Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Breeding system evolution influenced the geographic expansion and diversification of the core Corvoidea (Aves: Passeriformes)

Birds vary greatly in their life‐history strategies, including their breeding systems, which range from brood parasitism to a system with multiple nonbreeding helpers at the nest. By far the most common arrangement, however, is where both parents participate in raising the young. The traits associated with parental care have been suggested to affect dispersal propensity and lineage diversification, but to date tests of this potential relationship at broad temporal and spatial scales have been limited. Here, using data from a globally distributed group of corvoid birds in concordance with state‐dependent speciation and extinction models, we suggest that pair breeding is associated with elevated speciation rates. Estimates of transition between breeding systems imply that cooperative lineages frequently evolve biparental care, whereas pair breeders rarely become cooperative. We further highlight that these groups have differences in their spatial distributions, with pair breeders overrepresented on islands, and cooperative breeders mainly found on continents. Finally, we find that speciation rates appear to be significantly higher on islands compared to continents. These results imply that the transition from cooperative breeding to pair breeding was likely a significant contributing factor facilitating dispersal across tropical archipelagos, and subsequent world‐wide phylogenetic expansion among the core Corvoidea.
Translating Science into Survival: Report on the Third International Cancer Immunotherapy Conference

On September 6 to 9, 2017, in Mainz, Germany, the Third International Cancer Immunotherapy Conference was hosted jointly by the Cancer Research Institute, the Association for Cancer Immunotherapy, the European Academy of Tumor Immunology, and the American Association for Cancer Research. For the third straight year, more than 1,400 people attended the four-day event, which covered the latest advances in cancer immunology and immunotherapy. This report provides an overview of the main topics discussed. Cancer Immunol Res; 6(1); 10–13. ©2017 AACR.
ECONOMIC VALUE ADDED AND MARKET VALUE ADDED - MODERN INDICATORS FOR ASSESSMENT THE FIRM’S VALUE

The financial theory developed different categories of indicators - traditional and modern - in order to evaluate the firm’s value creation. The shareholders are directly interested by the value added in the company. The value creation is a complex process that implies correct decisions, common responsibility (managers and shareholders) and actions towards an efficient and profitable activity. The traditional indicators of performance are not teoritically correlated with the the value creation and in these circumstances, should be used appropriate financial indicators in order to reflect the value of the company. Therefore, the modern indicators used in the value based management framework offer a greater flexibility and efficiency and represent a good alternative for companies. Such performance indicators used to measure the financial results correlated with shareholder wealth are the Economic Value Added (EVA), as a measure of internal performance and the Market Value Added (MVA) as a measure of external performance of the company. Starting from the main deficiencies of the accounting indicators, the objective of this this study is to present the relationship between EVA and MVA and their implications on firms’valuation. Thus, the presentation and analysis of these indicators – EVA and MVA - will underline the main features, their correlations, and influence factors but also the main advantage and disadvantage of each indicator, which will enable the managers to make the correct choice and subsequently the best decision regarding the performance measures.
Early postmenopausal hormone therapy improves postural balance

Objective: Postmenopausal hormone therapy (HT) results in more substantial reductions in the risk of hip fracture when initiated sooner rather than later after menopause. We studied the effects of postmenopausal HT on the postural balance of postmenopausal women, with further assessment according to the time since they achieved menopause. Design: One hundred women with a mean age of 52.5 years (91 evaluable) were randomly and blindly assigned to either a sequential estradiol-norethisterone acetate regimen or placebo for 3 months, after which all participants received open HT for a further 3 months. Postural balance was assessed as sway velocity using a force platform. Results: After 3 months of HT, sway velocity had improved (decreased) from baseline by 7.0% (P = 0.007 vs baseline and P = 0.038 vs placebo). Continued HT for 6 months further improved sway velocity by 12% from baseline (P < 0.0001) to reach values similar to those historically found in younger women or in postmenopausal women after long-term HT. Closer proximity to menopause and more pronounced increases in serum estradiol values were associated with stronger improvements in sway velocity (P = 0.018 for interaction). HT also improved dizziness (P = 0.016 vs baseline and 0.022 vs placebo). (Nonparametric statistics are used throughout, except for analyses of interaction and dizziness.) Conclusions: Initiation of HT soon after menopause rapidly improved postural balance to levels normally seen in young women. We suggest that improved postural balance can contribute to the protection against fractures associated with HT and explain the more substantial reduction in hip fracture risk after HT initiated sooner, compared with later, after menopause. Further study is required to confirm these results.
Efficacy of combination therapy with angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor and calcium channel blocker in hypertension

Introduction: There are few clinical trials that provide evidence to support the hypothesis that combined therapies offer a favorable risk–benefit ratio in the reduction of cardiovascular mortality and morbidity. Combined therapies containing an angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor (ACEI) with a calcium channel blocker (CCB) is one of the recommended combinations in the reappraisal of the European Society of Hypertension. Areas covered: The authors have performed a systematic review of the available clinical evidence on the use of combined therapies containing an ACEI with a CCB versus other combinations in the management of arterial hypertension (HT) and in the reduction of cardiovascular morbidity/mortality, according to recommendations of The Cochrane Handbook for Systematic Reviews of Interventions. They identified 122 potentially relevant studies. Of these, 38 included combined therapies in one or both treatment arms. Overall, a total of 12 publications were retrieved from the search and provided data on the effects of the combined therapy with an ACEI and a CCB on cardiovascular mortality/morbidity in patients with HT. Clinical evidence corresponds to three double-blind clinical trials: ASCOT-BPLA, ACCOMPLISH and Syst-EUR. Expert opinion: The analysis demonstrates the superiority of the combined therapy with ACEI/CCB not only in the overall population included in the studies but also in subsets of patients with a high cardiovascular risk such as diabetes and chronic kidney disease.
Rolling Bearing Fault Diagnosis Method Based on EEMD Permutation Entropy and Fuzzy Clustering

In order to improve the precision of rolling bearing fault diagnosis, this paper puts forward a method for rolling bearing fault diagnosis based on EEMD permutation entropy and fuzzy clustering. Firstly, it sets normal and damage acoustic emission signals of rolling bearing inner ring by using EEMD algorithm, to obtain several intrinsic mode function (IMF) components, and then extracts the permutation entropy as the signal eigenvalue in sensitive IMF of reflecting signal characteristic, then it can conduct the fault identification and classification in fuzzy clustering analysis. The experimental results show that the method can be effectively applied to rolling bearing fault diagnosis, and it has higher diagnosis accuracy.
Framing and Minimum Levels in Public Good Provision

Using a laboratory experiment in the field, we examine how the choice architecture of framing a social dilemma – give to or take from a public good – interacts with a policy intervention that enforces a minimum contribution level to the public good. We find that cooperation is significantly higher in the give frame than in the take frame in our standard public goods experiment. When a minimum contribution level is introduced, contributions are significantly higher in the take frame since contributions are crowded out in the give frame but crowded in in the take frame. Our results therefore stress the importance of choosing the frame when making policy recommendations.
Classification of surface electromyographic signal using fuzzy logic for prosthesis control application

This paper describes the classification stage of an electromyographic (EMG) control system for prosthetic hand application. Moving ApEn was used as main method to extract features from the two channels of surface EMG signal at the forearm of the upper limb. A fuzzy logic system is used to classify the extracted information in discriminating the final grip posture. The results demonstrate the ability of the system to classify the information related to different grip postures.
A randomised trial of the effect of the glycine reuptake inhibitor Org 25935 on cognitive performance in healthy male volunteers

Cognitive impairment is integral to many neurological illnesses. Specific enhancement of glutamatergic transmission may improve memory and learning. Org 25935 increases the synaptic availability of glycine, an obligate co‐agonist with glutamate at N‐methyl‐d‐aspartate receptors. We hypothesised that Org 25935 would acutely improve the learning and memory of healthy volunteers.
Multiplexing and Diversity Gains in Noncoherent Massive MIMO Systems

We consider a noncoherent uplink and downlink with a large antenna array at the base station. The modulation used is ON–OFF keying, with symbol-by-symbol single-user detection. A ray tracing propagation model is assumed with knowledge at the base station and transmitters of only the ray arrival angles and amplitudes. We identify the sources of performance degradation, quantify notions of diversity gain (related to the detection error performance) and multiplexing gain (related to the number of users simultaneously supported), and present numerical results to demonstrate these gains. Our results indicate that in this noncoherent system, increasing the number of antenna elements can support multiple users, with a vanishing probability of detection error, as long as the number of users is below a certain threshold which increases with the number of antennas. This contrasts with the fact that in a rich scattering propagation environment, uncoded noncoherent systems performing symbol-by-symbol detection cannot support more than one user with a vanishing probability of error.
A Norm Approach for the Partitioned EDF Scheduling of Sporadic Task Systems

In this paper, we propose a new approach for the partitioned Earliest Deadline First (EDF) scheduling of sporadic task systems. We consider the case of constrained task deadlines where the deadlines of the tasks are less than or equal to their periods. We introduce the concept of the EDF norm, for defining the space of WCET values that result in schedulable systems given fixed periods and relative deadlines. Based on this concept, it is possible to derive a necessary and sufficient feasibility condition to check whether EDF scheduling is valid for a given partitioning. The EDF norm has interesting convexity properties that permit using a Linear Programming approach to reduce the number of points at which the EDF norm needs to be checked. From the EDF norm, we derive a new Worst Fit Decreasing partitioning heuristic and compare its performance with two existing partitioning heuristics based on density partitioning and demand bound function approximation. We then compare the performance of the heuristic in terms of the resource augmentation paradigm.
A Novel Wideband Bandpass Power Divider With Harmonic-Suppressed Ring Resonator

A simple stub-loaded ring resonator is presented as a novel wideband bandpass power divider with good in-band responses and out-of-band harmonic suppression. The first two resonances of the ring resonator are excited and employed to construct a wideband passband. By adjusting the length of loaded open stubs, four transmission zeros can be generated in the lower and upper stopbands. After installing three coupled-line sections at one input port and two output ports along the ring, additional two in-band poles and one upper-stopband transmission zero are further introduced. Subsequently, total five transmission zeros are utilized to improve the passband selectivity and suppress the high-order harmonic. In addition, a single resistor is properly placed between two output ports to ensure the isolation. Finally, a prototype power divider is fabricated and verified experimentally with attractive bandpass features.
Viral Oncolysis That Targets Raf-1 Signaling Control of Nuclear Transport

ABSTRACT The central role of Raf protein kinase isoforms in human cancer demands specific anti-Raf therapeutic inhibitors. Parvoviruses are currently used in experimental cancer therapy due to their natural oncotropism and lytic life cycle. In searching for mechanisms underlying parvovirus oncolysis, we found that trimers of the major structural protein (VP) of the parvovirus minute virus of mice (MVM), which have to be imported into the nucleus for capsid assembly, undergo phosphorylation by the Raf-1 kinase. Purified Raf-1 phosphorylated the capsid subunits in vitro to the two-dimensional pattern found in natural MVM infections. VP trimers isolated from mammalian cells translocated into the nucleus of digitonin-permeabilized human cells. In contrast, VP trimers isolated from insect cells, which are devoid of Raf-1, were neither phosphorylated nor imported into the mammalian nucleus. However, the coexpression of a constitutively active Raf-1 kinase in insect cells restored VP trimer phosphorylation and nuclear transport competence. In MVM-infected normal and transformed cells, Raf-1 inhibition resulted in cytoplasmic retention of capsid proteins, preventing their nuclear assembly and progeny virus maturation. The level of Raf-1 activity in cancer cells was consistent with the extent of VP specific phosphorylation and with the permissiveness to MVM infection. Thus, Raf-1 control of nuclear translocation of MVM capsid assembly intermediates provides a novel target for viral oncolysis. MVM may reinforce specific therapies against frequent human cancers with deregulated Raf signaling.
Activity‐regulated gene expression in immature neurons in the dentate gyrus following re‐exposure to a cocaine‐paired environment

Intense craving for drug and relapse are observed in addicts who are exposed to environmental stimuli associated with drug‐taking behavior even after long periods of abstinence. The hippocampus is a brain region known to be involved in contextual processing, taking place predominantly in the septal hippocampus, and emotional processing, taking place predominantly in the temporal hippocampus. Conditioned place preference is an animal model of context‐conditioned reward. The dentate gyrus is a hippocampal sub‐region particularly important for the acquisition of cocaine‐induced place preference and is a site of continuous neurogenesis, which has been implicated in the vulnerability to drug‐taking behavior. Therefore, these experiments explored the role of newly generated neurons in drug reward‐context association by examining the activation, as determined by expression of the immediate early gene cfos, of young and mature granule cells in the septal and temporal dentate gyrus of adult rats that were re‐exposed to a drug‐paired environment following the development of cocaine place preference. The overall level of cfos expression was increased in both the septal and temporal dentate gyrus of animals that developed place preference and were re‐exposed to the drug paired environment compared with re‐exposure to a neutral environment. Overall level of neurogenesis, as detected by the S‐phase marker 5′‐bromo‐2′‐deoxyuridine (BrdU) and the immature neuron marker doublecortin (DCX), was unaltered by cocaine conditioning. However, the number of activated new neurons (DCX + cfos) was greater in the temporal dentate gyrus of cocaine‐conditioned rats re‐exposed to the drug‐paired environment as compared to those re‐exposed to a neutral environment. Further understanding of the role of dentate gyrus neurogenesis on the conditioned effects of drugs of abuse may provide new insights into the role of this process in the expression of addictive behaviors. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Computationally effective stereovision SLAM

In this paper a visual Simultaneous Localization and Mapping (SLAM) algorithm suitable for indoor area measurement applications is proposed. The algorithm is focused on computational effectiveness. The only sensor used is a stereo camera placed onboard a moving robot. The algorithm processes the acquired images calculating the depth of the scenery, detecting occupied areas and progressively building a map of the environment. The stereo vision-based SLAM algorithm embodies a custom-tailored stereo correspondence algorithm, the robust scale and rotation invariant feature detection and matching Speeded Up Robust Features (SURF) method, a computationally effective v-disparity image calculation scheme, a novel map-merging module, as well as a sophisticated Cellular Automata (CA)-based enhancement stage. The proposed algorithm is suitable for autonomously mapping and measuring indoor areas using robots. The algorithm is presented and experimental results for self-captured image sets are provided and analyzed.
High quantity but limited quality in healthcare applications intended for HIV-infected patients.

OBJECTIVE The aim of this study was to evaluate, through the creation of a specific questionnaire, the information quality in mobile applications (apps) aimed at human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-infected patients. We also established a quality rating and identified the main strengths and weaknesses of this kind of health app. MATERIALS AND METHODS Smartphone apps specifically related to HIV/acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) were searched. We conducted a key word search with the terms "HIV," "AIDS," and "acquired immune deficiency syndrome" in the Apple™ (Cupertino, CA) App Store and the Android™ Google™ (Mountain View, CA) Play Store. A questionnaire was developed based on the different quality recommendations for health apps up to December 2012. The recommendations consulted were as follows: the Happtique Health App Certification Program, the Food and Drug Administration (Mobile Medical Applications), and recommendations for the design, use, and evaluation of health apps of the Agency of Health Quality in Andalusia. A group of 17 experts assessed the importance of the different sections by using a Delphi method. RESULTS In total, 41 health apps were analyzed. Only one app (2.4%), called in Practice HIV, approached class A. The remaining were classed as follows: 2 (4.9%) class B, 1 (2.4%) class C, 5 (12.2%) class D and E, and 27 (65.9%) class F (not exceeding minimum criteria). The design and the relevance were highlighted among the strengths. The main areas for improvement are provision of services and confidentiality in addition to privacy policies. CONCLUSIONS The quality of the revised apps is limited. Only one app complied with the excellence criteria, and over 50% of the apps did not exceed minimum quality standards. The worst rated aspects were political advertising and logical security.
Ribotyping of coagulase-negative staphylococci with special emphasis on intraspecific typing of Staphylococcus epidermidis

Coagulase-negative staphylococci (CoNS), particularly Staphylococcus epidermidis, are increasingly being recognized as opportunistic pathogens. They are often multiply antibiotic resistant and can cause nosocomial outbreaks. For clinical and epidemiological reasons, accurate species identification and typing are imperative. Ribotyping, i.e., the generation of characteristic fragment patterns by hybridization of restriction endonuclease fragments of total DNA with labeled standard rRNA from Escherichia coli, has been applied to CoNS for species identification by various investigators. The present study, involving 115 randomly collected clinical isolates of CoNS, provides ambiguous evidence with respect to those findings. Eighty six S. epidermidis strains were ribotyped intraspecifically. Eleven different ribotypes were found after digestion with EcoRI, and 10 were found with HindIII. A combination of the two restriction endonucleases resulted in an increase in the discriminatory power (DP) from 14.3 to 31.6%. A combination of ribotyping with biotyping raised the DP to a maximum of 48.6%. The reproducibility of ribotyping was 100% after greater than 400 generations of growth. No correlation between methicillin resistance and certain ribotypes among the S. epidermidis strains was observed. Ribotyping is considered a useful tool for the intraspecific typing of CoNS for epidemiological purposes. The DP can be increased by the use of additional restriction endonucleases.
Synthesis and Antiviral Properties of Novel Tetracyclic Nucleoside Inhibitors of Hepatitis C NS5B Polymerase

As part of an ongoing medicinal chemistry effort to identify novel nucleoside inhibitors of HCV NS5B polymerase, we report the discovery of a novel series of 2′-C-Methyl-ribose nucleoside derivatives bearing a 7-aryl and 7-heteroaryl- substituted 7-deaza-adenine nucleobase. A reliable platform for the synthesis and simplified purification of the corresponding nucleoside triphosphates (NTPs) was established, enabling a solid understanding of the SAR relationship within the series. By this approach, we identified the novel analogs 13a and 13b that demonstrated micromolar levels of cellular activity, and the NTPs of which, 16a and 16b, are excellent inhibitors of NS5B with IC50 = 0.1 μM, a level of intrinsic potency similar to that of previous and current clinical candidates.
Sequence Based Structural Characterization and Genetic Diversity Analysis of Full Length TLR4 CDS in Crossbred and Indigenous Cattle

ABSTRACT The exploration of candidate genes for immune response in cattle may be vital for improving our understanding regarding the species specific response to pathogens. Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) is mostly involved in protection against the deleterious effects of Gram negative pathogens. Approximately 2.6 kb long cDNA sequence of TLR4 gene covering the entire coding region was characterized in two Indian milk cattle (Vrindavani and Tharparkar). The phylogenetic analysis confirmed that the bovine TLR4 was apparently evolved from an ancestral form that predated the appearance of vertebrates, and it is grouped with buffalo, yak, and mithun TLR4s. Sequence analysis revealed a 2526-nucleotide long open reading frame (ORF) encoding 841 amino acids, similar to other cattle breeds. The calculated molecular weight of the translated ORF was 96144 and 96040.9 Da; the isoelectric point was 6.35 and 6.42 in Vrindavani and Tharparkar cattle, respectively. The Simple Modular Architecture Research Tool (SMART) analysis identified 14 leucine rich repeats (LRR) motifs in bovine TLR4 protein. The deduced TLR4 amino acid sequence of Tharparkar had 4 different substitutions as compared to Bos taurus, Sahiwal, and Vrindavani. The signal peptide cleavage site predicted to lie between 16th and 17th amino acid of mature peptide. The transmebrane helix was identified between 635–657 amino acids in the mature peptide.