Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Lifetime reproductive success and longevity of queens in an annual social insect

Although central to understanding life‐history evolution, the relationship between lifetime reproductive success and longevity remains uncertain in many organisms. In social insects, no studies have reported estimates of queens’ lifetime reproductive success and longevity within populations, despite the importance of understanding how sociality and associated within‐group conflict affect life‐history traits. To address this issue, we studied two samples of colonies of the annual bumblebee, Bombus terrestris audax, reared from wild‐caught queens from a single population. In both samples, queens’ lifetime reproductive success, measured as either queens’ inclusive fitness or as total biomass of queen‐produced sexuals (new queens and males), was significantly positively associated with queen longevity, measured from the day the first worker was produced. We suggest that a positive relationship between reproductive success and longevity was inherited from nonsocial ancestors showing parental care and maintained, at least in part, because the presence of workers buffers queens against extrinsic mortality.
Epidemiology and Sequelae of Workplace Hand Injuries at a Tertiary Trauma Care Centre

Aims & Objectives: To study the epidemiology of workplace hand injuries, to understand relation between mode of injury and prognosis, to investigate into the possible contributing factors and to study the Socio-economic impact. Design of Study: For the prospective study there were 2 sources of data: 1) Proforma which was filled by the hand surgeon and 2) A questionnaire that was filled up by safety officer. For the retrospective study case, sheets were retrieved from the Medical Records section and a telephonic or personal interview was carried out by a single interviewer. Setting: Department of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Parvathy Hospital, Chennai, India. Patients: A total of 419 industrial injury patients treated from January 2008 to January 2013 were included in the study. Further follow-up regarding return to work and residual disability continues. Main Outcome Measures: Personal details (Age, Gender, Handedness, Work experience, Income). Type of injury, mode of injury, day and time of injury, treatment given, disability and number of working days lost were measured. Results: Those workers who were experienced less than 6 months had more workplace injuries and the commonest contributing factor was co-workers carelessness followed by long working hours and faulty machinery. Maximum injuries occurred on Monday and morning shift. Conclusions: Constant supervision of trainees for 2 years, shorter working hours with regular breaks, regular health checkups for personnel, regular servicing of machines can prevent occurrence of hand injuries. Corrective surgery within 6 hours, systematic and protocol based physiotherapy and rehabilitation can reduce the economic loss and disability arising out of work place injuries.
As you like it: adopting a patient‐led approach to psychological treatments

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to look at the design and delivery of psychological treatments offered by the UK National Health Service (NHS) and in particular, ask how much treatment is enough, or who should decide when the patient has had enough treatment.Design/methodology/approach – The data reported in this section were collected during routine clinical practice in the NHS in Scotland.Findings – It was found that treatments could be redesigned so that important therapeutic information is provided in time frames that match patient preferences, leading to more efficient and effective services.Originality/value – Clinicians, predominantly, determine the design and delivery of treatment programmes, whereas the paper suggests that programmes should be focused on the patient and their needs.
Analysis of drug policy in the Republic of Slovenia and in the EU context: A platform for prevention in schools

Aims: This article presents an overview of the strategies and measures used in the context of school-based prevention in Slovenia, both on a declaratory and on a practical level. Methods: A review of the Resolution on the National Programme on Drugs in the Republic of Slovenia [ReNPPD (2004). Resolucija o nacionalnem programu na področju drog 2004–2009 [Resolution on the 2004–2009 National Programme on Drugs Control], OG. RS, Vol. 28, pp. 3125–3139] is given and followed by a comparison with the guidelines of the European Drug Strategy [EU Drugs Strategy 2005–2012 (2005). Retrieved from http://www.emcdda. europa.eu] and three other national strategies from three eastern European countries. An analysis of the key problems that emerge in practice is made on the basis of data collected in individual interviews and in focus group interviews. Findings: On the declaratory level, drug prevention activities in Slovenian schools are mostly in line with the EU guidelines and similar to those in Poland, Czech Republic, and Slovakia. In practice, some discrepancies emerge, since there is neither a national database of programmes nor any programme evaluations in Slovenia; therefore, schools are left to their own judgement in choosing which programme is suitable for them. Conclusions: The deficiencies create an urgent need to establish a database of programmes and introduce community prevention strategies in schools on the national level.
Host control over infection and proliferation of a cheater symbiont

Host control mechanisms are thought to be critical for selecting against cheater mutants in symbiont populations. Here, we provide the first experimental test of a legume host’s ability to constrain the infection and proliferation of a native‐occurring rhizobial cheater. Lotus strigosus hosts were experimentally inoculated with pairs of Bradyrhizobium strains that naturally vary in symbiotic benefit, including a cheater strain that proliferates in the roots of singly infected hosts, yet provides zero growth benefits. Within co‐infected hosts, the cheater exhibited lower infection rates than competing beneficial strains and grew to smaller population sizes within those nodules. In vitro assays revealed that infection‐rate differences among competing strains were not caused by variation in rhizobial growth rate or interstrain toxicity. These results can explain how a rapidly growing cheater symbiont – that exhibits a massive fitness advantage in single infections – can be prevented from sweeping through a beneficial population of symbionts.
Inflammatory Gene Expression Profile and Defective Interferon‐γ and Granzyme K in Natural Killer Cells From Systemic Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis Patients

Systemic juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA) is an immunoinflammatory disease characterized by arthritis and systemic manifestations. The role of natural killer (NK) cells in the pathogenesis of systemic JIA remains unclear. The purpose of this study was to perform a comprehensive analysis of NK cell phenotype and functionality in patients with systemic JIA.
Reanalysis of the Multi‐Biomarker Disease Activity Score for Assessing Disease Activity in the Abatacept Versus Adalimumab Comparison in Biologic‐Naive Rheumatoid Arthritis Subjects with Background Methotrexate Study: Comment on the Article by Fleischmann et al

N values on the x-axis are the number of patients in the MBDA category, i.e., the sum of progressors (P) and nonprogressors (NP) in that MBDA category. The percentage of patients with radiographic progression in each MBDA category is 100 3 (P/[P 1 NP]). Statistical significance was determined by Mantel-Haenszel test for trend, assuming ordinality in the MBDA categories. 864 LETTERS
Brief Report: CD4+ T Cells From Patients With Systemic Lupus Erythematosus Respond Poorly to Exogenous Interleukin‐2

Imbalanced cytokine production by T cells characterizes both patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) and lupus‐prone mice and contributes to immune dysregulation. This study was undertaken to further investigate in detail the production of interleukin‐2 (IL‐2), interferon‐γ (IFNγ), IL‐4, and IL‐17A by CD4+ cell subsets in healthy subjects and patients with SLE, and the signaling response of CD4+ T cells in response to exogenous IL‐2.
Signature of selection on the rhodopsin gene in the marine radiation of American seven‐spined gobies (Gobiidae, Gobiosomatini)

In comparison with terrestrial and freshwater ecosystems, information about speciation modes and the role of selection in marine environments is scarce. Recent studies have indicated that spectral adaptation could play an important role in the diversification of marine species flocks. Natural selection influences specific amino acids (AAs) that are involved in the spectral tuning mechanism of visual pigment genes. To study the wider occurrence and the characteristics of spectral adaptation in marine radiations, a reinterpretation of the rhodopsin (RH1) data of American seven‐spined gobies (genus Elacatinus; Gobiidae; Teleostei) was carried out. Reanalysis revealed that some AAs, which are well known in the literature as spectral tuning sites, are variable in Elacatinus. Those crucial AA substitutions originated polyphyletically, indicating convergent evolution within the genus Elacatinus. Moreover, statistical tests based on the dN/dS ratio detected selection in several phylogenetic lineages and at specific AAs. Many of these AAs were previously shown to be under selection in other marine radiations. Therefore, the current phylogenetic approach provided an extended list of AAs that are probably involved in spectral tuning, and which should be validated by mutagenic experiments.
Performance bottlenecks and potentials of parallel computing on networks of workstations

Abstract The network of workstations (NOW) we consider for parallel computing is heterogeneous and nondedicated (time-sharing), where computing power varies among the workstations, and multiple jobs may interact with each other in execution. We address three performance issues in this paper. First, we examine the effects of heterogeneity on co-scheduling and local scheduling policies for parallel computing. Through experimentation and quantitative comparisons, we discuss features and requirements of scheduling policies on heterogeneous NOW. Second, the heterogeneity and non-dedication of NOW introduce new performance factors into parallel computing, which make traditional performance metrics for parallel computing under homogeneous platforms not suitable. We conducted a collection of experimental measurements to show the performance impact to parallel computing. Finally, using network latencies we experimentally evaluate the parallel computing scalability on NOW. Our objective of this study is to provide .
Desiccation resistance and mating behaviour in laboratory populations of Drosophila simulans originating from the opposing slopes of Lower Nahal Oren (Israel)

Lower Nahal Oren in Northern Israel, often referred to as ‘Evolution Canyon’, has been proposed as a microscale model site for ecological evolution. However, conflicting stress resistance and mating assay results contribute to controversy over the Nahal Oren model. In this study, we further tested the Nahal Oren model, while extending its focus from Drosophila melanogaster to its sister species, Drosophila simulans. Using fly populations derived from the opposing canyon slopes and acclimated to laboratory conditions for 11–22 generations, we did not find a significant slope effect on desiccation resistance (P = 0.96) or body metabolic fuel content (P > 0.43), which would indicate a genetic basis for adaptation to local resource limitation. Multiple‐choice mating assays (47–48% homotypic couples in two replicate populations) did not indicate divergence from a random mating pattern between north‐ and south‐facing slope flies. In conclusion, our findings do not support divergence of D. simulans populations across Lower Nahal Oren.
An evidence based therapeutic approach to hereditary and acquired angioedema

Purpose of reviewHereditary angioedema (HAE) due to C1 esterase inhibitor (C1-INH) deficiency (HAE-C1-INH), HAE with normal C1-INH, and acquired angioedema due to C1-INH deficiency are rare but important diseases that can be associated with significant morbidity and mortality. Research into the pathogenesis of angioedema has expanded greatly and has led to new clinical trials with novel therapeutic agents and strategies. Recent findingsStrategies for managing HAE-C1-INH are aimed at treating acute attacks or preventing attacks through the use of prophylactic treatment. Agents available in Europe for treating acute attacks include plasma-derived C1-INH concentrates, a bradykinin B2 receptor (B2R) antagonist, and a recombinant human C1-INH. In the USA, a plasma-derived C1-INH concentrate, a bradykinin B2R antagonist, and a plasma kallikrein inhibitor have been approved for the treatment of acute HAE-C1-INH attacks. C1-INH concentrates and attenuated androgens are used for short-term prophylactic treatment. Long-term prophylactic treatments include attenuated androgens, a plasma-derived C1-INH concentrate, and antifibrinolytics. Plasma-derived C1-INH and a bradykinin B2R antagonist are approved for self-administration at home. SummaryThe number of management options for HAE-C1-INH and similar conditions has increased considerably within the last few years, thus helping to alleviate the burden of these rare diseases.
Higher in vitro resistance to oxidative stress in extra‐pair offspring

Oxidative stress is considered to act as a universal physiological constraint in life‐history evolution of animals. This should be of interest for extra‐pair paternity behaviour, and we tested here the prediction that offspring arising from extra‐pair matings of female great tits show higher resistance to oxidative stress than within‐pair offspring. Resistance to oxidative stress, measured as the whole blood resistance to a controlled free‐radical attack, was significantly higher for extra‐pair offspring as predicted although these were not heavier or in better body condition than within‐pair offspring. Since resistance to oxidative stress has been suggested to enhance survival and reproductive rates, extra‐pair offspring with superior resistance to oxidative stress, be it through maternal effects or paternal inheritance, may achieve higher fitness and thus provide significant indirect fitness benefits to their mothers. In addition, because oxidative stress affects colour signals and sperm traits, females may also gain fitness benefits by producing sons that are more attractive (sexy‐sons hypothesis) and have sperm of superior quality (sexy‐sperm hypothesis). Heritability of resistance to oxidative stress as well as maternal effects may both act as proximate mechanisms for the observed result. Disentangling these two mechanisms would require an experimental approach. Future long‐term studies should also aim at experimentally testing whether higher resistance to oxidative stress of EP nestlings indeed translates into fitness benefits to females.
Stabilization of a class of uncertain time-delay systems containing saturating actuators

The delay-dependent robust stabilization problem for a class of uncertain linear timedelay systems containing saturating actuator is considered in this paper. The uncertain time-delay systems under consideration are described by state differential equations with time-varying unknown-but-bounded uncertain parameters and delayed state. The delay is assumed to be constant bounded but unknown. New robust stability criteria and a sufficient condition for the existence of memoryless robust stabilizing control law are derived. The results depend on the size of the delay and are given in terms of several linear matrix inequalities (LMIs). A numerical example is presented to illustrate the obtained results.
Connectionist object recognition: methods and methodologies

An overview of different connectionist approaches for object recognition is presented. These approaches are first of all classified on the basis of functional characteristics and structural characteristics of the networks. Atthe nextlevel, these are partitioned on the basis of their underlying assumptions and the types of recognition problem that they handle. Their principles and key features are highlighted. The issue of mixed category perception (in thecontextof multipleobject recognition) is addressed. A comparison of the characteristics of various application-specific systems is provided in a tabular form. Some of the basic issues to be considered while building a connectionist system for object recognition are finally listed.
Selection in a fluctuating environment leads to decreased genetic variation and facilitates the evolution of phenotypic plasticity

Changes in the environment are expected to induce changes in the quantitative genetic variation, which influences the ability of a population to adapt to environmental change. Furthermore, environmental changes are not constant in time, but fluctuate. Here, we investigate the effect of rapid, continuous and/or fluctuating temperature changes in the seed beetle Callosobruchus maculatus, using an evolution experiment followed by a split‐brood experiment. In line with expectations, individuals responded in a plastic way and had an overall higher potential to respond to selection after a rapid change in the environment. After selection in an environment with increasing temperature, plasticity remained unchanged (or decreased) and environmental variation decreased, especially when fluctuations were added; these results were unexpected. As expected, the genetic variation decreased after fluctuating selection. Our results suggest that fluctuations in the environment have major impact on the response of a population to environmental change; in a highly variable environment with low predictability, a plastic response might not be beneficial and the response is genetically and environmentally canalized resulting in a low potential to respond to selection and low environmental sensitivity. Interestingly, we found greater variation for phenotypic plasticity after selection, suggesting that the potential for plasticity to evolve is facilitated after exposure to environmental fluctuations. Our study highlights that environmental fluctuations should be considered when investigating the response of a population to environmental change.
Work and Empowerment: Women and Agriculture in South India

Abstract This article explores the implications of women's work in agriculture in Telangana, a region in the state of Andhra Pradesh, India. I suggest that higher capital costs for cultivators' post-liberalisation increased the pressure to contain wage costs in a region where women form the majority of the agricultural wage labour force. Under such conditions, when women perform both own-cultivation as well as agricultural wage work in the fields of others, they face pressure to restrict bargaining for higher wages, contributing to a widening gender wage gap. To the extent that wages shape intra-household bargaining power, the empowering effect of workforce participation for such women would thus be blunted. From available NSS data I provide some preliminary evidence in support of this argument.
Geographical variation in reproductive ageing patterns and life‐history strategy of a short‐lived passerine bird

We investigated differences in ageing patterns in three measures of breeding performance in populations of barn swallows Hirundo rustica L. from Spain and Denmark differing in breeding latitude and hence migration distance and duration of the breeding season. We found differences in ageing patterns between populations. Generally, young (i.e. yearling) and old females (i.e. ≥ 5 years of age) laid their first eggs later and produced smaller clutches than middle‐aged females (i.e. 2–4 years of age) in both populations. The southernmost population (i.e. Spanish) showing the shorter migratory distance experienced a greater within‐individual increase in timing of breeding and clutch size in early life and a greater within‐individual decrease in laying date but not in clutch size during senescence compared with the northernmost population (i.e. Danish). We also found that the number of fledglings produced annually was related to the age of the two members of the breeding pairs with pairs composed of young and old females performing less well than breeding pairs composed of middle‐aged females. We did not find reproductive senescence for the age of the male while controlling for the age of the female on the number of fledglings produced annually by the breeding pair. Differential survival between individuals did not explain age effects on laying date or annual clutch size in neither population. However, the increase in the number of fledglings produced annually with age was partly explained by the disappearance of poor‐quality members of the pairs, mainly poor‐quality males. Age‐related breeding success (i.e. number of fledglings) was similar for barn swallows from Spain and Denmark. Therefore, the study of ageing patterns and life‐history strategies in free‐ranging animals from more than a single population can throw new light on life‐history theory, population dynamics and evolutionary studies of senescence.
Using Additional Information on Working Hours to Predict Coronary Heart Disease

BACKGROUND Long working hours are associated with increased risk for coronary heart disease (CHD). Adding information on long hours to traditional risk factors for CHD may help to improve risk prediction for this condition. OBJECTIVE To examine whether information on long working hours improves the ability of the Framingham risk model to predict CHD in a low-risk, employed population. DESIGN Cohort study with baseline medical examination performed between 1991 and 1993 and prospective follow-up for incident CHD performed until 2004. SETTING Civil service departments in London (the Whitehall II study). PARTICIPANTS 7095 adults (2109 women and 4986 men) aged 39 to 62 years working full-time without CHD at baseline. MEASUREMENTS Working hours and the Framingham risk score were measured at baseline. Coronary death and nonfatal myocardial infarction were ascertained from medical screenings every 5 years, hospital data, and registry linkage. RESULTS 192 participants had incident CHD during a median 12.3-year follow-up. After adjustment for their Framingham risk score, participants working 11 hours or more per day had a 1.67-fold (95% CI, 1.10- to 2.55-fold) increased risk for CHD compared with participants working 7 to 8 hours per day. Adding working hours to the Framingham risk score led to a net reclassification improvement of 4.7% (P = 0.034) due to better identification of persons who later developed CHD (sensitivity gain). LIMITATION The findings may not be generalizable to populations with a larger proportion of high-risk persons and were not validated in an independent cohort. CONCLUSION Information on working hours may improve risk prediction of CHD on the basis of the Framingham risk score in low-risk, working populations. PRIMARY FUNDING SOURCE Medical Research Council; British Heart Foundation; Bupa Foundation; and the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute and National Institute on Aging of the National Institutes of Health.