Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
More Than Just a Pretty Face and a Hot Body: Multiple Cues in Mate-Choice

ABSTRACT Matepreferences have been well studied in social and evolutionary psychology. In two studies (N = 490), using two different measurement techniques, we examined mate preferences for the body and the face in the context of other traits. Results replicated prior research on mate preferences across the sex of the participant and mating duration but clarified the nature of preferences for physical attractiveness. Generally, physical attractiveness was a necessity in short-term mating and for men and traits like kindness were a necessity in long-term mating and for women. Men wanted a short-term mate who had a good body, likely because that body advertises fertility whereas both sexes wanted a mate with a nice face for a long-term mate, which is likely because the face is a cue based on structural properties related to health. Sex and mating-duration differences on preferences for attractive faces and bodies were robust to differences in measurement technique.
Efficient membrane assembly of the KcsA potassium channel in Escherichia coli requires the protonmotive force

Very little is known about the biogenesis and assembly of oligomeric membrane proteins. In this study, the biogenesis of KcsA, a prokaryotic homotetrameric potassium channel, is investigated. Using in vivo pulse–chase experiments, both the monomeric and tetrameric form could be identified. The conversion of monomers into a tetramer is found to be a highly efficient process that occurs in the Escherichia coli inner membrane. KcsA does not require ATP hydrolysis by SecA for insertion or tetramerization. The presence of the protonmotive force (pmf) is not necessary for transmembrane insertion of KcsA; however, the pmf proved to be essential for the efficiency of oligomerization. From in vivo and in vitro experiments it is concluded that the electrical component, Δψ, is the main determinant for this effect. These results demonstrate a new role of the pmf in membrane protein biogenesis.
Multilevel power converter with a dual T-type three level inverter for energy storage

In this work a new multilevel structure for interfacing energy storage systems is presented. This structure is based on a dual T-type three level voltage source inverter. These two power converters are connected to the grid by a three-phase transformer. This transformer has an open winding configuration on the side that connects to the multilevel power converter. This structure will present multilevel characteristics. A controller for this multilevel structure is also presented. The proposed topology and control system has been verified by numerical simulations. From the results of these simulations it is possible to verify the characteristics of the proposed structure.
Urban and Rural Latino Students’ Experiences in Agricultural Education: Toward Defining Rural Privilege

Agricultural Education programs continue to become more diverse and dynamic. However, diversity does not necessarily ensure equity or inclusion. As such, many programs strive to increase inclusive programming and ensure all students fully actualize the three-circle model of school based agricultural education. In some programs, students from rural and non-rural backgrounds coexist in a single setting. As part of a larger parallel mixed methods multiple case study investigating the experiences of Latino students in Agricultural Education, the data from this substudy found certain inequalities between the rural and non-rural students in three of the four cases. Three sub-themes emerged from the data: 1) Students from non-rural backgrounds may not possess the same understanding of agriculture and agricultural education as their urban counterparts; 2) Lack of privileged information may present a barrier to access, enrollment, and involvement in secondary agricultural education programs; and, 3) Students from non-rural backgrounds tend to report fewer opportunities and more barriers to fully actualizing the three-circle model. Thick, rich descriptions are provided of the participants’ perceptions of these inequalities. Furthermore, researchers offer a working definition of Rural Privilege along with suggestions for practice and further research.
Parallelizing Exact and Approximate String Matching via Inclusive Scan on a GPU

In this study, to substantially improve the runtimes of exact and approximate string matching algorithms, we propose a tribrid parallel method for bit-parallel algorithms such as the Shift-Or and Wu-Manber algorithms. Our underlying idea is to interpret bit-parallel algorithms as inclusive-scan operations, which allow these bit-parallel algorithms to run efficiently on a graphics processing unit (GPU); we achieve this speed-up here because inclusive-scan operations not only eliminate duplicate searches between threads but also realize a GPU-friendly memory access pattern that maximizes memory read/write throughput. To realize our ideas, we first define two binary operators and then present a proof regarding the associativity of these operators, which is necessary for the parallelization of the inclusive-scan operations. Finally, we integrate the inclusive-scan scheme into a previous segmentation-based scheme to maximize search throughput, identifying the best tradeoff point between synchronization cost and duplicate work. Through our experiments, we compared our proposed method with previous segmentation-based methods and indexing-based sequence aligners. For online string matching, our proposed method performed 6.7-16.7 times faster than previous methods, achieving a search throughput of up to 1.88 terabits per second (Tbps) on a GeForce GTX TITAN X GPU. We therefore conclude that our proposed method is quite effective for decreasing the runtimes of online string matching of short patterns.
Practicing the biomedicine to come

As a device aimed at expanding the medical discourse by empowering patients, direct-to-consumer genetic tests (DTC GT) represent an ideal case to study through the prism of healthism. Indeed, this critical theory has anticipated many of the issues that the last generation of consumer personal genomics services have raised in the late 2000s. In particular, it frames the unnecessary anxiety that these diagnostic devices with a low or absent clinical utility may engender in a broader critical understanding of the spreading of medical rationality into everyday life. Giving access to health-related data bypassing any medical mediation is a way to normalize and discipline laypeople, even those who are not ill, by charging the responsibility for their own health. At the same time, the ethnographic analysis of users' practices sheds light on the limits of healthism. Rather than generating new forms of responsibility and duties, users approach personal genomic data with curiosity and irony. The indeterminacy of this information, too, is not seen uniquely as the cause of a low clinical utility, but also as something that makes it to interpretation, circulation and combination. Personal genomic data are a means of a (potentially endless) discovery of one's own genetic self and kinship. In addition, the body fragmented in bio-data can be mobilized and recombined through Internet, as shown emblematically by the practice of " sharing the personal genome " , which is used as a means to take part to new biomedical practice and even research initiatives. If healthism can be used as a critical framework of a " post-disciplinary " medicine spontaneously adopted by laypeople, it has not anticipated the meanings and practices related to the production and sharing of huge amount of bio-data, especially in terms of active participation in a possible model of future medicine.
Towards Proving Optimistic Multicore Schedulers

Operating systems have been shown to waste machine resources by leaving cores idle while work is ready to be scheduled. This results in suboptimal performance for user applications, and wasted power. Recent progress in formal verification methods have led to operating systems being proven safe, but operating systems have yet to be proven free of performance bottlenecks. In this paper we instigate the first effort in proving performance properties of operating systems by designing a multicore scheduler that is proven to be work-conserving.
Opinion leaders in the new social environment : A Youtube case on social media opinion leaders

Due to the development of new technology, there has been a shift in many communication concepts. With consumers now gaining more control in the online environment, more influential consumers, or ‘opinion leaders’, can also gain from this increase in power. However, insufficient research has been conducted regarding the concept of social media opinion leadership, and in particular what the relational nature of these new opinion leaders is. Therefore, this study aims to explore this issue within the social media opinion leadership theory. A qualitative research design was applied to get a more in depth insight to the issue, in where interviews were conducted with followers of specific opinion leader on a social media platform. The empirical data was analyzed through the means of coding and interpretation which then lead into the theory of what possible relationships can be found amongst social media opinion leaders and their followers. Conclusively, three types of relationships emerged as most dominant: the trustworthiness relationship, the friendly relationship and the passive relationship. The theoretical contributions of this paper together with practical implications and suggestion for future research are discussed based on that conclusion.
Modeling the fate of Escherichia coli O157:H7 and Salmonella enterica in the agricultural environment: current perspective.

The significance of fresh vegetable consumption on human nutrition and health is well recognized. Human infections with Escherichia coli O157:H7 and Salmonella enterica linked to fresh vegetable consumption have become a serious public health problem inflicting a heavy economic burden. The use of contaminated livestock wastes such as manure and manure slurry in crop production is believed to be one of the principal routes of fresh vegetable contamination with E. coli O157:H7 and S. enterica at preharvest stage because both ruminant and nonruminant livestock are known carriers of E. coli O157:H7 and S. enterica in the environment. A number of challenge-testing studies have examined the fate of E. coli O157:H7 and S. enterica in the agricultural environment with the view of designing strategies for controlling vegetable contamination preharvest. In this review, we examined the mathematical modeling approaches that have been used to study the behavior of E. coli O157:H7 and S. enterica in the manure, manure-amended soil, and in manure-amended soil-plant ecosystem during cultivation of fresh vegetable crops. We focused on how the models have been applied to fit survivor curves, predict survival, and assess the risk of vegetable contamination preharvest. The inadequacies of the current modeling approaches are discussed and suggestions for improvements to enhance the applicability of the models as decision tools to control E. coli O157:H7 and S. enterica contamination of fresh vegetables during primary production are presented.
Functioning before and after a major depressive episode: pre-existing vulnerability or scar? A prospective three-wave population-based study

Abstract Background The vulnerability hypothesis suggests that impairments after remission of depressive episodes reflect a pre-existing vulnerability, while the scar hypothesis proposes that depression leaves residual impairments that confer risk of subsequent episodes. We prospectively examined vulnerability and scar effects in mental and physical functioning in a representative Dutch population sample. Methods Three waves were used from the Netherlands Mental Health Survey and Incidence Study-2, a population-based study with a 6-years follow-up. Mental and physical functioning were assessed with the Medical Outcomes Study Short Form (SF-36). Major depressive disorder (MDD) was assessed with the Composite International Diagnostic Interview 3.0. Vulnerability effects were examined by comparing healthy controls (n = 2826) with individuals who developed a first-onset depressive episode during first follow-up but did not have a lifetime diagnosis of MDD at baseline (n = 181). Scarring effects were examined by comparing pre- and post-morbid functioning in individuals who developed a depressive episode after baseline that was remitted at the third wave (n = 108). Results Both mental (B = −5.4, s.e. = 0.9, p < 0.001) and physical functioning (B = −8.2, s.e. = 1.1, p < 0.001) at baseline were lower in individuals who developed a first depressive episode after baseline compared with healthy controls. This effect was most pronounced in people who developed a severe episode. No firm evidence of scarring in mental or physical functioning was found. In unadjusted analyses, physical functioning was still lowered post-morbidly (B = −5.1, s.e. = 2.1, p = 0.014), but this effect disappeared in adjusted analyses. Conclusions Functional impairments after remission of depression seem to reflect a pre-existing vulnerability rather than a scar.
DNA methyltransferase inhibitors: an updated patent review (2012-2015)

ABSTRACT Introduction: DNA methyltransferases (DNMTs), important enzymes involved in epigenetic regulation of gene expression, represent promising targets in cancer therapy. DNMT inhibitors (DNMTi), which can modulate the aberrant DNA methylation pattern in a reversible way via inhibiting DNMT activity, have attracted significant attention in recent years. Areas covered: This review outlines the newly patented inhibitors targeting DNMTs, mainly incorporating small molecular inhibitors and oligonucleotide derivatives. The chemical structures, biological activity, and the encouraging clinical research in progress are delineated in detail. Expert opinion: Two drugs, azacitidine and decitabine, have evidently shown efficacy in hematologic malignancies, yet do not work well on solid tumors, have low specificity, substantial toxicity, and poor bioavailability. With the rapid advancement in systems biology, drug combinations, such as DNMTi, in conjugation with histone deacetylase inhibitors (HDACi) or immunotherapy, probably serve as an efficient way of implementing epigenetic therapy. Meanwhile, the resolved autoinhibitory structures of DNMTs afford a novel strategy for targeting the protein-protein interface involved in the autoinhi-bitory interactions. The molecular mechanism underlying the conformational transitions would also shed new light on the design of allosteric inhibitors. Both strategies would produce inhibitors with more selectivity compared to nucleotide derivatives.
Can the Probability of Being in a Crisis Phase Detect the Bursting of Speculative Bubbles

The choice of our topic is due to the recurrence of financial crises. The world today is deeply unstable and subject to uncertainties and big surprises. Finance is known for two regimes: state of stability and state of crisis. Therefore, in order to understand the cyclical asymmetries in the series of yields of the main indices of the world, one has to resort to non-linear specifications that distinguish between upswings and downturns. We estimated a switching model in both states and with a specification autoregressive of order 1, the monthly first difference of the S&P 500 during the period running from December 1999 to December 2015. This model allowed us to confirm the existence of two regimes distinct on the Wall Street Stock Exchange, namely the state of crisis and that of stability. It allowed the detection of three bubbles: the dot.com bubble (1998-2000), the real estate bubble (1995-2006) and the Chinese financial bubble (2014-2015). Indeed, the probability of being in crisis phase (probability smoothing) is greater than 0.6 after the crisis of TMT (2000-2001), after the financial crisis between 2007 and 2008, after the European debt crisis in 2010 and after the Chinese financial crisis in 2015.
Effect of Sugarcane Straw and Goat Manure on Soil Nutrient Transformation and Bacterial Communities

Crop residue and animal manure as a soil amendment have been recognized as a feasible agricultural practice owing to its contribution in improving the soil fertility (SF). The primary advantages of this practice are determined by the activities of soil microorganisms. However, goat manure (M), sugarcane straw (S), and goat manure plus straw (MS) amendments influence soil bacteria, their activities, and SF in clay-loam soil remains undefinable. Therefore, this study distinguished the efficacy of M, MS, and S amendment on soil enzyme activities and the availability of nutrients, including various bacterial populations in clay-loamy soil with respect to two different phases (50 and 100 days). In order to analyze the bacterial structure and their activities, we employed high-throughput sequencing (HTS) and soil enzyme activity (SEA) tests. Soil amended with M and MS not only significantly enhanced nutrient availability, including C, P, and N, soil pH, as well as SEA for C and N cycles in both phases. Additionally, the increase in nutrient availability was greater in M- and MS-amended soils in the second phase (100 days) compared to the M- and S-amended soils in the first phase (50 days). Moreover, plant growth promoting and lignocellulose degrading bacterial genera were enhanced under M- and MS-amended soil compared to S-amended soil in both phases. Distance-based redundancy analysis (dbRDA) showed that soil pH, carbon-nitrogen ratio (C:N), and nitrates (NO3−) were inducing the fewest changes, while total nitrogen (TN), total carbon (TC), available nitrogen (AN), available phosphorus (AP), total phosphorus (TP), available potassium (AK), and ammonium (NH4+) were the main operators in terms of change in bacterial populations. In general, we observed that M and MS are better amendment sources as compared to S amendment in order to enhance the SF in the clay-loamy soil in both phases, but greater fertility was exhibited in the second phase.
Ca(2+)‐ and GTP‐dependent exocytosis in mouse pancreatic beta‐cells involves both common and distinct steps.

1. The effects of GTP and Ca2+ on secretion from single pancreatic beta‐cells were studied using capacitance measurements as an indicator of exocytosis. 2. GTP or GTP gamma S produced a concentration‐dependent increase in cell capacitance in the absence of intracellular calcium. There was no effect of cyclic AMP or BAPTA an GTP‐induced secretion. 3. In the absence of GTP, the relationship between intracellular calcium concentration and the maximum rate of secretion was fitted by the Hill equation with a slope factor of 2.5 and half‐maximal activation at 1.6 microM intracellular Ca2+. Similar values were obtained in the presence of GTP gamma S, suggesting GTP does not alter the sensitivity of the secretory machinery to Ca2+. 4. GDP beta S alone had no effect on cell capacitance but caused a dose‐dependent inhibition of exocytosis induced by infusion of either GTP gamma S or Ca2+, suggesting both stimuli involve G‐protein activation. GDP beta S was without effect on exocytosis evoked by depolarization‐mediated Ca2+ entry. 5. The time course of exocytosis following rapid elevation of GTP gamma S by photolysis of a caged precursor was dependent on the intracellular Ca2+ and cyclic AMP concentrations. 6. Our results are interpreted in terms of a model in which the secretory pathways stimulated by Ca2+ and GTP contain both common and separate parts.
Diagnostic utility of T1-weighted MRI characteristics in evaluation of osteomyelitis of the foot.

OBJECTIVE The purpose of this study was to evaluate the diagnostic utility of specific characteristics on T1-weighted MR images in the diagnosis of pedal osteomyelitis. MATERIALS AND METHODS The study included all adult patients who underwent MRI of the foot for evaluation of suspected osteomyelitis over an 11-month period. Images were retrospectively reviewed for specific criteria on T1-weighted images, including signal intensity of affected bone marrow (normal or decreased), distribution of abnormal signal intensity (subcortical or medullary), and pattern of involvement (hazy reticulated or confluent). The presence of osteomyelitis was presumed if the surgical pathologic result was positive or if there was lack of clinical improvement despite conservative management. Rapid clinical improvement with conservative management was considered an indication that osteomyelitis was not present. RESULTS Images from 74 examinations were evaluated. In 20 cases, osteomyelitis was considered present, and in 54 it was presumed absent. In 19 of the 20 cases (95%) in which osteomyelitis was considered present, marrow T1 signal intensity was decreased, in a medullary distribution, and in a confluent pattern in all cases. In 30 of the 54 cases (56%) in which osteomyelitis was presumed absent, T1 signal intensity was decreased, but only five cases (9%) had a medullary distribution and confluent pattern. Twenty-three cases (43%) had a hazy reticulated pattern, and two cases (4%) had only subcortical distribution. None of the cases with a subcortical distribution or hazy reticulated pattern of abnormal signal intensity had positive results for osteomyelitis. Confluent decreased T1 marrow signal intensity in a medullary distribution was 95% sensitive in the prediction of osteomyelitis with a specificity of 91%, negative predictive value of 98%, and positive predictive value of 79%. CONCLUSION Findings on T1-weighted MR images, specifically a confluent pattern of decreased T1 marrow signal intensity in a medullary distribution, correlate highly with the presence of pedal osteomyelitis.
CRITICAL CARE ISSUES FOR THE NEPHROLOGIST: The Epidemiology and Outcome of Acute Renal Failure and the Impact on Chronic Kidney Disease

Acute renal failure (ARF) is a common condition, especially among the critically ill, and confers a high mortality. Recent publications have highlighted changes in the epidemiology and improvement in mortality that was long thought to be static despite improvements in clinical care. The incidence of ARF is increasing. Efforts, such as the Acute Dialysis Quality Initiative, are being undertaken to establish a consensus definition of ARF, and to distinguish between varying degrees of acute kidney injury. Data are emerging to allow comparison of the epidemiology of ARF across institutions internationally. There is ongoing recognition of the important interaction between ARF and chronic kidney disease. Two brief case reports are offered to help frame the context and clinical impact of this disorder, followed by a review of some of the recent literature that addresses these points.
The tyranny of experts : economists, dictators, and the forgotten rights of the poor

PART ONE: The Debate That Never Happened 1. Introduction 2. Two Nobel Laureates and the Debate They Never Had PART TWO: Why the Debate Never Happaned--the Real History of the Development Idea 3. Once Upon a Time in China 4. Race, War, and the Fate of Africa 5. One Day in Bogota PART THREE: The Blank Slate Versus Learning from History 6. Values: The Long Struggle for Individual Rights 7. Institutions: We Oppress Them If We Can 8. The Majority Dream PART FOUR: Nations Versus Individuals 9. Homes or Prisons: Nations and Migrations 10. How Much Do Nations Matter? 11. Markets: The Association of Problem-Solvers 12. Technology: How to Succeed Without Knowing How 13. Leaders: How We Are Seduced By Benevolent Autocrats 14. Conclusion
Slow-moving capital and stock returns

This paper studies the effects that delay in capital allocations in the stock market and high short-term trading incentives have on returns of this market. We report that capital inertia makes the Sharpe ratio and the volatility of the stock returns many times higher than in an economy with no capital delays. Furthermore, in agreement with empirical literature, the stock price displays short-term overreaction and high volatility of the conditional Sharpe ratio.