Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The steeply subducting edge of the Cocos Ridge: Evidence from receiver functions beneath the northern Talamanca Range, south‐central Costa Rica

The deep structure of the south‐central Costa Rican subduction zone has not been studied in great detail so far because large parts of the area are virtually inaccessible. We present a receiver function study along a transect of broadband seismometers through the northern flank of the Cordillera de Talamanca (south Costa Rica). Below Moho depths, the receiver functions image a dipping positive conversion signal. This is interpreted as the subducting Cocos Plate slab, compatible with the conversions in the individual receiver functions. In finite difference modeling, a dipping signal such as the one imaged can only be reproduced by a steeply (80°) dipping structure present at least until a depth of about 70–100 km; below this depth, the length of the slab cannot be determined because of possible scattering effects. The proposed position of the slab agrees with previous results from local seismicity, local earthquake tomography, and active seismic studies, while extending the slab location to greater depths and steeper dip angle. Along the trench, no marked change is observed in the receiver functions, suggesting that the steeply dipping slab continues until the northern flank of the Cordillera de Talamanca, in the transition region between the incoming seamount segment and Cocos Ridge. Considering the time predicted for the establishment of shallow angle underthrusting after the onset of ridge collision, the southern Costa Rican subduction zone may at present be undergoing a reconfiguration of subduction style, where the transition to shallow underthrusting may be underway but still incomplete.
Poroelastic Characteristics of Intervertebral Disc Under Intermittent Load

A poroelastic finite element model was developed to analyze the biomechanical characteristics of the human spine L4/L5 segment under continuous/intermittent loads,and the results were compared with those of a degenerated model under the same working conditions.The results showed that with the existence of the resting time,the deformation and the effective stress of the intervertebral disc decreased,while the pore pressure increased.Moreover,due to the increased stiffness and the decreased height and initial pore ratio of the degenerated disc,the changing rate of the pore pressure and the effective stress are faster than those of the healthy disc.
Extremal values of the Sackin balance index for rooted binary trees

Tree balance plays an important role in different research areas like theoretical computer science and mathematical phylogenetics. For example, it has long been known that under the Yule model, a pure birth process, imbalanced trees are more likely than balanced ones. Therefore, different methods to measure the balance of trees were introduced. The Sackin index is one of the most frequently used measures for this purpose. In many contexts, statements about the minimal and maximal values of this index have been discussed, but formal proofs have never been provided. Moreover, while the number of trees with maximal Sackin index as well as the number of trees with minimal Sackin index when the number of leaves is a power of 2 are relatively easy to understand, the number of trees with minimal Sackin index for all other numbers of leaves was completely unknown. In this manuscript, we fully characterize trees with minimal and maximal Sackin index and also provide formulas to explicitly calculate the number of such trees.
High resolution robust and smooth precision matrices to capture functional connectivity

Resting-state functional MRI (fMRI) provides a crucial insight into brain organization, by offering a mean to measure the functional connectivity between brain regions. A popular measure, the effective functional connectivity, is derived from the precision matrix obtained by inverting the correlations between brain regions fMRI signals. This approach has been widely adopted to build brain connectomes for large populations. For small populations and single fMRI scans, however, the significant amount of noise in the fMRI scans reduces the quality of the precision matrices, and the non-invertibility of the correlation matrices calls for more sophisticated precision estimators. These issues are especially dramatic at full brain resolution. In this work, we investigate several approaches to improve full resolution precision matrices derived from single fMRI scans. First, we compare three approaches for the computation of the correlation matrix. Then, we investigate two regularized inversions, in combination with a correlation shrinkage and two spatial smoothing strategies. During these experiments, the quality of precision matrices obtained for random fMRI half scans was measured by their generalization: their fit to the unseen time points. Our experiments, using ten high resolutions scans of the Human Connectome Project, indicate that correlation shrinkage strongly improves precision generalization. The two regularizations are associated with similar generalization. Smoothing the fMRI signal before the inversion deteriorates the generalization whereas a penalty directly improving the smoothness of the precision matrix can improve the generalization, in particular for short time series and in combination with shrinkage.
Keeping up with peers in India: A new social interactions model of perceived needs∗

We propose a new nonlinear model of social interactions. The model allows point identification of peer effects as a function of group means, even with group level fixed effects. The model is robust to measurement problems resulting from only observing a small number of members of each group, and therefore can be estimated using standard survey datasets. We apply our method to a national consumer expenditure survey dataset from India. We find that each additional rupee spent by one’s peer group increases one’s own perceived needs by roughly 0.5 rupees. This implies that if I and my peers each increase spending by 1 rupee, that has the same effect on my utility as if I alone increased spending by only 0.5 rupees. Our estimates have important policy implications, e.g., we show potentially considerable welfare gains from replacing government transfers of private goods with the provision of public goods.
Molecular Survey of Viral and Bacterial Causes of Childhood Diarrhea in Khartoum State, Sudan

Diarrheal disease is a major public health problem for children in developing countries. Knowledge of etiology that causes diarrheal illness is essential to implement public health measures to prevent and control this disease. Published studies regarding the situation of childhood diarrhea in Sudan is scanty. This study aims to investigate viral and bacterial etiology and related clinical and epidemiological factors in children with acute diarrhea in Khartoum State, Sudan. A total of 437 fecal samples were collected from hospitalized children <5 years old with acute diarrhea, viral and bacterial pathogens were investigated by using two-tube multiplex RT-PCR. The genotypes of adenovirus and bocavirus were determined by sequencing. Viral diarrhea was identified in 79 cases (62 single and 17 co-infections) (18%), and bacterial diarrhea in 49 cases (37 single and 12 co-infections) (11.2%). Mixed infections in both groups totaled 19 samples (4.3%) with more than one pathogen, they were viral co-infections (n = 7, 36.8%) bacterial co-infections (n = 2, 10.5%) and viral bacterial co-infection (n = 10, 52.6%). Rotavirus (10.2%) was predominantly detected, followed by norovirus G2 (4.0%), adenovirus (1.6%), bocavirus (1%), and norovirus G1 (0.9%). Infection with astrovirus was not detected in this study. The Shigella –Enteroinvasive E.coli (EIEC) (8.9%) was the predominantly found bacterial pathogen, followed by Vibrio parahaemolyticus (0.9%), enterohaemorrhagic E.coli (EHEC) –Enteropathogenic E. coli (EPEC) (0.6%) and Salmonella enteritidis (0.6%). V. cholerae, Yersinia enterocolitica and Campylobacter jejuni were not detected in this study. The phylogenetic tree identified adenovirus belonged to genotype 41 and bocavirus belonged to two different clades within human bocavirus 1. Our findings represent the first report that adenovirus 41 is a cause of diarrhea in Sudan and that human bocavirus 1 is the principal bocavirus strain circulating in Sudan. In conclusion, this is the first comprehensive report to elaborate the pathogen spectrum associated with childhood diarrhea in Khartoum State, Sudan. The results obtained in the present study highlighted the current epidemic situation, the diverse pathogens related to childhood diarrhea, and the importance and the urgency of taking appropriate intervention measures in Khartoum State, Sudan.
More or less likely to offend? Young adults with a history of identified developmental language disorders

Abstract Background There is now substantial literature demonstrating that a disproportionate number of young people who come into contact with youth justice services evidence unidentified language difficulties. These young people, therefore, have received little or no professional input in this area. Conversely, there is a dearth of research pertaining to criminality outcomes among those individuals with identified developmental language disorders (DLD) who have received such interventions. Aims To examine police‐initiated contact and substance use outcomes of young adults with a history of identified DLD versus age‐matched peers (AMP). Additionally, self‐reported rule breaking behaviours and aggression are considered. We hypothesize that early identification/intervention reduces engagement with risky behaviour such as substance and alcohol use as well as offending‐related behaviours. Methods & Procedures Adversarial police‐initiated contacts were examined in 84 young adults with a history of DLD and 88 AMP. Rule‐breaking and aggression were evaluated using the Achenbach Adult Self‐Report for ages 18–59 years. Outcomes & Results Adults with a history of DLD who received targeted intervention during their school years reported less contact with their local police service compared with AMPs at age 24. Comparable proportions of both groups reported current alcohol consumption, but group differences were found relating to alcohol use. No group differences in rule‐breaking behaviours were found, but the DLD group was found to have a statistically significant higher raw score on the aggressive behaviour scale. Conclusions & Implications There is a need for early identification of children with DLD. Early intervention aimed at ameliorating such difficulties could possibly have distal outcomes in relation to offending.
Microsystems of Recovery in Homeless Services: The Influence of Service Provider Values on Service Users’ Recovery Experiences

There is still much to learn about how aspects of the ecology of homelessness shape homeless adults' recovery experiences. In the present mixed-methods study, the relationship of service providers' work-related values to their service users' recovery experiences in the microsystem of homelessness were examined. Service providers completed semi-structured qualitative interviews about their service users, daily work activities, and work-related goals. At three time points, their service users completed quantitative measures of choice, mastery, and recovery in four life domains: physical health, psychiatric symptoms, substance use, and community integration. Service providers' interview transcripts were coded for three indicators of values: assumptions, actions, and end-states. Summative Content Analysis was used to transform qualitative codes into numeric data so they could be used to predict service users' recovery. In a series of growth curve models, the extent to which service providers' end-state values, as an indicator of consumer-led values, was shown to indirectly predict service users' recovery experiences, through their perceived choice and mastery. Findings confirm that providers' values are an important influence on service users' recovery. Results are discussed in terms of their implications for recovery-oriented theory and practice.
A minimal RNA ligand for potent RIG-I activation in living mice

Short stem-loop RNAs activate RIG-I in mice, activating the innate immune system via specific patterns of gene expression. We have developed highly potent synthetic activators of the vertebrate immune system that specifically target the RIG-I receptor. When introduced into mice, a family of short, triphosphorylated stem-loop RNAs (SLRs) induces a potent interferon response and the activation of specific genes essential for antiviral defense. Using RNA sequencing, we provide the first in vivo genome-wide view of the expression networks that are initiated upon RIG-I activation. We observe that SLRs specifically induce type I interferons, subsets of interferon-stimulated genes (ISGs), and cellular remodeling factors. By contrast, polyinosinic:polycytidylic acid [poly(I:C)], which binds and activates multiple RNA sensors, induces type III interferons and several unique ISGs. The short length (10 to 14 base pairs) and robust function of SLRs in mice demonstrate that RIG-I forms active signaling complexes without oligomerizing on RNA. These findings demonstrate that SLRs are potent therapeutic and investigative tools for targeted modulation of the innate immune system.
Proportion-Integral Power Control for Wireless Ad Hoc Networks

Power control plays an important role in wireless communications. However, most existing power control protocols are not efficient enough to be applied in real ad hoc network systems. In this paper, we propose PIPC (Proportion-Integral Power Control), a novel closed-loop power control algorithm that can be used in conjunction with any routing protocol as long as the routing table of a node provides enough knowledge of local network topology. PIPC adaptively adjusts the transmission power for each node through an improved version of the classical PID (Proportion-Integral-Differential) control. The topology derived under PIPC is also fed back to the routing table that is used as its input. Both theoretical analysis and simulation study show that PIPC has a good performance.
Predicting Cardiovascular Disease from Psychosocial Safety Climate: A Prospective Cohort Study from Australia

Cardiovascular Disease (CVD) is the most prevalent disease worldwide, which has been 17 linked to work stress because of poor job design as explained by the Job Demand-Control (JDC) 18 and the Effort-Reward Imbalance (ERI) models. In this paper we explore for the first time relative 19 impact of a specific aspect of organisational climate, Psychosocial Safety Climate (PSC), on any 20 CVD including angina, myocardial infarction, hypertension, and stroke. We used two waves of 21 interview data from Australia, with an average lag of 5 years (excluding baseline CVD, final n = 22 1223). Logistic regression was conducted to estimate the prospective associations between PSC at 23 baseline on incident CVD at follow-up. It was found that participants in low PSC environments 24 were 59% more likely to develop new CVD than those in high PSC environments. Logistic 25 regression showed that PSC at baseline predicts lower CVD risk at follow-up (OR = 0.98, 95% CI 26 0.96-1.00), and this risk remained unchanged even after joint adjustment for measures of ERI and 27 JDC. These results suggest that PSC is an independent risk factor for CVD in Australia. Beyond job 28 design this study implicates organisational climate and prevailing management values regarding 29 worker psychological health as the genesis of CVD. 30
A Novel Design of Pilot Aided Channel Estimation for MIMO-CDMA System

In order to estimate a fading channel characteristics, a pilot signal is propogated with traffic channel. Fading channel parameter estimation is of paramount importance as it may be utilized to design different equalization techniques. It may also be utilized to allocate weights of rake receiver to sturdiest multipaths as well as coherent reception and weighted combination of multipath constituents of wireless communication systems. In this paper, a pilot aided channel estimating technique for MIMO-CDMA systems is presented. This technique utilizes minimum mean squared error estimation of corrupted information in a flat fading channel along with noise. Simulation results predicts theoretical predictions are strongly validated for different values of SNR and users.
Level of VERNALIZATION 1 expression is correlated with earliness in extra early-flowering mutant wheat lines

Four extra early-flowering mutants, named extra early-flowering1 (exe1), exe2, exe3, and exe4, were identified in Triticum monococcum strain KU104-1 following heavy-ion beam mutagenesis. The four exe mutants fell into two groups, namely Type I (moderately extra early-flowering type; exe1 and exe3) and Type II (extremely extra early-flowering type; exe2 and exe4). Analysis of plant development in a growth chamber showed that the speed of leaf emergence was accelerated in exe mutants at the reproductive stage compared to wild-type (WT) plants. The speed of leaf emergence was faster in Type II than Type I plants. Analysis of VERNALIZATION 1 (VRN1), a flowering promoter gene, showed that it was more highly expressed in seedlings at early developmental stages in Type II mutants than Type I mutants. These findings indicate that the difference in earliness between Type I and Type II mutants is associated with the level of VRN1 expression. The original KU104-1 is an einkorn wheat strain that carries a null allele of the VRN2 gene, a repressor of flowering. Thus, our results indicate that the level of VRN1 expression controls earliness in exe mutants independently of VRN2.
Strain Mapping of Indented Zr-Based Bulk Metallic Glass Using Nano-Diffraction

The state-of-the-art nano-diffraction technique available at the P06 beamline of the synchrotron radiation source PETRA III was used to observe the strain distribution induced within bulk metallic glass by nano-indentation. Bulk metallic glass (BMG) with nominal composition Zr52.5Ti5Cu17. 9Ni14.6Al10 at. % was prepared by conventional copper mold injection casting. Using the Berkovich indenter a series of indents forming a line was introduced on to the polished surface of the BMG sample. It has been shown that spatially resolved matrix scans with a nanometer sized beam (600 × 600 nm2) can identify positions of the indents and quantitatively describe the strain state after nano-indentation.
It's not that Difficult: An Interrater Reliability Study of the DSM–5 Section III Alternative Model for Personality Disorders

ABSTRACT The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (5th ed. [DSM–5]; American Psychiatric Association, 2013) Section III Alternative Model for Personality Disorders (AMPD) represents a novel approach to the diagnosis of personality disorder (PD). In this model, PD diagnosis requires evaluation of level of impairment in personality functioning (Criterion A) and characterization by pathological traits (Criterion B). Questions about clinical utility, complexity, and difficulty in learning and using the AMPD have been expressed in recent scholarly literature. We examined the learnability, interrater reliability, and clinical utility of the AMPD using a vignette methodology and graduate student raters. Results showed that student clinicians can learn Criterion A of the AMPD to a high level of interrater reliability and agreement with expert ratings. Interrater reliability of the 25 trait facets of the AMPD varied but showed overall acceptable levels of agreement. Examination of severity indexes of PD impairment showed the level of personality functioning (LPF) added information beyond that of global assessment of functioning (GAF). Clinical utility ratings were generally strong. The satisfactory interrater reliability of components of the AMPD indicates the model, including the LPF, is very learnable.
Association of DNA Methylation-Based Biological Age With Health Risk Factors and Overall and Cause-Specific Mortality

Measures of biological age based on blood DNA methylation, referred to as age acceleration (AA), have been developed. We examined whether AA was associated with health risk factors and overall and cause-specific mortality. At baseline (1990-1994), blood samples were drawn from 2,818 participants in the Melbourne Collaborative Cohort Study (Melbourne, Victoria, Australia). DNA methylation was determined using the Infinium HumanMethylation450 BeadChip array (Illumina Inc., San Diego, California). Mixed-effects models were used to examine the association of AA with health risk factors. Cox models were used to assess the association of AA with mortality. A total of 831 deaths were observed during a median 10.7 years of follow-up. Associations of AA were observed with male sex, Greek nationality (country of birth), smoking, obesity, diabetes, lower education, and meat intake. AA measures were associated with increased mortality, and this was only partly accounted for by known determinants of health (hazard ratios were attenuated by 20%-40%). Weak evidence of heterogeneity in the association was observed by sex (P = 0.06) and cause of death (P = 0.07) but not by other factors. DNA-methylation-based AA measures are associated with several major health risk factors, but these do not fully explain the association between AA and mortality. Future research should investigate what genetic and environmental factors determine AA.
Maternal LSD1/KDM1A is an essential regulator of chromatin and transcription landscapes during zygotic genome activation

Upon fertilization, the highly specialised sperm and oocyte genomes are remodelled to confer totipotency. The mechanisms of the dramatic reprogramming events that occur have remained unknown, and presumed roles of histone modifying enzymes are just starting to be elucidated. Here, we explore the function of the oocyte-inherited pool of a histone H3K4 and K9 demethylase, LSD1/KDM1A during early mouse development. KDM1A deficiency results in developmental arrest by the two-cell stage, accompanied by dramatic and stepwise alterations in H3K9 and H3K4 methylation patterns. At the transcriptional level, the switch of the maternal-to-zygotic transition fails to be induced properly and LINE-1 retrotransposons are not properly silenced. We propose that KDM1A plays critical roles in establishing the correct epigenetic landscape of the zygote upon fertilization, in preserving genome integrity and in initiating new patterns of genome expression that drive early mouse development. DOI: http://dx.doi. org/10.7554/eLife.08851. 001
Progress and Challenges in Frontotemporal Dementia Research: A 20-Year Review

The landscape of frontotemporal dementia (FTD) has evolved remarkably in recent years and is barely recognizable from two decades ago. Knowledge of the clinical phenomenology, cognition, neuroimaging, genetics, pathology of the different subtypes of FTD, and their relations to other neurodegenerative conditions, has increased rapidly, due in part, to the growing interests into these neurodegenerative brain conditions. This article reviews the major advances in the field of FTD over the past 20 years, focusing primarily on the work of Frontier, the frontotemporal dementia clinical research group, based in Sydney, Australia. Topics covered include clinical presentations (cognition, behavior, neuroimaging), pathology, genetics, and disease progression, as well as interventions and carer directed research. This review demonstrates the improvement in diagnostic accuracy and capacity to provide advice on genetic risks, prognosis, and outcome. The next major challenge will be to capitalize on these research findings to develop effective disease modifying drugs, which are currently lacking.