Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Stochastic resonance and the evolution of Daphnia foraging strategy

Search strategies are currently of great interest, with reports on foraging ranging from albatrosses and spider monkeys to microzooplankton. Here, we investigate the role of noise in optimizing search strategies. We focus on the zooplankton Daphnia, which move in successive sequences consisting of a hop, a pause and a turn through an angle. Recent experiments have shown that their turning angle distributions (TADs) and underlying noise intensities are similar across species and age groups, suggesting an evolutionary origin of this internal noise. We explore this hypothesis further with a digital simulation (EVO) based solely on the three central Darwinian themes: inheritability, variability and survivability. Separate simulations utilizing stochastic resonance (SR) indicate that foraging success, and hence fitness, is maximized at an optimum TAD noise intensity, which is represented by the distribution's characteristic width, σ. In both the EVO and SR simulations, foraging success is the criterion, and the results are the predicted characteristic widths of the TADs that maximize success. Our results are twofold: (1) the evolving characteristic widths achieve stasis after many generations; (2) as a hop length parameter is changed, variations in the evolved widths generated by EVO parallel those predicted by SR. These findings provide support for the hypotheses that (1) σ is an evolved quantity and that (2) SR plays a role in evolution.
Peristaltic Flow of a Couple-Stress Fluid with Suspended Nanoparticles in an Asymmetric Channel with Flexible Walls

An analysis of peristaltic flow of a couple-stress fluid, with immersed nanoparticles, in an asymmetric channel having flexible walls is presented in this paper. General boundary conditions on velocity, temperature and concentration of nanoparticles are used for the analysis. Thermophoresis and Brownian diffusion effects govern the motion of nanoparticles. Long wave length approximation and low Reynolds number assumptions reduce the governing equations of motion into a system of partial differential equations. Closed form solutions for velocity, pressure gradient, pressure rise over a wavelength, temperature distribution and nanoparticle concentration distribution are presented. Effects of slip, couple-stress, thermal and solutal buoyancy, heat exchange, thermophoresis, Brownian motion on velocity profiles, temperature distribution, nanoparticle concentration distribution and pressure rise are discussed. The results of the paper may lead to possible technological applications in the field of biomedicine.
The role of DHEA-S in the mood adjustment against negative competition outcome in golfers

Abstract Several lines of evidence suggest that dehydroepiandrosterone sulphate (DHEA-S) is invariably consumed following different types of acute stress, implicating its role in stress coping and recovery. The role of DHEA-S in the mood adjustment against negative outcome for athletic competition has not previously been investigated. In the current study, 14 elite golfers participating in a major national golf tournament were subsequently divided into two groups according to their competition outcomes: made the cut (n = 8) and failed to make the cut (n = 8). The Profile of Mood States (POMS) inventory and plasma concentrations of DHEA-S and cortisol were measured 1 day before the beginning of competition (baseline) and 1, 3, and 5 days after the players' final competition, in the morning (08.00–08.30 h) under fasted conditions. Results showed that the total mood disturbance scores and DHEA-S were not changed for the group that made the cut throughout the entire observation period. DHEA-S concentration for the group that failed to make the cut fell significantly below baseline values on day 1 and remained lower for 5 days. The Depression subscale of the POMS for the group that failed to make the cut was increased only on day 1 post-competition, reflecting a situational reaction to the event. Cortisol concentration for the group that made the cut fell significantly below baseline values on day 1 only after competition and no change was observed for the group that failed to make the cut. In conclusion, although the overall mood state post-competition was well-maintained for those golfers who had a negative competition outcome, plasma DHEA-S concentration was reduced for 5 days, suggesting that it has a role in the coping mechanism against psychological challenge.
Persistence of Highly Pathogenic and Low Pathogenic Avian Influenza Viruses in Footbaths and Poultry Manure

SUMMARY A questionnaire was designed in order to gather information about bedding material and footbath preparation and maintenance in different productive units across the state of California.This information was used to plan two experiments. In the first experiment, we tested the effectiveness of footbaths in inactivating highly pathogenic (HP) and low pathogenic (LP) avian influenza viruses (AIVs) on rubber boots. Surprisingly, quaternary ammonia– and quaternary ammonia + glutaraldehyde–based footbaths were not able to eliminate live HPAIV (H5N8) and LPAIV (H6N2) particles on boots, while a chlorine-based granulated disinfectant was able to destroy the virus at contact. These results demonstrated the potential of AIV, particularly the HPAIV isolate, to persist even if exposed to disinfecting footbaths, and suggest that footbaths, as a single tool, are not capable of preventing pathogen introduction into commercial flocks. In the second experiment, we investigated the persistence of HPAIV (H5N8) and LPAIV (H6N2) in bedding material and feces obtained from turkey, broiler, and egg-layer commercial productive units. Samples were collected at different times after spiking the bedding materials and feces. Results showed that HPAIV (H5N8) was more persistent than LPAIV (H6N2) in layer feces and bedding material obtained from commercial broilers and turkeys. Live HPAIV particles persisted 96 hr, the last time point measured, in layer feces and less than 60 hr in broiler and turkey bedding. In contrast, LPAIV persisted less than 24 hr after being spiked in all the different substrates. Further research in biosecurity practices such as footbath preparation and maintenance and better understanding of the mechanism of the increased persistence of AIV is warranted in order to identify effective litter treatments that destroy live virus in bedding material.
SUBMILLIMETER GALAXIES AS PROGENITORS OF COMPACT QUIESCENT GALAXIES

Three billion years after the big bang (at redshift z = 2), half of the most massive galaxies were already old, quiescent systems with little to no residual star formation and extremely compact with stellar mass densities at least an order of magnitude larger than in low-redshift ellipticals, their descendants. Little is known about how they formed, but their evolved, dense stellar populations suggest formation within intense, compact starbursts 1–2 Gyr earlier (at 3 < z < 6). Simulations show that gas-rich major mergers can give rise to such starbursts, which produce dense remnants. Submillimeter-selected galaxies (SMGs) are prime examples of intense, gas-rich starbursts. With a new, representative spectroscopic sample of compact, quiescent galaxies at z = 2 and a statistically well-understood sample of SMGs, we show that z = 3–6 SMGs are consistent with being the progenitors of z = 2 quiescent galaxies, matching their formation redshifts and their distributions of sizes, stellar masses, and internal velocities. Assuming an evolutionary connection, their space densities also match if the mean duty cycle of SMG starbursts is Myr (consistent with independent estimates), which indicates that the bulk of stars in these massive galaxies were formed in a major, early surge of star formation. These results suggest a coherent picture of the formation history of the most massive galaxies in the universe, from their initial burst of violent star formation through their appearance as high stellar-density galaxy cores and to their ultimate fate as giant ellipticals.
Ligand-Based Target Prediction with Signature Fingerprints

When evaluating a potential drug candidate it is desirable to predict target interactions in silico prior to synthesis in order to assess, e.g., secondary pharmacology. This can be done by looking at known target binding profiles of similar compounds using chemical similarity searching. The purpose of this study was to construct and evaluate the performance of chemical fingerprints based on the molecular signature descriptor for performing target binding predictions. For the comparison we used the area under the receiver operating characteristics curve (AUC) complemented with net reclassification improvement (NRI). We created two open source signature fingerprints, a bit and a count version, and evaluated their performance compared to a set of established fingerprints with regards to predictions of binding targets using Tanimoto-based similarity searching on publicly available data sets extracted from ChEMBL. The results showed that the count version of the signature fingerprint performed on par with well-established fingerprints such as ECFP. The count version outperformed the bit version slightly; however, the count version is more complex and takes more computing time and memory to run so its usage should probably be evaluated on a case-by-case basis. The NRI based tests complemented the AUC based ones and showed signs of higher power.
Body mass index and episodic headaches: a population-based study.

BACKGROUND We investigated the influence of the body mass index (BMI [calculated as weight in kilograms divided by height in meters squared]) on the frequency, severity, and patterns of treatment of migraine, probable migraine (PM), and severe episodic tension-type headache (S-ETTH). METHODS A validated questionnaire was mailed to 120 000 households selected to be representative of the US population. The participants were divided into 5 categories based on BMI: underweight (<18.5), normal weight (18.5-24.9), overweight (25.0-29.9), obese (30.0-34.9), and morbidly obese (>35.0). Analyses were adjusted by covariates that included demographic variables (age, sex, race, and income), duration of illness, comorbidities, use of preventive medication, and use of opioids. RESULTS The response rate was 65%. We identified 18 968 individuals with migraine, 7564 with PM, and 2051 with S-ETTH. The distribution of very frequent headaches (10-14 d/mo) was assessed by BMI. Among individuals with migraine, very frequent headaches (10-14 d/mo) occurred in 7.4% of the overweight (P = .10), 8.2% of the obese (P < .001), and 10.4% of the morbidly obese (P < .0001) subjects, compared with 6.5% of those with normal weight, in adjusted analyses. Among individuals with PM and S-ETTH, the differences were not significant (P = .20). The disability of migraineurs, but not of those with PM or S-ETTH, also varied as a function of BMI. Among migraineurs, 32.0% of those with normal weight had some disability compared with 37.2% of the overweight (P < .01), 38.4% of the obese (P < .001), and 40.9% of the morbidly obese (P < .001) subjects. CONCLUSION These findings support the concept that obesity is an exacerbating factor for migraine but not for other types of episodic headaches.
Biomonitoring of smoke constituents: exposure to 4-aminobiphenyl and 4-aminobiphenyl hemoglobin adduct levels in nonsmokers and smokers

Public health authorities worldwide have concluded that exposure to environmental tobacco smoke (ETS) causes diseases, including cancer, in adult nonsmokers. The arylamine, 4-aminobiphenyl (4-ABP), has been identified as a human carcinogen. Some publications have suggested that 4-ABP hemoglobin (4-ABP-Hb) adduct levels in nonsmokers are a result of exposure to ETS, whereas others could not confirm these observations. Toxicokinetic and exposure models proposed in this work are used to estimate the concentration of 4-ABP-Hb adducts resulting from ETS exposure that is based on experimental values for respirable suspended particulates (RSP) concentration. Monte Carlo methods were used to obtain estimates of population distributions of 4-ABP-Hb adduct levels resulting from indoor ETS exposure in homes, workplaces, and hospitality environments. It is found that the mean, median, and 95th percentile 4-ABP-Hb adduct steady-state levels of 0.4–1.4, 0.2–1.0, and 0.97–4.63 pg/g Hb, respectively, are estimated from ETS exposure. These 4-ABP-Hb adduct levels from ETS exposure account for ~1–4% of the median levels reported for nonsmokers, explaining, in part, contradictory literature data on 4-ABP-Hb adduct levels in nonsmokers. No risk assessment of ETS or 4-ABP was conducted in this work, consequently the known health effects of ETS are neither confirmed or challenged and our conclusions are limited to the determination that ETS is not a major source of 4-ABP-Hb adduct levels in non-smokers.
Tight-binding model and direct-gap/indirect-gap transition in single-layer and multilayer MoS 2

In this paper we present a paradigmatic tight-binding model for single-layer as well as multilayered semiconducting MoS${}_{2}$ and similar transition metal dichalcogenides. We show that the electronic properties of multilayer systems can be reproduced in terms of a tight-binding modeling of the single-layer hopping terms by simply adding the proper interlayer hoppings ruled by the chalcogenide atoms. We show that such a tight-binding model makes it possible to understand and control in a natural way the transition between a direct-gap band structure, in single-layer systems, and an indirect gap in multilayer compounds in terms of a momentum/orbital selective interlayer splitting of the relevant valence and conduction bands. The model represents also a suitable playground to investigate in an analytical way strain and finite-size effects.
Novel Mouse Model of Autosomal Semidominant Adult Hypophosphatasia Has a Splice Site Mutation in the Tissue Nonspecific Alkaline Phosphatase Gene Akp2

Deactivating mutations in the TNSALP gene cause HPP. Akp2−/− mice model severe infantile HPP, but there is no model for the relatively mild adult form. Here we report on mice with an induced mutation in Akp2 that affects splicing. The phenotype of homozygotes mirror aspects of the adult form of HPP.
Massive Quantities of Glycerolipids in the Surface Wax of Bayberry ( Myrica pensylvanica ) 2 Fruit . 3 4 Short title : Biosynthesis of extracellular triacylglycerol

34 Bayberry (Myrica pensylvanica) fruits synthesize an extremely thick and unusual layer of 35 crystalline surface wax that accumulates to 32% of fruit dry weight, the highest reported surface 36 lipid accumulation in plants. The composition is also striking, consisting of completely saturated 37 triacylglycerol, diacylglycerol, and monoacylglycerol with palmitate and myristate acyl chains. 38 To gain insight into the unique properties of Bayberry wax synthesis we examined the chemical 39 and morphological development of the wax layer, monitored wax biosynthesis through [C]40 radiolabeling, and sequenced the transcriptome. Radiolabeling identified sn-2 MAG as an initial 41 glycerolipid intermediate. The kinetics of [C]-DAG and [C]-TAG accumulation and the 42 regiospecificity of their [C]-acyl chains indicated distinct pools of acyl donors and that final 43 TAG assembly occurs outside of cells. The most highly expressed lipid-related genes were 44 associated with production of cutin, whereas transcripts for conventional TAG synthesis were 45 >50-fold less abundant. The biochemical and expression data together indicate that Bayberry 46 surface glycerolipids are synthesized by a pathway for TAG synthesis that is related to cutin 47 biosynthesis. The combination of a unique surface wax and massive accumulation may aid 48 understanding of how plants produce and secrete non-membrane glycerolipids, and also how to 49 engineer alternative pathways for lipid production in non-seeds. 50
State-of-the-art and future directions of high-performance all-digital frequency synthesis in nanometer CMOS

The past several years have successfully brought all-digital techniques to the RF frequency synthesis, which could arguably be considered one of the last strong bastions of the traditionally-analog design approaches. With their high sensitivity and high dynamic range requirements, the RF circuits have long had a good excuse to avoid any possible source of digital switching activity. With the constant scaling of CMOS feature size and the merciless push for integration, the existence of almost free and powerful digital logic could not go unnoticed. Hence, the environment was ripe to transform the RF functions into digital realizations, as well as to apply digital assistance to help with the performance of RF circuits. This paper revisits the digitization journey of the traditional charge-pump PLL and offers a few novel techniques to further improve area, current consumption, testability and reliability of frequency synthesizers.
Lipid assessment and treatment patterns in hospitalized TIA and ischemic stroke patients.

BACKGROUND Identification of dyslipidemia and treatment with lipid-lowering agents are established targets for quality performance during hospitalization for ischemic stroke and transient ischemic attack (TIA). We aimed to study the frequency and predictors of lipid assessment and discharge utilization of lipid-lowering therapies among patients hospitalized for stroke and TIA. METHODS Demographics, clinical findings, and laboratory data were documented as part of the California Acute Stroke Prototype Registry (CASPR). Frequency of low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) testing and the frequency and appropriate use of lipid-lowering treatment according to national cholesterol guidelines were determined. Multivariate models were generated to determine the contribution of clinical variables to LDL testing and prescription of lipid-lowering medications at discharge. RESULTS Data were collected on 764 consecutive patients with ischemic stroke or TIA treated at 11 hospitals over a 2-year period. LDL-C measurements were performed in only 50.1% during hospitalization. Measurement of LDL-C was most strongly and independently associated with diagnosis of ischemic stroke (vs. TIA, P = .02) and history of dyslipidemia (P = .05). Overall, 48.4% of the CASPR cohort received lipid-lowering medications at discharge. Independent predictors for being prescribed lipid-lowering agents at discharge were diagnosis of ischemic stroke (P = .0009), LDL-C testing (P = .0002), high risk of future coronary events according to national guidelines (P = .02), and history of dyslipidemia (P< .0001). Only 59% of patients at high risk for future coronary events were discharged on a lipid-lowering medication. CONCLUSIONS Serum cholesterol testing and treatment are underutilized during hospitalization for ischemic stroke or TIA.
Mass Production of Low-Cost GdBaCuO Bulk Superconductors Using a Novel Seed in the Batch Process

We developed a batch process with cold seeding, which considerably reduces the production cost. This batch process is appropriate for fabrication of various LREBa2Cu3Oy (where LRE represents a light rare earth element) compounds as it employs novel thin film Nd-123 seeds grown on MgO crystals, compatible with all LRE-123 materials. In the first stage we are able to fabricate GdBa2Cu3Oy compound with large single grain, enhanced pinning, and good quality at a dramatically reduced cost. Magnetization results conformed that the samples have a sharp superconducting transition (around 1 K wide) with the onset Tc around 93.5 K. The self-field Jc of 72 kA/cm2 was achieved at 77 K, H//c-axis in various positions of the pellet. The trapped field measurements showed that the samples were single-domain and of good pinning performance. The trapped field observed in the best 45 mm single-grain puck of Gd-123 was in the range of 1.35T and 0.35 T at 77.3 K and 87.3 K, respectively. The batch process technology for production of melt-processed LRE-123 provides a cost-effective method to fabricate high-performance super- conducting super-magnets for various commercial applications.
A Preclinical Study to Investigate the Development of Nephrogenic Systemic Fibrosis: A Possible Role for Gadolinium-Based Contrast Media

Objectives:Several recent publications have suggested an association between the administration of gadolinium (Gd)-based contrast agents and the occurrence of Nephrogenic Systemic Fibrosis (NSF), an acquired disorder marked by skin thickening and fibrosis occurring in patients with severe renal dysfunction. The aim of this study was to establish a preclinical experimental setting to investigate the possible link between NSF and Gd-based contrast agents, and specifically the role of Gd and/or depletion of endogenous metal ions as possible triggers for NSF. Materials and Methods:Thirty-five healthy male rats received repeated intravenous injections of Magnevist (gadopentetate dimeglumine; Gd-DTPA), Omniscan (gadodiamide; Gd-DTPA-BMA), or gadodiamide without caldiamide at a dose of 2.5 mmol Gd/kg body weight over at least 20 days to simulate the exposure to Gd-containing contrast agents in patients with severe renal dysfunction. In addition, caldiamide (the excess ligand in Omniscan) and Gd-ethylenediamine tetraacetic acid (Gd-EDTA) as a positive control, and saline as a negative control were studied. Histopathologic and immunohistochemical analysis of the skin was performed. Gd and zinc concentrations were measured in skin, femur, and liver tissue by atomic emission spectrometry. Results:Rats receiving Gd-EDTA, gadodiamide without caldiamide, and Omniscan developed epidermal ulceration and acanthosis, dermo-epidermal clefts, minimal-to-slight dermal fibrosis, and increased dermal infiltration of different cells, partly positive for CD34 fibrocytes. No such NSF-like macroscopic lesions were observed in the saline, caldiamide, and Magnevist groups. High Gd concentrations in the skin were found in the Gd-EDTA, gadodiamide without caldiamide, and Omniscan groups. In the Magnevist group, Gd levels in the skin were 10-times lower than in the Omniscan-treated animals but elevated compared with saline. Conclusions:A preclinical experimental setting has been established where NSF-like lesions could be observed. The link between the application of Gd-based contrast media and the induction of NSF-like lesions was established. The data indicate that the observed skin lesions are related to the release of Gd and not to the depletion of endogenous ions. The investigations further suggest potential importance of the stability of Gd-based contrast agents.
On the necessity of sensing the non Gaussianity of the interference: Application to uwb systems

Interference management is a crucial point in cognitive radio. To deal with the interference, systems are used to consider the interference power and its spectral occupation. The negative effects of such interference are often estimated considering that the interference is Gaussian. Ultra Wide Band (UWB) systems are typical systems to be considered in a cognitive radio framework; their huge spectral occupation requires the mechanisms provided by cognitive radio and as they often operate in ad-hoc networks they have to manage the multiuser interference (MUI). However the UWB MUI is often not Gaussian. We propose to investigate the characterization and the management of the non-gaussianity of the MUI.