of topical antimicrobials prevent adequate stabilization of the endotracheal tube with commonly used methods. Conventional methods have an increased risk of shifting, which can lead to injury to the friable burned tissue or unplanned extubation. To prevent these complications, alternative methods using the dentition to stabilize the endotracheal tube have been described. Here, we present our technique of using Ivy loops to secure the endotracheal tube. It is a simple method with low complications that provides a strong stabilization of the tube while giving access to the face.
Quantitative assay of the lytic action of immune lymphoid cells on 51-Cr-labelled allogeneic target cells in vitro; inhibition by isoantibody and by drugs.

The in vitro cytotoxic effect of spleen cells of mice immunized by tumour allografts was studied by measuring target cell inactivation as a function of release of radioactive label (51Cr) or loss of cloning efficiency. When sensitized lymphoid cells were incubated with target cells at a ratio of 100:1, up to 90 per cent of the incorporated label was released within 6–9 hours, while the number of clone-forming cells was reduced by up to 99 per cent in the same time period. Isoantiserum from the graft recipients, as well as its 19S and 7S fractions, protected target cells against the toxic effect of the spleen cells, but a lipoprotein antigen isolated from the tumour cells failed to inhibit the cytotoxic reaction. Target cell lysis as measured by specific release of 51Cr was partially inhibited by actinomycin-D and by cycloheximide at concentrations which effectively blocked DNA-dependent RNA and protein synthesis.
Do Phosphine Resistance Genes Influence Movement and Dispersal Under Starvation?

ABSTRACT Phosphine resistance alleles might be expected to negatively affect energy demanding activities such as walking and flying, because of the inverse relationship between phosphine resistance and respiration. We used an activity monitoring system to quantify walking of Rhyzopertha dominica (F.) and a flight chamber to estimate their propensity for flight initiation. No significant difference in the duration of walking was observed between the strongly resistant, weakly resistant, and susceptible strains of R. dominica we tested, and females walked significantly more than males regardless of genotype. The walking activity monitor revealed no pattern of movement across the day and no particular time of peak activity despite reports of peak activity of R. dominica and Tribolium castaneum (Herbst) under field conditions during dawn and dusk. Flight initiation was significantly higher for all strains at 28°C and 55% relative humidity than at 25, 30, 32, and 35°C in the first 24 h of placing beetles in the flight chamber. Food deprivation and genotype had no significant effect on flight initiation. Our results suggest that known resistance alleles in R. dominica do not affect insect mobility and should therefore not inhibit the dispersal of resistant insects in the field.
Synthesis of reflection-type phase modulator with constant group time delay using cascading dipoles

Based on dispersion engineering of the electric dipoles, we design a tunable reflection-type phase modulator(PM) with constant group delay time(GDT). The PM is demonstrated a high coupling efficiency and good linear phase reflective response in 8.4–11.4GHz. The time-domain response is also analyzed, which presents a coherent result with frequency responses. The PM can be used to design achromatic components. Transmission-type phase modulator also can be designed with same method.
Effects of transdermal tulobuterol on dyspnea and respiratory function during exercise in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

BACKGROUND Poor exercise tolerability is a major barrier to improving the quality of life of patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Although COPD is often treated with long-acting β2 adrenergic agonists, few studies have examined their effects on exercise tolerability. METHODS In this study, Japanese COPD patients were treated with 2 mg transdermal tulobuterol, a long-acting β2 agonist, once daily for 4 weeks. Spirometry and exercise tests were conducted at baseline and at the end of treatment. The patients conducted constant load (30 W for 5 min) and incremental load (starting at 10 W and increasing by 10 W every 1 min for 5 min to a maximum load of 50 W) exercise tests on a cycle ergometer. RESULTS Thirteen patients with stable COPD participated in this study (mean age ± standard deviation (SD), 69.5±9.7 years; smoking history 55.9±27.8 pack-years). Resting spirometric parameters were unchanged at the end of treatment. The maximum Borg scale for dyspnea and the Borg scale slope (BSS) decreased significantly from baseline to the end of treatment. The threshold load of dyspnea (TLD) increased slightly, although not significantly, in the constant load test but not in the incremental load test. There were no changes in respiratory parameters during exercise after treatment. CONCLUSIONS In conclusion, we found that treatment with transdermal tulobuterol for 4 weeks improved self-assessed dyspnea in Japanese COPD patients during constant and incremental exercise tests. This improvement in dyspnea may encourage patients to perform daily life activities or regular physical activity.
Research and implementation of visualization techniques for 3D explosion fields

The visualization of scalar data in 3D explosion fields was devised to solve the problems of the complex physical and the huge data in numerical simulation of explosion mechanics problems. For enhancing the explosion effects and reducing the impacts of image analysis, the adjustment coefficient was added into original Phong illumination model. A variety of accelerated volume rendering algorithm and multithread technique were used to realize the fast rendering and real-time interactive control of 3D explosion fields. Cutaway view was implemented, so arbitrary section of 3D explosion fields can be seen conveniently. Slice can be extracted along three axes of 3D explosion fields, and the value at an arbitrary point on the slice can be gained. The experiment results show that the volume rendering acceleration algorithm can generate high quality images and can increase the speed of image generating, while achieve interactive control quickly.
The Leachability Propensity of El-Lajjun Jordanian Oil Shale Ash

This work reports the leachability of heavy metals and major anions from Jordanian spent oil shale after combustion. Oil shale samples were combusted at temperatures of 550C, 650C, 750C and 850C. Characterization of the produced solid ash was performed based on XRD analyses. Leaching tests on the ash samples were conducted for different periods of time. Experimental results indicate that the level of heavy metals such as Cd, Pb, Zn, Cu, Cr in the leachate is below the maximum levels set by the Environmental Protection Authority (EPA). For instance, the maximum level of Cd measured in the leachate solution was 0.14 ppm, which is below the EPA limit. Results also indicate that even though the level of heavy metals in all samples was below the EPA limits, yet the level of heavy metals increases as the temperature of the ashing process increases. The effect of ashing temperature on ash cation exchange capacity (CEC) and the pH of ash solution were studied and found to increase with increasing ashing temperature.