Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Temporal Analysis of mtDNA Variation Reveals Decreased Genetic Diversity in Least Terns

Abstract. The Least Tern (Sternula antillarum) has undergone large population declines over the last century as a result of direct and indirect anthropogenic factors. The genetic implications of these declines are unknown. We used historical museum specimens (pre-1960) and contemporary (2001–2005) samples to examine range-wide phylogeographic patterns and investigate potential loss in the species' genetic variation. We obtained sequences (522 bp) of the mitochondrial gene for NADH dehydrogenase subunit 6 (ND6) from 268 individuals from across the species' range. Phylogeographic analysis revealed no association with geography or traditional subspecies designations. However, we detected potential reductions in genetic diversity in contemporary samples from California and the Atlantic coast Least Tern from that in historical samples, suggesting that current genetic diversity in Least Tern populations is lower than in their pre-1960 counterparts. Our results offer unique insights into changes in the Least Tern's genetic diversity over the past century and highlight the importance and utility of museum specimens in studies of conservation genetics.
Dissipativity-based feedback design for interconnected nonlinear systems on different time scales

This paper considers the problem of distributed state feedback controller design for interconnected nonlinear systems operating on different time scales. The proposed approach relies on dissipative systems theory to guarantee the stability of a network of interconnected subsystems operating on different time scales, where each subsystem objective is encoded as a supply rate. In particular, the supply rates parameterize the time scale separation between different subsystems. Then, for each subsystems, a storage function and an associated damping feedback controller are built to guarantee that the local dissipative objective is met. An example is presented to illustrate the approach.
Study of the Posterior Communicating Arteries of the Circle of Willis in Idiopathic Sudden Sensorineural Hearing Loss

Objectives: To evaluate the incidence of non-functioning posterior communicating arteries (PCoA) of the circle of Willis in patients presenting with idiopathic sudden sensorineural hearing loss (SSHL). Background: Pathogenesis of SSHL remains unclear despite several theories. A strong association between non-functioning PCoA of the circle of Willis and SSHL has been recently suggested, supporting the theory of vascular disorders. Setting: Tertiary referral center. Patients and Methods: Ultrasonographic Doppler flow measurements of the vertebrobasilar system were performed prospectively in 27 consecutive patients with idiopathic SSHL and in 27 healthy subjects. Results: A non-functioning PCoA was found in 4 patients with idiopathic SSHL and in 4 cases in the control group. Conclusion: The results of our study did not show any association between non-functioning PCoA of the circle of Willis and idiopathic SSHL, contrasting with previous data. We do not recommend adding routine transcranial Doppler ultrasonography in the test-battery for SSHL.
Reduced-Scale-Power Hardware-In-the-Loop Simulation of a Subway Line

Hardware-In-the-Loop (HIL) simulation of a simplified subway line is developed for experimental validation of subway line simulator. Energetic Macroscopic Representation (EMR) is used to organize models and controls. A subway supplied by a Traction Power Substation (TPS) through a DC energy rail is studied. The HIL simulation is based on the current control of an inductor, which reproduces the same behavior than the subway. A flexible and quasi-static model of the whole system is used and experimental results are provided.
Methodical Motivation of the Using EVA (Economic Value Added) as Instrument of Cost-Performance Management in Organizations

Transition to firm economic development is connected with decision of microeconomics problems - increasing economical efficiency of organizations. This problem predestines the behavior of the economic subject on the market of goods and resource, dictates the strategy of the development by potential to business activity. The market economy and fundamental changes in the modern social and economic development of Russia, transition to sustainable and long-term economic growth are associated with solving the key microeconomic objective to be the increase in economic efficiency of the enterprises and organisations. Launching the efficiency controlling action-oriented tools to allow within the selected economic strategy to develop an economic entity's line of behavior in the market and create the optimal system of the current activity arrangement is required. The regional printed media is no exception in this respect.The purpose of persisting studies was shown development instrument cost-performance management to activity of the economic as institutional subject of the of market economies, and their prima-thread on example of organization - a publishers regional printed mass-media.The Authors are given methodical motivation of the using economical value added as instrument of cost-performance management in organization-publisher. DOI: 10.5901/mjss.2015. v6n5s2p489
Hurtability: The lack of usability in products is hurting people -and why manufacturers must beheld accountable

The lack of usability (the easiness with which the user is able to perform her desired task using a system) may hurt people: a very distressful concept this study refers to is Hurtability. People should not be hurt by the products they buy. And certainly, the users are not the ones responsible for this lack of usability. Information and communication technologies have drastically changed society, and the pressure for low-cost strategies, combined with the lack of use of scientific knowledge and an overall disregard for customer´s well-being, has had an adverse impact: non-tested, sub-parsecurity standard and even unlawful products find their way into the market place, and hurt customer. It used to be that businesses would not be held liable for the safety of their products, and try to transfer accountability for the defects to the customer. But recent changes in laws in countries such as Brazil, South Africa and Kenya try to correct this: In South Africa, producer, importer, distributor or retailer (collectively referred to as “persons in the supply chain”) of any goods is now liable for any harm caused wholly or partly by the goods. It is up to the designers to develop and implement such systems and objects in a way to help the user perform her desired tasks without being hurt by the tool she is using. This paper analyses some common cases, as per illustration, indicating the causes, the usability theories that could explain such causes and suggests some course of actions to correct them. The main goal of this paper is to raise awareness to this very important social-popular-economical issue. Key words: Usability, liability, accountability, business processes, product design, product evaluation.
Expression of the isiA gene is essential for the survival of the cyanobacterium Synechococcus sp. PCC 7942 by protecting photosystem II from excess light under iron limitation

Iron deficiency is known to suppress primary productivity in both marine and freshwater ecosystems. In response to iron deficiency, certain cyanobacteria induce a chlorophyll (Chl)–protein complex, CP43′, which is encoded by the isiA gene. The deduced amino‐acid sequence of CP43′ predicts some structural similarity to the CP43 polypeptide of photosystem II, but the function of CP43′ remains uncertain. In order to assess its physiological role, the isiA gene of a cyanobacterium, Synechococcus sp. PCC7942, was inactivated by insertion mutagenesis (giving isiA− cells). Compared with isiA− cells, under iron deprivation, wild‐type cells showed both lower rates of photosystem II‐mediated O2 evolution at limiting light irradiances and decreased yields of room temperature Chl fluorescence at various irradiances. These observations strongly suggest that the decreased photosystem II activity in wild‐type cells with CP43′ is attributable to increased non‐radiative dissipation of light energy. In agreement with this hypothesis, isiA− cells were more susceptible to photoinhibition of photosynthesis than wild‐type cells, resulting in much slower growth rates under iron limitation. Based on these results, we suggest that CP43′ functions as a non‐radiative dissipator of light energy, thus protecting photosystem II from excessive excitation under iron‐deficient conditions.
Interregionalism's impact on regional integration in developing countries: the case of Mercosur

ABSTRACT This article examines the impact of interregionalism on deepening regional integration processes in non-European Union (EU) regions, specifically the Southern Common Market (Mercosur). It considers whether ‘capacity-building’ functions of interregionalism are present in EU–Mercosur relations. It argues that although negotiations for an association agreement might have helped Mercosur survive periods of severe crisis in the past, the terms of the agreement under negotiation were not sufficiently attractive to encourage deeper integration in Mercosur. Moreover, interregionalism cannot be expected to compensate for low institutionalization, nor substitute for weak political willingness to deepen integration. Ultimately, Mercosur alone can decide how far it wants to take its regional integration.
Qualitative Evaluation of the Project P.A.T.H.S.: Findings Based on Focus Groups with Student Participants

This paper reports a qualitative evaluation study conducted to explore the perceptions of students who joined the Tier 1 Program of the Project P.A. T.H. S. A total of 92 students were randomly selected to participate in 10 focus groups, which provided qualitative data for the study. With specific focus on how the informants described the program, the descriptors used were primarily positive; the metaphors named by the informants that could stand for the program were basically positive. Program participants also perceived the program to be beneficial in different psychosocial domains. The present study lends further support to the effectiveness of the Tier 1 Program of the Project P.A. T.H. S. in promoting holistic development in Chinese adolescents.
Analysis of thymus‐independent type 2 antigen uptake by marginal zone macrophages in thin slices of viable lymphoid tissue in vitro

There is evidence to suggest that the B cell population in the marginal zone (MZ) of the spleen is responsible for the antibody response to thymus‐independent type 2 antigens (TI‐2). The macrophage (MΦ) population in the MZ has been shown to take up TI‐2 antigens selectively, and this uptake is potentially important in understanding antigen handling in TI‐2 responses. Uptake has not been studied in vitro because isolation of MZ MΦ completely abrogates uptake. We have adapted a technique for cutting thin slices of viable spleen which retained this MΦ function under in vitro conditions and allowed manipulation of the system. This technique may have widespread application in the study of tissue MΦ which are difficult to isolate. Using this method, we show that MZ MΦ in splenic slices in vitro selectively take up a TI‐2 antigen, in a way apparently identical to that seen in vivo. This is not due to high pinocytic activity by these cells nor to their anatomical location. We provide evidence for a receptor‐mediated uptake system, whose function is sensitive to collagenase. The ligand specificity of the uptake system showed unexpected cross‐reactivity with the mannosyl‐fucosyl receptor with high affinity for mannan, but was not identical to it, and may be indicative of the natural ligands for the TI‐2 antigen uptake system.
Obesity, Insulin Resistance, beta-Cell Autoimmunity, and the Changing Clinical Epidemiology of Childhood Diabetes.

Over the past half century, the nomenclature for the major forms of diabetes changed from juvenile- and adult-onset to insulin-dependent or ketosis-prone and non–insulin-dependent or ketosis-resistant and, most recently, in an attempt to shift from treatment to what is now known of pathogenesis as the basis, type 1 and type 2 diabetes. Challenges to the concept of two main and distinct forms of diabetes go back to epidemiologic studies in the 1960s and 1970s. Yemenite immigrants to Israel had very few instances of diabetes but, after 25 years in the land of milk and honey, experienced a 40-fold increase in frequency of diabetes. The proportion of insulin dependency was similar to that in Israelis of European origin, suggesting common environmental influences (most likely nutritional) on the expression of both major forms of diabetes (1). In a comparison of diabetes expression in >1,500 siblings of middle-aged newly diagnosed patients (both insulin dependent and non–insulin dependent) and siblings of childhood-onset insulin-dependent patients who had reached the same age bracket, Gottlieb (2) described a tendency, but not a requirement, for similar disease expression in families. Of siblings of childhood-onset patients, 12% had developed diabetes, evenly divided between what we would now consider type 1 and type 2 diabetes; siblings of adult-onset insulin-dependent patients had similar frequency and proportions. Siblings of type 2 diabetic patients had an 11% diabetes frequency; one-fourth of them were insulin dependent. More recently, a study of 3,500 incident cases of type 1 diabetes in Sweden found a family history for type 2 diabetes to be three times more likely in patients with type 1 diabetes than in matched control subjects (two for each patient) and type 1 diabetes frequency to be increased in relatives of patients with type 2 diabetes (3). Further assault on the view of type …
Characterization of L‐Glutamate Binding Sites in Rat Spinal Cord Synaptic Membranes: Evidence for Multiple Chloride Ion‐Dependent Sites

Abstract The effects of various ions on L‐glutamate (L‐Glu) binding sites (Na+‐dependent, Cl−‐dependent, and CP−‐independent) in synaptic plasma membranes (SPM) isolated from rat spinal cord and forebrain were examined. CP−‐de‐pendent binding sites were over twofold higher in spinal cord (Bmax= 152 ± 34 pmol/mg protein) as compared to forebrain SPM (Bmax= 64 ± 12 pmol/mg protein). Na+ dependent binding, on the other hand, was nearly sixfold less in spinal cord (Bmax= 74 ± 10 pmol/mg protein) compared to forebrain SPM (408 ± 26 pmol/mg protein). Uptake of L‐Glu (Na+‐dependent) was also eightfold less in the P2 fraction from spinal cord relative to forebrain (Vmax of 2.89 and 22.3 pmol/mg protein/min, respectively). The effects of Na+, K+, NH4+, and Ca2+ on L‐Glu binding sites were similar in both regions of the CNS. In addition, in spinal cord membranes, Br−, I−, and NO3− were equivalent to C− in their capacity to stimulate L‐Glu binding, whereas F−and CO32− were less effective. Cl−‐dependent l‐Glu binding in spinal cord membranes consisted of two distinct sites. The predominant site (74% of the total) had characteristics similar to the Cl−‐dependent binding site in forebrain membranes [i.e., Ki values of 5.7 ± 1.4 μM and 119 ± 38 nM for 2‐amino‐4‐phosphonobutyric acid (AP4) and quisqualic acid, (QUIS), respectively]. The other CP‐dependent site was unaffected by AP4 but was blocked by QUIS (Ki= 14.2 ± 4.8 μM).
Socially responsible investment and the development agenda: peering behind the progressive veil of non-financial benchmarking

Abstract One of the most striking trends in global development finance has been the growing role of Western-based, institutional investors. Pension funds in particular have played a leading part in supplying capital to publicly traded corporations in emerging market economies. An important feature of this type of financing has been the trend to make investment conditional not only on sound economic fundamentals, but also on a series of non-financial (or social) risk indicators (eg meeting labour standards and human rights). Despite the significance of non-financial benchmarking, these strategies have not been subjected to critical analysis, especially with regard to their wider impact on the reproduction of the mainstream development paradigm. This article addresses this gap by focusing on the benchmarking strategies of one of the world's largest pension funds: the California Public Employees' Retirement System (Calpers). Calpers's rating instrument, the Permissible Country Index (pci), employs both financial and non-financial risk indicators to screen its investments in 27 emerging markets. I argue that, despite its progressive sheen, the pci not only reproduces but also reinforces neoliberal forms of discipline and exploitation in the global South. It does this through coercive measures, such as divestment (ie removing a country from the pci), as well as through the construction of specific forms of knowledge that act to normalise the expansion and restructuring of spaces of capital in the global South.
ATVB in Focus Nuclear Receptors in Metabolism and Cardiovascular Disease

First discovered as orphan receptors, liver X receptors (LXRs) were subsequently identified as the nuclear receptor target of the cholesterol metabolites, oxysterols. There are 2 LXR receptors encoded by distinct genes: LXR is most highly expressed in the liver, adipose, kidney, adrenal tissues, and macrophages and LXR is ubiquitously expressed. Despite differential tissue distribution, these isoforms have 78% homology in their ligand-binding domain and appear to respond to the same endogenous ligands. Work over the past 10 years has shown that the LXR pathway regulates lipid metabolism and inflammation via both the induction and repression of target genes. Given the importance of cholesterol regulation and inflammation in the development of cardiovascular disease, it is not surprising that activation of the LXR pathway attenuates various mechanisms underlying atherosclerotic plaque development. In this brief review, we will discuss the impact of the LXR pathway on both cholesterol metabolism and atherosclerosis. (Arterioscler Thromb Vasc Biol. 2010;30:1513-1518.)
The Nature of Unemployment in Britain: Studies of the DHSS Cohort

This is an important contribution to the study of the characteristics and behaviour of the unemployed especially in their search for work. It is based on the analysis of unusually good data on a large cohort of men registering as unemployed in 1978, which enables the authors to overcome many of the problems of measuring the effects of economic, demographic and policy variables on unemployment. The results presented will interest labour economists and anyone involved in the policy debate on unemployment.
Quantitative analysis of business-model

Summary form only given. In Japan, the category of rapidly growing business has a common characteristic. It is the fact that business continues to produce a new value and service with market growth. The authors call this new value and service the "business-model". The category of business opens up a new market by this business model and grows. This research analyzes cases in the growth of a corporation and the category of business by creation of a new business model. First this research conducted a case study about convenience stores. Secondly, this research conducted a regression analysis of a market growth model, in which the business-model is assumed to be created, and quantitatively confirms the creation of the business-model. In the case analysis of this research, the creation of a new business-model is considered to be one of the important factors of market growth. The creation of a new business-model means an appearance of new demand. This research conducts a regression analysis of a market growth model, in which a business-model is assumed to be created, and quantitatively confirms the creation of the business-model.
Convergence of Adaptive Finite Element Methods

Adaptive finite element methods (FEMs) have been widely used in applications for over 20 years now. In practice, they converge starting from coarse grids, although no mathematical theory has been able to prove this assertion. Ensuring an error reduction rate based on a posteriori error estimators, together with a reduction rate of data oscillation (information missed by the underlying averaging process), we construct a simple and efficient adaptive FEM for elliptic partial differential equations. We prove that this algorithm converges with linear rate without any preliminary mesh adaptation nor explicit knowledge of constants. Any prescribed error tolerance is thus achieved in a finite number of steps. A number of numerical experiments in two and three dimensions yield quasi-optimal meshes along with a competitive performance. Extensions to higher order elements and applications to saddle point problems are discussed as well.
On assessing model fit for distribution‐free longitudinal models under missing data

The generalized estimating equation (GEE), a distribution‐free, or semi‐parametric, approach for modeling longitudinal data, is used in a wide range of behavioral, psychotherapy, pharmaceutical drug safety, and healthcare‐related research studies. Most popular methods for assessing model fit are based on the likelihood function for parametric models, rendering them inappropriate for distribution‐free GEE. One rare exception is a score statistic initially proposed by Tsiatis for logistic regression (1980) and later extended by Barnhart and Willamson to GEE (1998). Because GEE only provides valid inference under the missing completely at random assumption and missing values arising in most longitudinal studies do not follow such a restricted mechanism, this GEE‐based score test has very limited applications in practice. We propose extensions of this goodness‐of‐fit test to address missing data under the missing at random assumption, a more realistic model that applies to most studies in practice. We examine the performance of the proposed tests using simulated data and demonstrate the utilities of such tests with data from a real study on geriatric depression and associated medical comorbidities. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Improving College Enrollment of At-Risk Students at the School Level

ABSTRACT Many federal, state, and local education policy priorities are aimed at preparing high school students, especially those at risk, to be college- and career-ready when they graduate from high school. A number of programs across different institutional entities have been initiated to achieve these goals, encompassing individual partnerships with schools. Many of these programs include a variety of interventions, ranging from college and course counseling to college visits. Although there have been some evaluations of the larger federal programs, and some state and district programs, few have examined national observational data on the impact of these programmatic efforts on college enrollments. This study uses the HSLS:09 database to investigate the impact of specific treatments in at-risk schools on college enrollments. Results show that several of these programmatic initiatives have a positive effect on college enrollment; however, the effects are small compared to some of those reported by other national studies.
Stability Domain Calculations of Period-1 Ferroresonance in a Nonlinear Resonant Circuit

Catastrophic equipment failures continue to occur today due to ferroresonance even though this phenomenon has been extensively studied over the past 90 years. This paper is concerned with comparing analytical nonlinear dynamics methods with a two-dimensional brute-force bifurcation diagram for displaying safety margins in a two-dimensional parameter space. A simplified single-phase model is used to represent the case of ferroresonance between a transformer and circuit breaker grading capacitor. Comparisons are made between the analytical method and EMTP simulations of an actual ferroresonant event.