Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Determining population trends and conservation status of the common quail (Coturnix coturnix) in Western Europe

Determining population trends and conservation status of the common quail (Coturnix coturnix) in Western Europe. — In this paper we review the conservation status and population trends of the common quail (Coturnix coturnix) from 1900 to the present. Data are sometimes contradictory with regard to the status of this species as it has some features that make it difficult to produce reliable population estimates. Recent data clearly suggest, either at a local scale or at a trans–national scale, that the Atlantic common quail populations have remained stable in the last two decades, and that restocking practices with farm–reared quails (hybrids with the Japanese quail, Coturnix japonica) do not affect our estimates. The complex movement patterns showed by this species require special attention. Analysis of ring recoveries can give important information, especially about the nomadic movement of quails in search of suitable habitats after the destruction of winter cereal crops due to harvesting. Thus, when developing a breeding distribution model for this species, continuously updated information on seasonal habitat and weather must be included for optimal prediction. Including fortnightly data of vegetation indices in distribution models, for example, has shown good results. Obtaining reliable predictions about changes in species distribution and movements during the breeding period could provide useful knowledge about the conservation status and population trends and would help in the design of future management measures.
Structural determinants of an internal ribosome entry site that direct translational reading frame selection

The dicistrovirus intergenic internal ribosome entry site (IGR IRES) directly recruits the ribosome and initiates translation using a non-AUG codon. A subset of IGR IRESs initiates translation in either of two overlapping open reading frames (ORFs), resulting in expression of the 0 frame viral structural polyprotein and an overlapping +1 frame ORFx. A U–G base pair adjacent to the anticodon-like pseudoknot of the IRES directs +1 frame translation. Here, we show that the U-G base pair is not absolutely required for +1 frame translation. Extensive mutagenesis demonstrates that 0 and +1 frame translation can be uncoupled. Ribonucleic acid (RNA) structural probing analyses reveal that the mutant IRESs adopt distinct conformations. Toeprinting analysis suggests that the reading frame is selected at a step downstream of ribosome assembly. We propose a model whereby the IRES adopts conformations to occlude the 0 frame aminoacyl-tRNA thereby allowing delivery of the +1 frame aminoacyl-tRNA to the A site to initiate translation of ORFx. This study provides a new paradigm for programmed recoding mechanisms that increase the coding capacity of a viral genome.
Large Scale Metric learning

Many machine learning and pattern recognition algorithms rely heavily on good distance metrics to achieve competitive performance. While distance metrics can be learned, the computational expense of doing so is currently infeasible on large datasets. In this paper, we propose two efficient-and-effective approaches for selecting the training dataset using Locality-Sensitive Hashing (LSH) with discriminative information, and with K-Means clustering inside LSH buckets, for accelerating metric learning. Our methods yield a speedup factor of (N/C)2, where N is training set size and C ≪ N is the user-selected compressed set size, achieving quadratic speedup to metric learning often realized as a 1-2 or more orders of magnitude improvement with little degradation to accuracy. For example, our generic filter approach enables the current overall fastest Large Margin Nearest Neighbor (LMNN) to learn metrics on one million samples in 6.8 minutes down from 5.4hrs-a 48x speedup. LMNN and similar state-of-the-art methods use tree data structures to speed up nearest-neighbor queries-an advantage that degrades at higher dimensions. Our approach does not share this limitation.
Experimental results: Suboptimal robust linear visual servoing with delay for an underactuated system

This article synthesized suboptimal control for an underactuated system with delays; it also presents delay-dependent robust stability. A linear quadratic regulator (LQR) controller is synthesized using dynamic programming, which is applied to a linear matrix inequality, giving delay-dependent sufficient conditions. This delay is analyzed for time-invariant and time-variant case. We presented experimental results of the Visual Servoing for the inverted pendulum.
Evaluating inpatient glycemic management: the Quality Hyperglycemia Score.

BACKGROUND Inpatient hyperglycemia has become a major focus at many hospitals. However, although several professional organizations have pushed for improved inpatient glucose management, glycemic control at many institutions remains suboptimal. There is a general consensus that improved quality of care is needed, but objective assessment of care quality remains a challenge. Lack of clear, effective performance feedback to clinicians is one element that may derail efforts to improve practice. METHODS We developed a simplified grading system, the Quality Hyperglycemia Score (QHS), to allow clinicians and managers to easily review and compare glycemic management on adult medical-surgical and intensive care units over the prior 3 months and to more fully engage patient care teams in quality improvement. RESULTS The QHS represents a single value from 0 to 100, incorporating elements of glycemic management influenced by all team members. The scoring system rewards the maintenance of blood glucose levels in or near the normal range and adherence to the hospital policy on the use of bedside glucose meters, but penalizes frequent hypoglycemic episodes and severe hyperglycemic excursions. Each element is weighted independently and summed to produce the QHS. Scores then correspond to a color code highlighting each unit's performance level. CONCLUSIONS To date, the QHS reflects the spectrum of blood glucose management at our hospital. While refinement and internal and external validation with clinical outcomes are planned, we propose the QHS as a standardized, objective measure of the quality of inpatient glycemic management.
Quantification of consumption of corn pollen by the predator Coleomegilla maculata (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae) during anthesis in an Illinois cornfield

Abstract 1 Coleomegilla maculata DeGeer feeds on corn pollen in the field, but the degree to which this predator relies on corn pollen as part of its diet is not well understood. We quantified the amount of pollen consumed by C. maculata second, third and fourth instars and adults in the field.
Subchromoplast Sequestration of Carotenoids Affects Regulatory Mechanisms in Tomato Lines Expressing Different Carotenoid Gene Combinations[C][W]

Pathway engineering has been the predominant strategy used to enhance valuable natural products in plants. This study identifies sequestration mechanisms associated with pathway engineering outputs that enable the plastid organelle to adapt and accommodate newly synthesized precursors and products. Metabolic engineering of the carotenoid pathway in recent years has successfully enhanced the carotenoid contents of crop plants. It is now clear that only increasing biosynthesis is restrictive, as mechanisms to sequestrate these increased levels in the cell or organelle should be exploited. In this study, biosynthetic pathway genes were overexpressed in tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) lines and the effects on carotenoid formation and sequestration revealed. The bacterial Crt carotenogenic genes, independently or in combination, and their zygosity affect the production of carotenoids. Transcription of the pathway genes was perturbed, whereby the tissue specificity of transcripts was altered. Changes in the steady state levels of metabolites in unrelated sectors of metabolism were found. Of particular interest was a concurrent increase of the plastid-localized lipid monogalactodiacylglycerol with carotenoids along with membranous subcellular structures. The carotenoids, proteins, and lipids in the subchromoplast fractions of the transgenic tomato fruit with increased carotenoid content suggest that cellular structures can adapt to facilitate the sequestration of the newly formed products. Moreover, phytoene, the precursor of the pathway, was identified in the plastoglobule, whereas the biosynthetic enzymes were in the membranes. The implications of these findings with respect to novel pathway regulation mechanisms are discussed.
Crowdsourcing privacy policy analysis: Potential, challenges and best practices

Abstract Privacy policies are supposed to provide transparency about a service's data practices and help consumers make informed choices about which services to entrust with their personal information. In practice, those privacy policies are typically long and complex documents that are largely ignored by consumers. Even for regulators and data protection authorities privacy policies are difficult to assess at scale. Crowdsourcing offers the potential to scale the analysis of privacy policies with microtasks, for instance by assessing how specific data practices are addressed in privacy policies or extracting information about data practices of interest, which can then facilitate further analysis or be provided to users in more effective notice formats. Crowdsourcing the analysis of complex privacy policy documents to non-expert crowdworkers poses particular challenges. We discuss best practices, lessons learned and research challenges for crowdsourcing privacy policy analysis.
Dobre powody, by pomóc nieznajomemu : relewantna informacja w sytuacjach wzajemności pośredniej

Indirect reciprocity explains exchange within large groups where a favour is returned by someone other than the beneficiary. Evolutionary games used to analyze this phenomenon are of two types: some authors show that simple strategies based on information about the past deeds of a partner are sufficient for indirect reciprocity to emerge; others indicate that complex strategies based on motivations have better dynamic properties. These complex strategies require knowledge of a considerable number of past interactions of partners and their former partners and use complicated reasoning. I present another approach to improve the performance of simple strategies using the ecological rationality concept. According to this approach, information can be useful in solving a problem even if it is not logically related to it. A probabilistic connection between information and an environmental criterion is sufficient. I present two simple strategies based on such connections. They use reference and experience. Neither needs information extending beyond the most recent interactions of chosen individuals. Using computer simulation I show that they can support indirect reciprocity. The strategies are particularly useful when conditions are unfavourable e.g. when the cost of helping is high and/or when information is difficult to obtain.
Spatial gradients in trace metal concentrations in the surface microlayer of the Mediterranean Sea

The relationship between dust deposition and surface water metal concentrations is poorly understood. Dissolution, solubility, and partitioning reactions of trace metals from dust particles are governed by complex chemical, biological, and physical processes occurring in the surface ocean. Despite that, the role of the sea surface microlayer (SML), a thin, but fundamental component modulating the air-sea exchange of materials has not been properly evaluated. Our study revealed that the SML of the Mediterranean Sea is enriched with bioactive trace metals (i.e., Cd, Co, Cu and Fe), ranging from 8 (for Cd) to 1000 (for Fe) times higher than the dissolved metal pool in the underlying water column. The highest enrichments were spatially correlated with the atmospheric deposition of mineral particles. Our mass balance results suggest that the SML in the Mediterranean Sea contains about 2 tonnes of Fe. However, we did not detect any trends between the concentrations of metals in SML with the subsurface water concentrations and biomass distributions. These findings suggest that future studies are needed to quantify the rate of metal exchange between the SML and the bioavailable pool and that the SML should be considered to better understand the effect of atmospheric inputs on the biogeochemistry of trace metals in the ocean.
Fair rewarding in colocation data centers: Truthful mechanism for emergency demand response

Reducing servers' power usage in data centers upon utility's request has been emerging as a valuable demand response resource for enhancing power grid's efficiency and reliability, especially during emergency events (e.g., extreme weather) that result in electricity production shortage and put the grid in jeopardy. Nonetheless, for demand response in multi-tenant colocation data centers, operators may have to leverage expensive and environmentally-unfriendly diesel generation, because individual tenants manage their own servers' power usage without coordination and are typically charged by data center operators based on fixed power contracts that provide no incentives for demand response. This paper focuses on emergency demand response (EDR) and proposes an auction-based incentive mechanism, called FairDR, that incentivizes and coordinates tenants' energy reduction through financial rewards for enabling cost-effective and low-carbon EDR in colocation data center. FairDR decides tenants' energy reduction online without knowing a priori the future energy reduction requirements. It is proved that FairDR ensures tenants' truthfulness in the auction process, attains a bounded overall cost saving compared to the offline optimum which knows all the demands, and guarantees fairness (i.e., similar rewards are offered if tenants reduce the same amount of energy) that is largely absent in the existing auction mechanisms. Finally, trace-driven simulations are performed to validate our analysis and demonstrate that FairDR outperforms the existing mechanisms by improving fairness and achieving a good cost saving that is comparable to the offline optimum.
X-Ray Variability during the Quiescent State of the Neutron Star X-Ray Transient in the Globular Cluster NGC 6440

The globular cluster NGC 6440 is known to harbor a bright neutron star X-ray transient. We observed the globular cluster with Chandra on two occasions when the bright transient was in its quiescent state, in 2000 July and 2003 June (both observations were made nearly 2 yr after the end of their preceding outbursts). The quiescent spectrum during the first observation is well represented by a two-component model (a neutron star atmosphere model plus a power-law component that dominates at energies above 2 keV). During the second observation (which was roughly of equal duration to the first observation) we found that the power-law component could no longer be detected. Our spectral fits indicate that the effective temperature of the neutron star surface was consistent between the two observations. We conclude that the effect of the change in the power-law component caused the 0.5-10 keV flux to be a factor of ~2 lower during the second observation compared to the first observation. We discuss plausible explanations for the variations, including variable residual accretion onto the neutron star magnetosphere or some variation in the interaction of the pulsar wind with the matter still outflowing from the companion star.
Paroxetine in the treatment of chronic posttraumatic stress disorder: results of a placebo-controlled, flexible-dosage trial.

BACKGROUND The objective of this double-blind, placebo-controlled study was to investigate the efficacy and safety of paroxetine in outpatients with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). METHOD Male and female outpatients 18 years and older who met DSM-IV criteria for PTSD and had baseline scores of 50 or greater on the Clinician Administered PTSD Scale (CAPS-2) were randomly assigned to treatment with paroxetine (20-50 mg/day) or placebo for 12 weeks. The primary efficacy variables were the change from baseline to the 12-week endpoint in the CAPS-2 total score and the proportion of responders on the Clinical Global Impressions-Global Improvement scale (CGI-1). Additional key outcome measures were the change from baseline in the reexperiencing, avoidance/ numbing, and hyperarousal scores of the CAPS-2 and in the total scores of the Treatment Outcome PTSD Scale and the patient-rated Davidson Trauma Scale and Sheehan Disability Scale (SDS). Depressive symptoms were assessed with the Montgomery-Asberg Depression Rating Scale. The proportion of patients achieving response and remission was also determined. RESULTS 307 patients constituted the intent-to-treat population. At week 12, compared with the placebo group (N = 156), the paroxetine group (N = 151) showed significantly greater reduction of PTSD symptoms on both of the primary and all of the secondary outcome measures. Significantly greater improvement on the CAPS-2 total score was observed for paroxetine compared with placebo from week 4 (p < .05), and significantly greater proportions of paroxetine-treated patients achieved response (p < .001) and remission (p = .008) by week 12. The improvement in PTSD symptoms was similar in male and female patients. Functional improvement at the study endpoint was significantly greater (p < .05) in the paroxetine group in all 3 domains of the SDS (work, social life, family life). Treatment with paroxetine was well tolerated, with the frequency and type of adverse events recorded for the paroxetine group corresponding to the known safety profile of this medication. CONCLUSION Paroxetine in doses of 20 to 50 mg once daily is effective as a treatment for chronic PTSD. Improvement is obtained for all 3 symptom clusters (reexperiencing, avoidance/numbing, hyperarousal) and is associated with significant reduction in disability after 12 weeks of treatment.
Separation of ownership from control and merger and acquisition

We construct a theoretical model to investigate how ultimate controlling owners use takeovers to extract private benefits at the expense of minority shareholders and further exam whether the separation of ownership from control results in value-destroying mergers and acquisitions empirically. We find that: First, the merger premium is higher for firms with greater separation of ownership and control in unconnected M&As and lower for firms with greater separation of ownership from control in connected M&As. Second, greater separation of ownership from control will result in lower value creation (lower CAR and lower change in operation performance). Our results are consistent with the views that the ultimate controlling owners have motivations and powers to extract private benefits at the expense of minority shareholders. Besides, we provide additional evidence to managerial agency, hubris and market timing hypotheses which interpret what drives value-destroying mergers and acquisitions.
CC2D1A, a DM14 and C2 Domain Protein, Activates NF-κB through the Canonical Pathway*

CC2D1A is an evolutionarily conserved protein that contains four DM14 domains at the N terminus and a C2 domain at the C terminus. Loss-of-function mutations in CC2D1A have been linked to mental retardation in human, but the biochemical function of this protein is largely unknown. Here, we show that CC2D1A is a potent activator of NF-κB. The activation of NF-κB by CC2D1A requires its C2 domain. CC2D1A activates NF-κB in a manner that depends on the ubiquitin-conjugating enzyme Ubc13, TNF receptor-associated factor TRAF2, the protein kinase TAK1, and the IκB kinase (IKK) complex. In addition, the deubiquitination enzyme Cylindromatosis (CYLD) negatively regulates the activity of CC2D1A. These results suggest that CC2D1A activates NF-κB through the canonical IKK pathway.
Exercise and sleep in community‐dwelling older adults: evidence for a reciprocal relationship

Exercise behaviour and sleep are both important health indicators that demonstrate significant decreases with age, and remain modifiable well into later life. The current investigation examined both the chronic and acute relationships between exercise behaviour and self‐reported sleep in older adults through a secondary analysis of a clinical trial of a lifestyle intervention. Seventy‐nine community‐dwelling, initially sedentary, older adults (mean age = 63.58 years, SD = 8.66 years) completed daily home‐based assessments of exercise behaviour and sleep using daily diary methodology. Assessments were collected weekly and continued for 18 consecutive weeks. Multilevel models revealed a small positive chronic (between‐person mean‐level) association between exercise and wake time after sleep onset, and a small positive acute (within‐person, day‐to‐day) association between exercise and general sleep quality rating. The within‐person exercise and general sleep quality rating relationship was found to be reciprocal (i.e. sleep quality also predicted subsequent exercise behaviour). As such, it appears exercise and sleep are dynamically related in older adults. Efforts to intervene on either sleep or exercise in late‐life would be wise to take the other into account. Light exposure, temperature regulation and mood may be potential mechanisms of action through which exercise can impact sleep in older adults.
Multimedia Content Delivery with NFV : From the Energy Perspective

In today’s Internet, multimedia traffic accounts for the largest share of all traffic, highlighted by its volume, variety, multicast nature, and QoS constraints. Downstream towards consumers, multimedia traffic may traverse through middleboxes, undergoing additional data processing imposed by content providers and/or distributors. With the advent of Network Function Virtualization (NFV), middleboxes are progressively embedded in off-the-shelf, general-purpose servers. Despite the benefits, NFV may incur an undue amount of energy consumption when carrying out high packet forwarding performance. In this article, we investigate how switching to state-of-the-art NFV products for multimedia content delivery can result in significant energy costs. We identify the energy inefficiency issue in the NFV dataplane which can be exacerbated if not handle properly. We outline a power management framework that considers characteristics of multimedia traffic and exploits CPU frequency scaling to save energy.
Current Directions in Personnel Selection Research

For many decades, the focus of personnel selection research was on developing selection tests that maximized prediction of job performance; the approach was typically lacking in theoretical bases. The past two decades saw significant shifts in research to a focus on the nature of constructs and their interrelationships, characterized by an approach that emphasizes theoretical understanding of the phenomena under investigation. This article provides an overview of how a construct-oriented approach underlies major current directions in scientific research on personnel selection. Emerging trends that are likely to constitute issues of enduring importance are discussed.
Detection of rhinovirus in sinus brushings of patients with acute community-acquired sinusitis by reverse transcription-PCR

Of 20 adults with acute community-acquired sinusitis (ACAS), rhinovirus was detected in specimens from 10 (50%) patients, including maxillary aspirates from 8 (40%) patients and nasal swabs from 9 (45%) patients, by reverse transcription-PCR (RT-PCR). Human coronavirus was detected by RT-PCR in nasal swabs from 3 of 20 patients but in no sinus secretions. These findings suggest that rhinovirus is an important cause of ACAS and that viral invasion of the sinus cavity itself may be a common event during the disease.