Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
On the reality and recognisability of asexual organisms: morphological analysis of the masticatory apparatus of bdelloid rotifers

Species concepts and definitions have been a long‐standing debate in evolutionary biology since before Darwin, and almost all proposed solutions are based upon grouping and clustering, with species conceived as somehow biological distinct entities, originated and maintained mainly by reproductive isolation. Lacking reproductive exchange, asexual organisms such as bdelloid rotifers, the best‐supported clade of so‐called ‘ancient asexuals’, pose an interesting challenge to debates over the reality of species. However, few data are available on bdelloid rotifers. The only evidence has been that bdelloid species have been more consistently recognised than in their sister sexual group, the monogonont rotifers, across successive taxonomic treatments, but this is confounded by the much lesser degree of taxonomic interest in bdelloids. We applied geometric morphometrics analyses on shape and size of hard masticatory pieces, named trophi, of 1420 bdelloids, belonging to 48 populations of eight traditional species, to test the hypothesis of recognisability of bdelloids. Our morphological analysis confirms that traditional bdelloid species are separated distinct entities, possessing trophi morphologies divided by gaps between taxa, similar to patterns of morphological features in sexually reproducing organisms. In common with most microscopic understudied organisms, bdelloid rotifers harbour much previously undescribed diversity: we found significant differences in trophi morphology within traditional species, revealing the existence of cryptic taxa, similar to those also found in facultatively sexual monogonont rotifers. We confirm that recognisability in bdelloids is not qualitatively different from other small understudied animals such as monogononts, and that sexual versus asexual reproduction does not lead to differences in morphological diversity patterns, as previously suggested based on interpretation of taxonomic revisions.
Comparative Value Relevance Among German, U.S., and International Accounting Standards: A German Stock Market Perspective

In recent years, German companies have reported consolidated financial statements under German GAAP, U.S. GAAP, or International Accounting Standards (IAS). Market observers, researchers, and regulators have argued that financial statements prepared under the shareholder (or investor) model, such as U.S. GAAP or IAS, provide better information than financial statements prepared under the stakeholder model (German GAAP). They further have argued that U.S. GAAP is more rigorously defined and, therefore, provides information superior to that under IAS. We investigate comparative value relevance, measured as the slope coefficient of the returns/earnings regression. Within our sample of German companies traded on German stock exchanges, the value relevance of U.S. GAAP- and IAS-based earnings is higher than that of German GAAP-based earnings. Our result holds only for profit observations, suggesting that reporting regime does not have an influence on the quality of earnings in the case of loss firms. However, we do not find a significant difference in value relevance between U.S. GAAP and IAS after controlling for self- selection. A major contribution of this research is that, unlike prior research, we measure stock returns for all sample firms in the German stock market only, and therefore are not reliant on the perhaps strong assumption underlying prior studies of similarity of pricing across markets domiciled in different countries.
Subjective social mobility: Definitions and expectations of ‘moving up’ of poor Moroccan women in the Netherlands

Social mobility is most commonly measured in terms of occupational prestige or educational attainment. Alternative approaches to social mobility can mostly be found in qualitative research. However, these approaches also often conceptualize social mobility as attainment of occupational status or educational degrees. Interpreting the narratives of Moroccan migrant women in the Netherlands, alternative definitions of social mobility are discerned that go beyond formal schooling or paid work and which contribute to a broader definition of class and ‘social upgrading’. What is striking is how the women subscribe to dominant definitions of mobility for their children and have alternative definitions for themselves that are grounded in their social context. La mobilité sociale est le plus fréquemment mesurée en termes de prestige professionnel ou de niveau d’études. Quelques recherches qualitatives adoptent des approches alternatives de la mobilité sociale, mais celles-ci continuent de penser la mobilité sociale essentiellement en fonction des statuts professionnels ou des qualifications formelles. L’analyse des récits de femmes marocaines installées aux Pays-Bas nous permet de dégager quelques définitions alternatives de la mobilité sociale, qui contribuent à l’élaboration d’une définition élargie des appartenances de classe et de la « revalorisation sociale », au-delà des qualifications formelles et du travail rémunéré. Il est frappant de constater la manière dont ces femmes adhèrent aux définitions dominantes de la mobilité quand il s’agit d’envisager l’avenir de leurs enfants, mais adoptent des définitions alternatives, adaptées à leur contexte social, quand il s’agit de penser leur propre situation. La movilidad social se mide habitualmente en términos de prestigio ocupacional o logro educativo aunque pueden encontrarse enfoques alternativos en la investigación cualitativa principalmente. Sin embargo, a menudo estos enfoques también conceptualizan la movilidad social como logro de estatus ocupacional o niveles educativos. Interpretando las narrativas de mujeres inmigrantes marroquíes en Holanda, se distinguen definiciones alternativas de movilidad social que van más allá de la escolarización formal o el trabajo remunerado, las cuales contribuyen a una definición más amplia de clase y “ascenso social”. Es especialmente llamativa la forma en la que las mujeres suscriben las definiciones dominantes de movilidad social, al tiempo que tienen definiciones alternativas para ellas mismas, las cuales están enraizadas en su contexto social.
Throughput Analysis of Vehicular Internet Access via Roadside WiFi Hotspot

Roadside WiFi network has been widely considered for the drive-thru internet access. However, the data throughput is significantly affected by the access procedure that includes the steps of association, user authentication and assignment of network parameters such as internet protocol address. In this paper, we investigate the throughput performance of the drive-thru internet considering the impact of the access procedure. Particularly, a three-dimensional Markov model is proposed to analyze the relationship between the vehicle's location and the accomplishment of the access procedure that involves the exchange of the management frames under different conditions, such as number of contending WiFi clients, number of management frames, their drop rate due to channel error, etc. We also study two access schemes, namely Hotspot 2.0 and WPA2-PSK, to show how different access protocols can affect the throughput performance. We conduct extensive simulations to validate our analysis, which could provide provident insight for future development of vehicular networks.
Mutations within the E2 and NS5A protein in patients infected with hepatitis C virus type 3a and correlation with treatment response

Defined regions of hepatitis C virus (HCV) envelope 2 (E2), PePHD, and nonstructural 5A (NS5A) protein (PKR‐binding domain) have been shown to interact with interferon alfa (IFN‐α)–inducible double‐stranded RNA‐activated protein kinase (PKR) in vitro, suggesting a possible mechanism of HCV to evade antiviral effects of IFN‐α. The clinical correlation between amino acid mutations within the E2 PePHD or the NS5A PKR‐binding domain and response to antiviral treatment in HCV‐3a–infected patients is unknown. Thirty‐three patients infected with HCV‐3a isolates were treated with IFN‐α with or without ribavirin. The carboxyterminal half of E2 and of the NS5A gene were sequenced. Sixteen patients achieved a sustained virological response (SR), 6 patients an end‐of‐treatment response with relapse thereafter (ETR), and 11 patients were nonresponders (NR). Within the PePHD of the E2 protein 0.5 (range, 0‐2) mutations were observed in SR patients, whereas the number of mutations in ETR or NR patients was 0.2 (0‐1). Quasispecies analyses showed almost no heterogeneity. The mean number of mutations within the PKR‐binding domain of the NS5A protein was 1.6 (range, 0‐4) in SR patients, 1 (0‐2) in ETR patients, and 1.6 (0‐3) in NR patients. Patients with higher numbers of mutations within the E2 or NS5A region showed a trend towards lower pretreatment viremia. Phylogenetic and conformational analyses of E2 or NS5A sequences allowed no differentiation between sensitive and resistant isolates. However, mutations within the E2 PePHD in SR patients were frequent, and hydrophobic mutations within the hydrophilic area of PePHD at codon 668 and 669 were exclusively observed in sustained virological responders.
Did historical events shape current geographic variation in morph frequencies of a polymorphic damselfly

In several animal species, discrete, heritable phenotypic morphs occur in one sex only. This phenomenon is commonly observed in damselfly species where the coexistence of different female colour morphs is often explained in the context of sexual conflict. However, theories based on sexual conflict alone appear to be insufficient for explaining the inter-population variation in morph frequencies. A case in point is the widespread North American damselfly Nehalennia irene, in which one female morph occurs predominantly in populations in Western Canada, while another morph is more common in Eastern Canada. Given its large distribution range, historical events may be of particular relevance in explaining the observed spatial variation in morph frequencies in this species. In order to relate the distribution of female morph frequencies with the population genetic structure, we studied sequence variation in five mtDNA gene fragments. Moreover, we compared the population genetic structure of N. irene with its sister species Nehalennia gracilis, which lacks female polymorphism. Remarkably, our results indicate that the overall genetic variability is three times lower in N. irene than in N. gracilis, which might be related to the availability of the species' preferred habitat. Furthermore, haplotype and nucleotide diversity of N. irene differed considerably among sampled sites and appears to be related to the spatial distribution in female morph frequencies. In addition to previously studied selective agents, we suggest that the species' evolutionary history, such as random genetic drift during recolonization, may also be important in explaining the current geographical distribution of female morph frequencies.
A Novel Approach for Profile Optimization in DOCSIS 3.1 Networks Exploiting Traffic Information

The latest release of the data over cable service interface specification (DOCSIS), namely DOCSIS 3.1, has introduced the use of adaptive bit loading profiles. The design of these profiles is critical for the overall performance of a hybrid fiber coaxial (HFC) cable system. Previous works on profile optimization for DOCSIS networks have mainly focused on grouping cable modems (CMs) based on their signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) similarity to maximize the system’s capacity. However, this approach can be inefficient due to effect of data demand and traffic variations that can highly affect the overall system performance. In this paper, we introduce a profile design approach to maximize the average throughput of an HFC system while considering the effect of both CMs’ traffic and channels SNRs on the system’s performance. Moreover, the profile optimization should not require knowledge of future instantaneous data arrival rates, which is not possible to obtain in practice. Thus, our proposed approach uses only average information which can be easily predicted using learning techniques. We show that the proposed approach yields significantly high performance, particularly for scenarios with high degree of heterogeneity in the CMs’ traffic.
Drought stress drives intraspecific choice of food plants by Atta leaf‐cutting ants

Leaf‐cutting ants (LCA) are polyphagous and dominant herbivores throughout the Neotropics that carefully select plant individuals or plant parts to feed their symbiotic fungus. Although many species‐specific leaf traits have been identified as criteria for the choice of food plants, the factors driving intraspecific herbivory patterns in LCA are less well studied. Herein, we evaluate whether or not drought‐stressed native plants are a preferred food source using free‐living colonies of two leaf‐cutting ants, Atta sexdens L. (Hymenoptera: Formicidae: Attini), in combination with five plant species, Ocotea glomerata Nees (Lauraceae), Lecythis lurida S. A. Mori (Lecythidaceae), Miconia prasina DC (Melastomataceae), Tovomita brevistaminea Engl. (Clusiaceae), and Tapirira guianensis Aubl. (Anacardiaceae), and Atta cephalotes L. , in combination with two plant species, O. glomerata and Licania tomentosa Benth. (Chrysobalanaceae). In dual‐choice bioassays, ants removed about three times more leaf area from drought‐stressed plants compared to control plants. Both leaf‐cutting ant species consistently preferred drought‐stressed plants for all species tested, except T. guianensis. The mean acceptability index – expressing the preference for one of two options on a scale of 0 to 1 – of drought‐stressed plants ranged from 0.65 to 0.86 across plant species, and the preference did not differ significantly among the tested plant species. Our results suggest that selection of drought‐stressed individuals is a general feature of food plant choice by leaf‐cutting ants irrespective of ant or plant species. As human‐modified forest assemblages across the Neotropics are increasingly prone to drought stress, the documented preference of Atta for drought‐stressed plants may have tangible ecological implications.
Institutional Constituents of Change for a Sustainable Fashion System

The sustainability challenges of fashion industry are associated with multiple, interrelated, and complicated issues, involving a large number of different institutional constituents. The collective efforts of different actors at macro level is necessary to address these challenges. However, research that empirically examines multiple actors in the same study are limited. Employing market system dynamics (MSD) as a theoretical framework, this study addresses this gap by providing a more comprehensive perspective on the roles of different institutional constituents - designers, retailers, luxury brands, fashion associations, and consumers - in transformation towards a more sustainable fashion system and the dynamics that mobilize these actors to seek market change. Ethnography with emphasis on participant observation and interviews is adopted as research methodology, supported by secondary data on sustainable fashion practices. The study contributes to macromarketing literature not only by demonstrating the roles of multiple institutional constituents, but also by providing the conflicting perspectives and motives, and innovative ideas and practices in transformation towards a more sustainable fashion system.
Accounting for spatially biased sampling effort in presence‐only species distribution modelling

Presence‐only datasets represent an important source of information on species' distributions. Collections of presence‐only data, however, are often spatially biased, particularly along roads and near urban populations. These biases can lead to inaccurate inferences and predicted distributions. We demonstrate a new approach of accounting for effort bias in presence‐only data by explicitly incorporating sample biases in species distribution modelling.
Mechanism of DNA damage by chromium carcinogens

Oxochromimum(V) centers initiate DNA cleavage through a chromium(V)-phosphate diester intermediate by hydrogen abstraction from the C1′ position of the ribose sugar, leading to the formation of 5-methylene-2-furanone, 3′-phosphate terminus and DNA bases; by contrast a plasmid DNA (pUC19)is only nicked.
Consensus ranking for multi-objective interventions in multiplex networks

High-centrality nodes have disproportionate influence on the behavior of a network; therefore controlling such nodes can efficiently steer the system to a desired state. Existing multiplex centrality measures typically rank nodes assuming the layers are qualitatively similar. Many real systems, however, are comprised of networks heterogeneous in nature, for example, social networks may have both agnostic and affiliative layers. Here, we use rank aggregation methods to identify intervention targets in multiplex networks when the structure, the dynamics, and our intervention goals are qualitatively different for each layer. Our approach is to rank the nodes separately in each layer considering their different function and desired outcome, and then we use Borda count or Kemeny aggregation to identify a consensus ranking—top nodes in the consensus ranking are expected to effectively balance the competing goals simultaneously among all layers. To demonstrate the effectiveness of consensus ranking, we apply our method to a degree-based node removal procedure such that we aim to destroy the largest component in some layers, while maintaining large-scale connectivity in others. For any multi-objective intervention, optimal targets only exist in the Pareto-sense; we, therefore, use a weighted generalization of consensus ranking to investigate the trade-off between the competing objectives. We use a collection of model and real networks to systematically investigate how this trade-off is affected by multiplex network structure. We use the copula representation of the multiplex centrality distributions to generate model multiplex networks with given rank correlations. This allows us to separately manipulate the marginal centrality distribution of each layer and the interdependence between the layers, and to investigate the role of the two using both analytical and numerical methods.
Prediction of Dry Matter Intake and Dry Matter Digestibilities of Some Forages Using the Gas Production Technique in Sheep

Wheat straw, barley straw, alfalfa hay, alfalfa silage and maize silage were offered ad libitum to three male sheep, and daily dry matter intake (DMI) and apparent dry matter digestibility (DMD) were measured. Samples of forages were incubated with rumen fluid to determine gas production. Gas productions were measured at 3, 6, 12, 24, 48, 72 and 96, and gas production constants (a, b, c,) were described using the equation y = a + b (1 — e- ct ). Gas production at all incubation times and gas production constants (c, b and a+b) were significantly (P < 0.001) correlated to DMD or DMI. Although the gas production constant c explained 74% of the variation of DMD, the gas production constant b explained 92% of the variation of DMD. The gas production constants c and (a+b) in combination explained 96% of the variation of DMD. The gas production constants b and c alone explained 70% and 78% of the variation of DMI respectively. The gas production constants in combination explained 84-90% of the variation of DMI. It was concluded that the accuracy of predicting DMD or DMI can be increased when gas production constants are used in combination, and the in vitro gas production technique has good potentiality to predict DMD and DMI. deerleri (ml) ile yem tuketimi ve sindirim dereceleri aras›nda onemli (P < 0.001) korelasyon bulunmufltur. Sabit c deeri, kuru madde sindirim derecesindeki varyasyonun % 74'luk k›sm›n› ac›klamas›na ramen, sabit b deeri % 92'lik k›sm›n› ac›klam›flt›r. Sabit c ve (a+b)'nin birlikte kullan›lmas› durumunda sindirim derecesinde gorulen varyasyonun % 96'l›k k›sm› ac›klanm›flt›r. Sabit c deeri, yem tuketimindeki varyasyonun % 78'lik k›sm›n› ac›klarken, sabit b deeri ise ancak % 70'lik k›sm›n› ac›klam›flt›r. Gaz uretimine ait parametrelerin birlikte kullan›lmas› durumunda, yem tuketimindeki varyasyonun % 84-90'l›k k›sm›
The Response of c-Jun/AP-1 to Chronic Hypoxia Is Hypoxia-Inducible Factor 1α Dependent

ABSTRACT Hypoxia (low-oxygen tension) is an important physiological stress that influences responses to a wide range of pathologies, including stroke, infarction, and tumorigenesis. Prolonged or chronic hypoxia stimulates expression of the stress-inducible transcription factor gene c-jun and transient activation of protein kinase and phosphatase activities that regulate c-Jun/AP-1 activity. Here we describe evidence obtained by using wild-type and HIF-1α nullizygous mouse embryonic fibroblasts (mEFs) that the induction of c-jun mRNA expression and c-Jun phosphorylation by prolonged hypoxia are completely dependent on the presence of the oxygen-regulated transcription factor hypoxia-inducible factor 1α (HIF-1α). In contrast, transient hypoxia induced c-jun expression in both types of mEFs, showing that the early or rapid induction of this gene is independent of HIF-1α. These findings indicate that the c-jun gene has a biphasic response to hypoxia consisting of inductions that depend on the degree or duration of exposure. To more completely define the relationship between prolonged hypoxia and c-Jun phosphorylation, we used mEFs from mice containing inactivating mutations of critical phosphorylation sites in the c-Jun N-terminal region (serines 63 and 73 or threonines 91 and 93). Exposure of these mEFs to prolonged hypoxia demonstrated an absolute requirement for N-terminal sites for HIF-1α-dependent phosphorylation of c-Jun. Taken together, these findings suggest that c-Jun/AP-1 and HIF-1 cooperate to regulate gene expression in pathophysiological microenvironments.
EXTENDED K-MEAN CLUSTERING TECHNIQUE USING MAP REDUCED SEGMENTATION CLUSTERING FOR BIG DATA ANALYTICS

Now a days internet of things becoming one among the foremost important sources for data as these data could also be utilized in tons of application inside smart city which can help to form the lifetime of the human less difficult and cozy. The demand of knowledge mining methods to realize tons of data from this valuable source becomes more vital. data processing algorithms should be processed via using suitable computing technique like distributed computing. Distributed computing may be a model wont to do high computational processing over a group of connected systems. Each individual system interconnected on the network is named a node and therefore the collection of the many nodes that form a network is named a cluster. Clustering is an important method of knowledge analysis through which the first data set are often partitioned into several data subsets consistent with similarities of knowledge points. It becomes an underlying tool for outlier detection, biology, indexing, and so on. within the context of fuzzy clustering analysis, each object in data set not belongs to one group but possibly belongs to any group. Apache Hadoop is an open-source software framework that supports data-intensive distributed applications, licensed under the Apache v2 license. It supports the running of applications on large clusters of commodity hardware. Hadoop was derived from Google’s MapReduce and Google filing system (GFS)