Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Genetic variation and population structure of the mosquito Anopheles jeyporiensis in southern China

Genetic differentiation among populations of Anopheles jeyporiensis was examined using 76 mtDNA COII sequences from 16 sites throughout southern China and northern Vietnam. The COII sequences are AT‐rich (74.58%) and reveal high levels of diversity with 39 of 685 sites polymorphic and 50 different haplotypes present. Genetic variation is high within populations and significant geographical structure was detected at both population and regional levels. In the larger samples, the distributions of haplotypes suggest recent population expansion.
ROLE OF SEX AND MIGRATION IN ADAPTATION TO SINK ENVIRONMENTS

Understanding the effects of sex and migration on adaptation to novel environments remains a key problem in evolutionary biology. Using a single‐cell alga Chlamydomonas reinhardtii, we investigated how sex and migration affected rates of evolutionary rescue in a sink environment, and subsequent changes in fitness following evolutionary rescue. We show that sex and migration affect both the rate of evolutionary rescue and subsequent adaptation. However, their combined effects change as the populations adapt to a sink habitat. Both sex and migration independently increased rates of evolutionary rescue, but the effect of sex on subsequent fitness improvements, following initial rescue, changed with migration, as sex was beneficial in the absence of migration but constraining adaptation when combined with migration. These results suggest that sex and migration are beneficial during the initial stages of adaptation, but can become detrimental as the population adapts to its environment.
What works and what does not: Classifier and feature analysis for argument mining

This paper offers a comparative analysis of the performance of different supervised machine learning methods and feature sets on argument mining tasks. Specifically, we address the tasks of extracting argumentative segments from texts and predicting the structure between those segments. Eight classifiers and different combinations of six feature types reported in previous work are evaluated. The results indicate that overall best performing features are the structural ones. Although the performance of classifiers varies depending on the feature combinations and corpora used for training and testing, Random Forest seems to be among the best performing classifiers. These results build a basis for further development of argument mining techniques and can guide an implementation of argument mining into different applications such as argument based search.
[Functioning assessment in Brazilian health surveys: discussions about International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health-based tools].

IDepartamento de Fisioterapia, Universidade Federal do Ceará – Fortaleza (CE), Brasil. IIInstituto Federal de Educação, Ciência e Tecnologia do Rio de Janeiro – Rio de Janeiro (RJ), Brasil. IIISecretaria da Saúde da Prefeitura de Osasco – Osasco (SP), Brasil. IVDepartamento de Epidemiologia, Faculdade de Saúde Pública, Universidade de São Paulo – São Paulo (SP), Brasil. Autor correspondente: Shamyr Sulyvan de Castro. Universidade Federal do Ceará. Departamento de Fisioterapia. Rua Alexandre Baraúna, 949, 1o andar, Rodolfo Teófilo, CEP: 60430-160, Fortaleza, CE, Brasil. E-mail: shamyrsulyvan@gmail.com Conflito de interesses: nada a declarar – Fonte de financiamento: nenhuma. DOI: 10.1590/1980-5497201600030018
A quantitative study on the impact of opportunistic maintenance in the presence of time-varying costs

In production activities, external events (e.g. weather, low market prices) may provide some opportunities to do the preventive maintenance with reduced cost. Implementing an appropriate maintenance policy considering these opportunities can result a significant savings in total maintenance cost. This study focuses on developing a joint preventive and opportunistic maintenance strategy for a production system. The cost savings of opportunities is considered random with a time-varying distribution. A new approach for accepting (or rejecting) an arrived opportunity is also proposed based on minimizing the single-cycle cost rate. A Simulation - Optimization procedure is proposed to determine the optimal preventive maintenance time and acceptance of opportunities. The simulation results presented in this work show that the joint optimization of preventive and opportunistic maintenance can yield a significant cost savings.
Subfractionation of rat liver microsomes by immunoprecipitation and immunoadsorption methods.

Rabbit antisera were prepared against cytochrome b5 and NADPH-cytochrome c reductase [EC 1.6. 2.4] purified from rat liver microsomes, and utilized in examining the distribution of these and other membrane-bound enzymes among the vesicles of rat liver microsomal preparations by immunoprecipitation and immunoadsorption methods. Smooth microsomes with an average vesicular size of 200 nm (diameter) and sonicated smooth microsomes with an average diameter of 40-60 nm were used in subfractionation experiments. Immunoprecipitation of microsomal vesicles with anti-cytochrome b5 immunoglobulin failed to show any separation of the microsomes into fractions having different enzyme compositions. Cytochrome b5 was apparently distributed among all vesicles even when sonicated microsomes were used. When the antibody against NADPH-cytochrome c reductase was used, however, immunoadsorption of microsomes on Sepharose-bound antibody produced some separation of NADPH-cytochrome c reductase and cytochrome P-450 from NADH-cytochrome b5 reductase and cytochrome b5. The separation was more pronounced when sonicated microsomes were used. These results indicate microheterogeneity of the microsomal membrane, and suggest the clustering of NADPH-cytochrome c reductase and cytochrome P-450 molecules in the membrane.
Correlation of electron density changes with optical frequency shifts in optically injected semiconductor lasers

We have studied experimentally and theoretically the dynamics of electron density in a semiconductor laser subject to a wide range of optical injection strength. Within the locking bandwidth, three-dimensional injection locking stability maps were generated to present a complete picture of locking. Beyond the locking range, resonance frequency shifts were observed and systematically investigated. This phenomenon was successfully correlated with the variation of carrier density and theoretically verified.
Model reduction with guaranteed stability

Convex parameterization of stability domain in coefficient space has received much attention recently. Currently most advanced, LMI, parameterization lacks the way to determine its free parameter, the ¿central polynomial¿, in a good way. Recent papers proposed some better candidate for central polynomial compared to the original method. In this note we consider an application of convex parameterization of stability domain to ensure stability of polynomial during model reduction process. The main novelty of the note is in the way we choose the central polynomial and in the way we solve a linear semi-infinite programming problem with LMI constraints. We propose an iterative procedure to choose better central polynomial at each iteration, relaxing the stability constraints imposed on model reduction process in each iteration. Example is provided illustrating the effectiveness of the proposed procedure.
Measuring referencing practices

Instigated by the informal observation of what appeared to be an unusual pattern of referencing in a thematic set of review articles in a major journal, a series of bibliometric analyses were conducted. The analyses confirmed that review articles on topics that are generating high levels of research activity tend to have relatively voluminous bibliographies made up of a disproportionate number of citations to source materials of very recent vintage. This finding provided the opportunity to evaluate some new measures of referencing patterns. A hot-topic index (HTI) was developed that appears to possess heightened discriminative power and that offers the prospect of exploring some aspects of referencing practices that have previously been obscure
Characteristics comparison of Er-doped double-pass superfluorescent fiber sources pumped near 980 nm

The Er-doped superfluorescent fiber sources (SFS's) pumped near 980 mm in double-pass forward and backward configurations are compared for the first time. The results indicate that a double-pass backward SFS is superior to the forward counterpart in many aspects: higher output power at various lengths of erbium-doped fiber, better pump-power dependent mean wavelength stability, and larger linewidths at various fiber mirror reflectance.
Depletion of CoREST Does Not Improve the Replication of ICP0 Null Mutant Herpes Simplex Virus Type 1

ABSTRACT It has been proposed that the cellular corepressor protein CoREST is involved in repressing herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) infection in the absence of the viral regulatory protein ICP0. This proposal predicts that depletion of CoREST should improve the plaque-forming efficiency and replication of ICP0 null mutant virus. To test this hypothesis, human HepaRG cells that were highly depleted of CoREST were isolated using RNA interference technology. Depletion of CoREST had no effect on the replication of ICP0 null mutant HSV-1, demonstrating that CoREST does not play an influential role in regulating HSV-1 infection in this cell type.
Associations Between the Grade of Meibomian Gland Dysfunction and Dyslipidemia

Purpose: To examine the relationship between dyslipidemia and the severity of meibomian gland dysfunction (MGD). Methods: A prospective cohort study of 132 subjects with and 104 without MGD were recruited. A correlation between serum fasting lipids and MGD severity was performed. Results: Mean age for all candidates was 49.4 years; and 57% were women. In all, 42.9% had no MGD, 14.8% had grade 1 MGD, 17.4% had grade 2 MGD, and 23.7% had grade 3 MGD. High cholesterol was found in 37.1% of grade 1 MGD, 43.9% of grade 2 MGD, and 50% of grade 3 MGD. High triglyceride was found in 5.7% of grade 1, 14.6% of grade 2, and 39.3% of grade 3 patients. High low-density lipoprotein was found in 17.1% of grade 1, 29.3% of grade 2, and 35.7% of grade 3 patients. The mean age of the control group was 41.2 years; and 55.4% were women. High cholesterol was found in 42.3%, triglyceride in 7.7%, low-density lipoprotein in 23.1%, low high-density lipoprotein in 3.8%, and high high-density lipoprotein in 3.8%. Conclusions: Although the presence of MGD does not have any correlation with dyslipidemia, the prevalence of high triglyceride and low-density lipoprotein levels increases with the increasing severity of MGD. This might highlight the significance of monitoring fasting serum lipids due to its association with the potential correlation with the progression of MGD.
Mode-locked fiber laser gyroscope.

We describe a new form of an all-fiber-optic gyroscope that utilizes a fiber laser. The Sagnac interferometer is used as a loop reflector with a modulated reflectivity to produce actively mode-locked optical pulses. The rotation-induced phase shift is obtained from the timing shift of the pulses. Experimental results compare well with the theoretical predictions.
The Art of Multi-faceted Tagging - Interweaving Spatial Annotations, Categories, Meaningful URIs and Tags

In this paper we present TagMe! , a tagging and exploration front-end for Flickr images, which enables users to attach tag assignments to a specific area within an image and to categorize tag assignments. We analyze the differences between tags and categories and show how both facets can be applied to learn semantic relations between concepts referenced by tags and categories. TagMe! automatically maps tags and categories to DBpedia URIs to clearly define the meaning. In our experiments we compare different strategies to realize such semantic mappings and show that already lightweight approaches map tags and categories with high precisions (86.85% and 93.77% respectively). We further discuss how multi-faceted tagging helps to improve the retrieval of folksonomy entities. The TagMe! system is currently available at http://tagme.groupme. org
Clearance of Ascorbic Acid in Plasma in Patients Before Major Maxillofacial Surgery Compared With That in Volunteers

Reduced concentration of ascorbic acid (AA) in plasma is often observed in tumor patients. Besides malnutrition, an increased AA consumption in tumor patients is discussed as a main reason for reduced AA concentration in plasma. A reduced AA concentration caused by malnutrition would not influence the total clearance (Cltot) of AA in plasma; however, a change in AA consumption would alter the Cltot. To investigate this further, a study was carried out on 20 patients hospitalized for major maxillofacial surgery and 20 volunteers. The Cltotof AA in plasma after bolus injection of AA (4 mg/kg body wt) in tumor patients was compared with that in volunteers. AA concentration in plasma (P < 0.05) was significantly lower in tumor patients (median and 25th and 75th percentiles: 23.7, 14.6, and 32.7 μmol/l) than in volunteers (median and 25th and 75th percentiles: 66.5, 59.6, and 78.6 μmol/l). No significant change in Cltot was observed for tumor patients (median and 25th and 75th percentiles: 11.5, 8.0, and 14.0 l/h) compared with volunteers (median and 25th and 75th percentiles: 11.3, 9.9, and 13.2 l/h). No indication of an increased consumption of AA in tumor patients could be detected. The lowered concentration of AA in plasma observed in our patients might be the result of a reduced AA intake.
Analysis of Major Histocompatibility Complex (MHC) Immunopeptidomes Using Mass Spectrometry*

The myriad of peptides presented at the cell surface by class I and class II major histocompatibility complex (MHC) molecules are referred to as the immunopeptidome and are of great importance for basic and translational science. For basic science, the immunopeptidome is a critical component for understanding the immune system; for translational science, exact knowledge of the immunopeptidome can directly fuel and guide the development of next-generation vaccines and immunotherapies against autoimmunity, infectious diseases, and cancers. In this mini-review, we summarize established isolation techniques as well as emerging mass spectrometry-based platforms (i.e. SWATH-MS) to identify and quantify MHC-associated peptides. We also highlight selected biological applications and discuss important current technical limitations that need to be solved to accelerate the development of this field.
Clinical efficacy of web-based versus standard asthma self-management.

BACKGROUND Guided self-management is an important component of asthma care. Most trials have evaluated paper-based strategies. The effectiveness of new communication technologies remains uncertain. OBJECTIVES To compare the feasibility and clinical outcomes of a standard paper-based asthma self-management strategy with web-based strategies. METHODS In a crossover trial, 21 patients using inhaled corticosteroids and long-acting B2-agonists (mean [SD] age 29 [10] years) were randomly assigned to use a sequence of web-based and paper-based diary and action plan. Quality of life, asthma control, lung function, and airway inflammation were assessed using the Asthma Life Quality Questionnaire (ALQ), Asthma Control Questionnaire (ACQ-5), Mini Asthma Quality of Life Questionnaire (Mini AQLQ), and office spirometry. The ratio of forced expiratory volume in the first second of expiration (FEV1) to peak expiratory flow (PEF) rate (PiKo-1) and fraction of exhaled nitric oxide (FE(NO)) were monitored. The main clinical outcomes were asthma control and FE(NO). Quality of data and adherence to monitoring tools were the main process outcomes. RESULTS Significant improvements were observed in the AQL and ACQ scores, although lung function did not change. FE(NO) was significantly reduced only after a web-based strategy but a significant period effect occurred (P = .006). There were no differences in clinical outcomes between web-based and paper-based management. No intervention-related adverse effects were observed. Adherence seemed higher with the paper-based strategy (P < .001). However, paper data were unreliable when compared to automatic daily electronic FEV1/PEF records. Twelve patients were very interested in continuing self-management with the web-based approach compared with 2 in using paper tools (P = .002). CONCLUSIONS Web-based management was feasible, safe, and preferred by patients. Short-term outcomes were at least as good, and data quality was improved.
Search and Learn: On Dead-End Detectors, the Traps they Set, and Trap Learning

A key technique for proving unsolvability in classical planning are dead-end detectors ∆: effectively testable criteria sufficient for unsolvability, pruning (some) unsolvable states during search. Related to this, a recent proposal is the identification of traps prior to search, compact representations of non-goal state sets T that cannot be escaped. Here, we create new synergy across these ideas. We define a generalized concept of traps, relative to a given dead-end detector ∆, where T can be escaped, but only into dead-end states detected by ∆. We show how to learn compact representations of such T during search, extending the reach of ∆. Our experiments show that this can be quite beneficial. It improves coverage for many unsolvable benchmark planning domains and dead-end detectors ∆, in particular on resource-constrained domains where it outperforms the state of the art.
MODELLING THE RESPONSE OF VASCULAR TUMOURS TO CHEMOTHERAPY: A MULTISCALE APPROACH

An existing multiscale model is extended to study the response of a vascularised tumour to treatment with chemotherapeutic drugs which target proliferating cells. The underlying hybrid cellular automaton model couples tissue-level processes (e.g. blood flow, vascular adaptation, oxygen and drug transport) with cellular and subcellular phenomena (e.g. competition for space, progress through the cell cycle, natural cell death and drug-induced cell kill and the expression of angiogenic factors). New simulations suggest that, in the absence of therapy, vascular adaptation induced by angiogenic factors can stimulate spatio-temporal oscillations in the tumour's composition. Numerical simulations are presented and show that, depending on the choice of model parameters, when a drug which kills proliferating cells is continuously infused through the vasculature, three cases may arise: the tumour is eliminated by the drug; the tumour continues to expand into the normal tissue; or, the tumour undergoes spatio-tempor.
cis Retinol oxidation regulates photoreceptor access to the retina visual cycle and cone pigment regeneration

This study explores the nature of the cis retinol that Müller cells in the retina provide to cones for the regeneration of their visual pigment. We report that the retina visual cycle provides cones exclusively with 11‐cis chromophore in both salamander and mouse and show that this selectivity is dependent on the 11‐cis‐specific cellular retinaldehyde binding protein (CRALBP) present in Müller cells. Even though salamander blue cones and green rods share the same visual pigment, only blue cones but not green rods are able to dark‐adapt in the retina following a bleach and to use exogenous 9‐cis retinol for pigment regeneration, suggesting that access to the retina visual cycle is cone‐specific and pigment‐independent. Our results show that the retina produces 11‐cis retinol that can be oxidized and used for pigment regeneration and dark adaptation selectively in cones and not in rods.
A Mathematical Theory of Knowledge, Science, Bias and Pseudoscience

This essay unifies key epistemological concepts in a consistent mathematical framework built on two postulates: 1-information is finite; 2-knowledge is information compression. Knowledge is expressed by a function K(Y ;X) and two fundamental operations, ; . This K function possesses fundamental properties that are intuitively ascribed to knowledge: it embodies Occam’s razor, has one optimal level of accuracy, and declines with distance in time. Empirical knowledge differs from logico-deductive knowledge solely in having measurement error and therefore a "chaos horizon". The K function characterizes knowledge as a cumulation and manipulation of patterns. It allows to quantify the amount of knowledge gained by experience and to derive conditions that favour the increase of knowledge complexity. Scientific knowledge operates exactly as ordinary knowledge, but its patterns are conditioned on a "methodology" component. Analysis of scientific progress suggests that classic Popperian falsificationism only occurs under special conditions that are rarely realised in practice, and that reproducibility failures are virtually inevitable. Scientific "softness" is simply an encoding of weaker patterns, which are simultaneously cause and consequence of higher complexity of subject matter and methodology. Bias consists in information that is concealed in ante-hoc or post-hoc methodological choices. Disciplines typically classified as pseudosciences are sciences that suffer from extreme bias and therefore yield K(Y ;X) 0. All knowledge-producing activities can be ranked in terms of a parameter 2 (1 ;1), measured in bits, which subsumes all quantities defined in the essay.
Endoplasmic Reticulum Stress in Skeletal Muscle: Origin and Metabolic Consequences

In secretory organs, such as the liver, the pancreas, and the adipose tissue, endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress plays a key role in the etiology of cell disturbances implicated in many diseases. Although much less studied, ER stress also is present in skeletal muscle. In the present review, we hypothesize that ER stress may have important metabolic consequences in skeletal muscle. This review presents the situations in which ER stress is activated in skeletal muscle and its metabolic consequences.
Plasma total homocysteine levels and cranial magnetic resonance imaging findings in elderly persons: the Cardiovascular Health Study.

BACKGROUND An elevated plasma total homocysteine (tHcy) level is associated with an increased risk of vascular disease. Some studies have shown associations between tHcy level and small-vessel disease of the brain on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). DESIGN In the Cardiovascular Health Study, 622 elderly participants without a history of transient ischemic attack or stroke had results for tHcy level and cranial MRI. We sought associations between tHcy level and MRI findings of ventricular grade, sulcal grade, white matter grade, and infarcts. We controlled for other factors, including levels of creatinine, folate, and vitamins B(6) and B(12) and methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase genotype. RESULTS After controlling for age and sex, tHcy level was not associated with the individual MRI findings. Further adjustments for other factors and other blood tests had little effect on these findings. The only significant finding was a linear trend across quintiles of tHcy level and a pattern of MRI findings combining infarcts and high white matter grade. The linear trend remained significant after controlling for other risk factors and atherosclerotic markers (top quintile vs bottom quintile odds ratio, 3.3; 95% confidence interval, 0.96-11.20; P =.04 for linear trend) but was slightly diminished after further controlling for creatinine, folate, and vitamins B(6) and B(12) (odds ratio, 3.2; 95% confidence interval, 0.81-13.10; P =.07 for linear trend). CONCLUSION We were unable to confirm the results of previous studies with respect to tHcy level and individual MRI findings, although an association was seen for an MRI pattern combining infarcts and high white matter grade.