Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The relationship between paternal age, sex ratios, and aneuploidy frequencies in human sperm, as assessed by multicolor FISH.

We studied the frequencies of X- and Y-chromosome-bearing sperm, diploidy and disomy for chromosomes 1, 12, X, and Y in sperm from 10 normal men aged 21-52 years, to determine whether there was any relationship between donor age and any of these variables. Multicolor FISH was used to control for lack of probe hybridization and to distinguish diploid sperm from disomic sperm. A minimum of 10,000 sperm per donor was evaluated for each chromosome, for a total of 225,846 sperm studied. Sperm were considered disomic if two fluorescent signals were separated by a minimal distance of one signal domain. The mean frequencies of X- and Y-bearing sperm were 50.1% and 49.0%, respectively; not significantly different from 50%. There was no correlation between paternal age and "sex ratio" in sperm. Similarly, there was no association between the frequency of diploid sperm (mean, .16%; range, .06-.42%) and donor age. For disomy frequencies, there was no relationship between donor age and disomy 12 (mean, .16%; range, .10%-.25%), XX (mean, .07%; range, .03%-.17%), and XY sperm (mean, .16%; range, .08%-.24%). There was a significant increase in the frequency of YY sperm (P = .04; mean, .18%; range, .10%-.43%) and disomy 1 sperm (P = .01; mean, .11%; range, .05%-.18%) with donor age. In summary, our results do not support a correlation between paternal age and sex ratio or diploidy.
Detecting and targeting mesenchymal-like subpopulations within squamous cell carcinomas

Curative eradication of all cells within carcinomas is seldom achievable with chemotherapy alone. This limitation may be partially attributable to tumor cell subpopulations with intrinsic resistance to current drugs. Within squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) cell lines, we previously characterized a subpopulation of mesenchymal-like cells displaying phenotypic plasticity and increased resistance to both cytotoxic and targeted agents. These mesenchymal-like (Ecad-lo) cells are separable from epithelial-like (Ecad-hi) cells based on loss of surface E-cadherin and expression of vimentin. Despite their long-term plasticity, both Ecad-lo and Ecad-hi subsets in short-term culture maintained nearly uniform phenotypes after purification. This stability allowed testing of segregated subpopulations for relative sensitivity to the cytotoxic agent cisplatin in comparison to salinomycin, a compound with reported activity against CD44+CD24- stem-like cells in breast carcinomas. Salinomycin showed comparable efficacy against both Ecad-hi and Ecad-lo cells in contrast to cisplatin, which selectively depleted Ecad-hi cells. An in vivo correlate of these mesenchymal-like Ecad-lo cells was identified by immunohistochemical detection of vimentin-positive malignant subsets across a part of direct tumor xenografts (DTXs) of advanced stage SCC patient samples. Cisplatin treatment of mice with established DTXs caused enrichment of vimentin-positive malignant cells in residual tumors, but salinomycin depleted the same subpopulation. These results demonstrate that mesenchymal-like SCC cells, which resist current chemotherapies, respond to a treatment strategy developed against a stem-like subset in breast carcinoma. Further, they provide evidence of mesenchymal-like subsets being well-represented across advanced stage SCCs, suggesting that intrinsic drug resistance in this subpopulation has high clinical relevance.
Semiautomatic Segmentation of Glioma on Mobile Devices

Brain tumor segmentation is the first and the most critical step in clinical applications of radiomics. However, segmenting brain images by radiologists is labor intense and prone to inter- and intraobserver variability. Stable and reproducible brain image segmentation algorithms are thus important for successful tumor detection in radiomics. In this paper, we propose a supervised brain image segmentation method, especially for magnetic resonance (MR) brain images with glioma. This paper uses hard edge multiplicative intrinsic component optimization to preprocess glioma medical image on the server side, and then, the doctors could supervise the segmentation process on mobile devices in their convenient time. Since the preprocessed images have the same brightness for the same tissue voxels, they have small data size (typically 1/10 of the original image size) and simple structure of 4 types of intensity value. This observation thus allows follow-up steps to be processed on mobile devices with low bandwidth and limited computing performance. Experiments conducted on 1935 brain slices from 129 patients show that more than 30% of the sample can reach 90% similarity; over 60% of the samples can reach 85% similarity, and more than 80% of the sample could reach 75% similarity. The comparisons with other segmentation methods also demonstrate both efficiency and stability of the proposed approach.
Semi-implicit incompressible SPH fluid simulation in a marine simulator

We present a predictive-corrective semi-implicit incompressible smoothed particle hydrodynamics (SPH) approach. At the first stage of the explicit computation, the fluid density is predicted using a continuous density method, which takes the velocity as the source term and considers the relative velocity effect. At the second stage of implicit computation, the ratio of the pressure to the square of the density obtained by the predictive-corrective method is directly used to correct the fluid velocity. As there are larger density errors in fluid particles near or on the boundary, more iteration numbers are required. The boundary handling method is applied to modify the density of fluid particles near or on the boundary. For density invariant conditions, the relaxation method and optimal initial value are adopted to improve the convergence speed. Our proposed approach can achieve semi-implicit incompressible SPH, solve the particle deficiency problem and realize the simulation of small-scale ocean scenes. While ensuring stability, the approach allows large time steps, controls the density deviation below 0.01% and improves the overall efficiency.
Carotid Artery Injury: Up-to-Date Management

Carotid artery injuries are not common in trauma patients although they are associated with a high morbidity and mortality. The practician needs to have a high level of suspicion in trauma patients with injuries of the neck and skull, and always taking into consideration the mechanism of injury. Prompt diagnosis and treatment are imperative for optimal results. This review aims to focus on main diagnostic and therapeutic strategies and produce useful conclusions on proper management.
Recomendação de calagem e adubação para o cultivo da mandioca.

A mandioca (Manihot esculenta Crantz) e cultivada em todas as regioes do Brasil, desempenhando papel importante na alimentacao humana e animal, como materia-prima para varios produtos industriais e na geracao de emprego e de renda. O Brasil ocupa a segunda posicao na producao mundial de mandioca (12,7% do total), com area cultivada de cerca de 1,7 milhoes de hectares, producao da ordem de 22,6 milhoes de toneladas de raizes e produtividade media de 13,3 t/ha. Dentre os principais estados produtores destacam-se: Para (18,0%), Bahia (16,3%), Parana (12,5%), Rio Grande do Sul (5,0%) e Amazonas (4,3%), que respondem por 56,1% da producao do pais. Estima-se que, nas fases de producao primaria e no processamento de farinha e fecula, gera-se em torno de um milhao de empregos diretos e que a atividade mandioqueira proporciona receita bruta anual equivalente a 2,5 bilhoes de dolares e uma contribuicao tributaria de 150 milhoes de dolares; a producao que e transformada em farinha e fecula gera, respectivamente, receitas equivalentes a 600 milhoes e 150 milhoes de dolares. A Regiao Nordeste destaca-se com uma participacao de 36,8% da producao nacional; as demais regioes participam com 28,7% (Norte), 19,7% (Sul), 8,8% (Sudeste) e 6,0% (Centro-Oeste).
Systematics, Ecology, and Behavior: Integrating Phylogenetic Patterns and Evolutionary Mechanisms

ature is complex. As sentient beings, we have always sought explanations for the origin and maintenance of that complexity, hoping that somewhere during the search we would discover answers to questions about who we are and where we fit in the global biosphere. The search has been conducted from many different perspectives-from religion to sociology, from art to science. One of the most controversial perspectives has been the attempt to explain human interactions by extrapolating from our knowledge of other animals (sociobiology; Wilson 1975). This approach is founded upon the assumption that general evolutionary principles underlie all social systems, producing similar results given the same starting conditions. Results of behavioral and ecological investigations are routinely co-opted
Association between osteoprotegerin gene T950C polymorphism and osteoporosis risk in the Chinese population: Evidence via meta-analysis

Osteoporosis has been reported to be at least partially developed in response to functional polymorphisms of the osteoprotegerin (OPG). However, conflicting results have been found. This meta-analysis aimed to provide an assessment of the relationship between the risk for developing osteoporosis and OPG T950C polymorphism in the Chinese population. Studies to be analyzed were identified with the literature search in PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, the Cochrane Library, and the Chinese National Knowledge Infrastructure during May 2017. Seven case-control studies that included a total of 1850 osteoporosis cases and 3074 controls were assessed in this meta-analysis. Overall, no significant associations could be detected between OPG T950C polymorphism and osteoporosis when all included studies were pooled into this meta-analysis. In a subgroup analyses, OPG T950C polymorphism was significantly associated with the osteoporosis risk in South China (CC+TC vs. TT: OR = 1.34, 95% CI = 1.17–1.54; CC vs. TC+TT: OR = 0.79, 95% CI = 0.69–0.95) and for studies that included postmenopausal osteoporosis (CC vs. TC+TT: OR = 0.78, 95% CI = 0.64–0.94) or hospital-based controls (CC vs. TC+TT: OR = 0.81, 95% CI = 0.68–0.96). In conclusion, the results of this meta-analysis suggest that OPG T950C polymorphism might be associated with an increased osteoporosis risk in the Chinese population.
Relationship of Sleep Deficiency to Perceived Pain and Functional Limitations in Hospital Patient Care Workers

Objective: Health care workers are at high risk of developing musculoskeletal symptoms and pain. This study tested the hypothesis that sleep deficiency is associated with pain, functional limitations, and physical limitations that interfere with work. Methods: Hospital patient care workers completed a survey (79% response rate) including measures of health, sociodemographic, and workplace factors. Associations of sleep deficiency with pain, work interference due to this pain, and functional limitations were determined. Results: Of 1572 respondents (90% women; mean age, 41 years), 57% reported sleep deficiency, 73% pain in last 3 months, 33% work interference, and 18% functional limitation. Sleep deficiency was associated with higher rates of pain, work interference, and functional limitation controlling for socioeconomic, individual, and workplace characteristics. Conclusions: Sleep deficiency is significantly associated with pain, functional limitation, and workplace interference, suggesting modifiable outcomes for workplace health and safety interventions.
Risco-País Brasileiro no período 2002-2010: uma análise macroeconômica e econométrica por meio da metodologia VAR (vetor-autoregressivo)

O objetivo desse trabalho e buscar compreender os determinantes do risco-pais para o Brasil no periodo 2002-2010, fase em que vigorou o governo Lula. Para isso, foi construido um modelo tipo VAR (Vetores Auto- Regressivos) capaz de verificar, a consistencia das relacoes entre as variaveis macroeconomicas e o risco-pais brasileiro no periodo, usando como referencia o Emerging Market Index Plus Brasil (EMBI+). O criterio de escolha para o periodo da analise tem motivacao historica e politica. O periodo que se inicia em janeiro de 2002 e acima tudo um momento de transicao politica. Nesse ano o pais conhece seu novo presidente que tomaria posse em janeiro de 2003 e ficaria na presidencia ate 2010. Na conclusao observamos que as variaveis mais significativas para explicar o risco pais foram aquelas que representam o historico, os fundamentos (inflacao e divida publica), a taxa Selic e as condicoes de liquidez do mercado internacional.
European Social Fund’s Lifelong Learning and Regional Development: A Case Study

The aim of this paper is to evaluate the first impacts of the European Social Fund (hereafter ESF) lifelong learning interventions on the regional development. As is well known, lifelong learning is defined as the all purposeful learning activity, undertaken throughout life, on an ongoing basis, with the aim of improving knowledge, skills, and competence within a personal, civic, social and/or employment-related perspective (CEC, 2000). Beyond the benefits, lifelong learning represents an advantage for the regional economy that could be measured in terms of both estimation of direct impact on domestic demand and evaluation of impacts on the performance of the local economies. The combination of these two kinds of effects generates a positive impact on a wider scale: a higher and skilled workforce attracts more investment, contributing to improve the well-being of a local economy. The case study is the Veneto region. The applied methodologies used in the case study are both a survey and an econometric model. In the first case, the utilized method approaches the topic from a microeconomic perspective, while in the second case the approach is purely macroeconomic.
Genetic homogeneity in face of morphological heterogeneity in the harbor porpoises from the Black Sea and adjacent waters

Isolated from North Atlantic populations, the Black Sea harbor porpoise (Phocoena phocoena relicta) is listed as Endangered due to the massive population decline triggered by historical hunting, and subsequently through fisheries bycatch, and other human activities. Of paramount importance for its conservation, is the characterization of the population structure. While morphological heterogeneity suggested population subdivision, previous genetic studies have failed to find any differences. Here, we investigated the population genetic structure of 144 harbor porpoises sampled opportunistically from across the entire subspecies range including the Aegean, Marmara, Black, and Azov Seas. Genetic variation of across one-fourth of the mitochondrial genome, in combination with the analysis of ten microsatellite loci revealed a nearly complete genetic homogeneity. While simulations show that this inability to reject panmixia does not stem from a lack of power (power to detect FST of 0.008). A genetic time-lag effect limiting our ability to detect population subdivision is also unlikely when effective population size is low, as is the case here. For now, genetic panmixia among porpoises of the Black Sea and adjacent waters cannot be rejected. Population subdivision may well exist, but conclusive evidence would require an improved sampling providing suitable contrasts (e.g., age, sex, season). Also, a genome scale study providing access to neutral and selected genetic variation may reveal cryptic differentiation indicative of ecologically subdivisions. As a precautionary approach, definition of management units should be based on evidence of population heterogeneity obtained from multidisciplinary approaches rather than just genetics.
Optimal Hybridization in Two Parallel Hybrid Electric Vehicles using Dynamic Programming

Abstract This study explores different hybridization ratios of two types of parallel hybrid electric vehicles, a torque assist parallel hybrid and a full parallel hybrid, with equal power-to-weight ratio. The powertrain consist of an internal combustion engine, an electric motor, and a NiMH battery. The different hybridization ratios are compared by their optimal fuel consumption for eight different drive cycles. The optimal fuel consumption is determined using dynamic programming for each of the different hybridization ratios. In the full parallel hybrid the engine and motor can be decoupled while in the torque assist hybrid the engine and motor are always mechanically connected. Results show that there are not only lower fuel consumption for the full hybrid but the need for hybridization is lower than in the torque assist hybrid for all eight cycles. The hybridization ratio where a full hybrid have the same fuel consumption as the optimal torque assist hybrid can differ as much as 51%.
Determinants of change in accelerometer‐assessed sedentary behaviour in children 0 to 6 years of age: A systematic review

Sedentary behaviour tracks from early to middle childhood, suggesting the need to intervene early. The aim of this systematic review was to identify determinants of change in accelerometer‐assessed sedentary behaviour in young children, with a view to informing interventions. Ten electronic databases were searched. Longitudinal and intervention studies were included if they (a) targeted sedentary behaviour in young children (less than of equal to 6 years), (b) assessed change in accelerometer‐assessed sedentary behaviour, and (c) reported on at least one determinant of change in sedentary behaviour. Intervention components were coded according to clusters of behaviour change technique (BCT) (ie, grouping similar BCTs components). Data synthesis was guided by the socioecological model. Sixteen studies (four longitudinal; 12 intervention) met the inclusion criteria. Two (out of five identified determinants) were associated with an increase in sedentary behaviour in longitudinal studies: the after childcare/school period and transition from childcare to school. Three (out of 21 identified determinants) were associated with a decrease in sedentary behaviour in intervention studies: “goals and planning” (ie, “behavioural contract”), “repetition and substitution” (ie, “graded tasks”), and “reward and treat” (ie, “incentives”). The environmental and interpersonal determinants identified in this review may help to inform behavioural strategies, timing, and settings for future interventions.
Fixed-Rank Supervised Metric Learning on Riemannian Manifold

Metric learning has become a critical tool in many machine learning tasks. This paper focuses on learning an optimal Mahalanobis distance matrix (parameterized by a positive semi-definite matrix W) in the setting of supervised learning. Recently, particular research attention has been attracted by low-rank metric learning, which requires that matrix W is dominated by a few large singular values. In the era of high feature dimensions, low-rank metric learning effectively reduces the storage and computation overheads. However, existing low-rank metric learning algorithms usually adopt sophisticated regularization (such as LogDet divergence) for encouraging matrix low-rankness, which unfortunately incur iterative computations of matrix SVD. In this paper, we tackle low-rank metric learning by enforcing fixed-rank constraint on the matrix W. We harness the Riemannian manifold geometry of the collection of fixed-rank matrices and devise a novel second-order Riemannian retraction operator. The proposed operator is efficient and ensures that W always resides on the manifold. Comprehensive numerical experiments conducted on benchmarks clearly suggest that the proposed algorithm is substantially superior or on par with the state-of-the-art in terms of k-NN classification accuracy. Moreover, the proposed manifold retraction operator can be also naturally applied in generic rank-constrained machine learning algorithms.
Efficient reuse of local regions in memory-limited mobile devices

Many researches aim to improve memory management for performance, efficiency, ease of use, and safety. Region-based memory management, a newly investigated technique for memory-limited mobile devices, splits the heap into one global (persistent) region, and multiple local regions - one local region per method invocation. Each object allocation is initially assigned to a local region and later transferred to the global region if needed. The allocated memory for a local region is implicitly reclaimed when the associated method call finishes. In this paper, we propose a technique to reduce heap memory usage in memory-limited devices by reusing early local regions in the calling sequence, as they are rarely accessed during the current method. Our experiment with SpecJvm98 shows up to 9% reduction in heap memory.
Voting Strategy to Enhance Multimodel EEG-Based Classifier Systems for Motor Imagery BCI

This paper presents the influence of the voting strategy to enhance the classification rates in motor imagery of brain-computer interface (BCI) systems. The motor imagery is the three-class problem of left-hand movement imagination, right-hand movement imagination, and word generation. An algorithm based on neural networks and fuzzy theory (S-dFasArt) is used to classify spontaneous mental activities from electroencephalogram signals, in order to operate a noninvasive BCI. This algorithm allows obtaining several prediction models. The voting among these prediction results improves the success rates of the classifier method. The number of models and the size of the data set have been analyzed obtaining some recommendation rules for practitioners. An improvement of more than 12% can be expected.
An sub-array-Based DDM for full-wave EM simulation of large antenna arrays

Setting a proper number of antenna elements in arrays as a DDM unit, an artifice of DDM application for extremely big arrays is presented to balance the required RAM and calculating time for solving in each DDM unit and information exchange among different units. With this method, for array with hundreds of elements, both of the RAM and time consumed could be reduced, while the big arrays which are out of the compute capacity for average hardware platform could be simulated on a distributed system.
Cloning of the Human Puromycin‐Sensitive Aminopeptidase and Evidence for Expression in Neurons

Abstract: The puromycin‐sensitive aminopeptidase (PSA) is thought to contribute to the degradation of enkephalins. Besides being the most abundant aminopeptidase in the brain, PSA is expressed in other organs as well. From a human fetal brain cDNA library, we have isolated cDNA encoding the human PSA (huPSA) protein. The isolated cDNA gave rise to a protein with a molecular mass of 99 kDa. Compared with mouse PSA, homology at the amino acid and cDNA level was 98 and 93%, respectively. Translation of the huPSA was found to be initiated at the second of two possible start codons, as shown by studies with antibodies directed against peptide sequences of both potential N‐terminal regions. Northern blot analysis with RNA isolated from different human organs demonstrated that the huPSA transcript is strongest but not exclusively expressed in the brain. Vesicular stomatitis virus epitope‐tagged huPSA protein was expressed in HeLa cells and found to be localized in the cytoplasm, especially in the perinuclear region. By in situ hybridization, huPSA transcript could be identified in cortical and cerebellar neurons, whereas glial cells and blood vessels remained negative.