Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
On the ecology of home range in birds

Un tissu complexe de relations fonctionnelles et hierarchiques sous-tend l'ecologie du domaine vital chez les oiseaux : les patrons spatiaux locaux sont determines par des processus ecologiques et biologiques qui sont eux-memes directement ou indirectement soumis a divers facteurs. Dans cet article, nous examinons ces relations en considerant les deplacements et l'utilisation de l'habitat dans les domaines vitaux. Sur la base d'une analyse critique des donnees de la litterature, ont ete identifies quatre processus (selection de l'habitat, reproduction, appariement et gregarisme) et onze facteurs (disponibilite de la nourriture, structure de l'habitat, fragmentation de l'habitat, interactions predateurs-proies, topographie, effet des activites humaines, conditions climatiques, disponibilites des sites de nidification, âge, sexe et statut social). Les facteurs ont ete classes en directs quand ils influencent directement les processus, en indirects quand ils affectent d'autres facteurs qui jouent a leur tour sur les processus, et enfin en faux facteurs quand ils semblent affecter un processus mais qu'en realite ce sont d'autres facteurs qui agissent. Des considerations quantitatives et ontologiques suggerent que le processus le plus important dans l'expression des patrons de distribution des oiseaux serait la selection de l'habitat, elle-meme affectee par les disponibilites et la localisation des sources de nourriture. Le principal resultat de cette etude est donc que les disponibilites alimentaires constitueraient le determinant ecologique majeur des domaines vitaux chez les oiseaux, les autres facteurs apparaissant secondaires.
“With Great Power Comes Great Responsibility”: Privileged Students’ Conceptions of Justice-Oriented Citizenship

How do students from privileged communities respond to educational efforts encouraging them to become justiceoriented citizens? Observational and interview data collected during a semesterlong case study of eleven high school students in a social studies class at an elite private school reveal four markedly different interpretations of their teacher’s call to be justiceoriented citizens. Under Westheimer and Kahne’s (2004) conceptions of citizenship as an analytical frame, only one of these interpretations aligns with the tenets of justiceoriented citizenship and the desired outcomes of social justice pedagogy. Given that all eleven students considered themselves to be justice oriented, these findings reveal a disconnect between students’ conceptions of social justice and the principles undergirding a socialjustice education. This paper emphasizes the need for a more nuanced understanding of how students make sense of their social responsibilities as privileged people and reveals the deeply embedded nature of hegemonic common sense within privileged individuals and institutions. Read a response to this article GaztambideFernandez, R.A. & Howard, A. (2013). Social Justice, Deferred Complicity, and the Moral Plight of the Wealthy. Democracy & Education, 21(1). Available online at http://democracyeducationjournal.org/home/vol21/iss1/8. Submit your own response to this article Submit online at democracyeducationjournal.org/home How would you defend your education to critics? ” I asked Dallas one afternoon.1 We were sitting in overstuffed chairs in front of the fireplace in the library of Kent Academy, a private school in one of the city’s wealthiest neighborhoods. Unique among those of its similarly elite peer institutions, the school’s mission emphasizes democratic, progressive education with a special focus on issues of social justice. A junior in high school, Dallas had attended Kent since kindergarten and was, ultimately, a thoughtful proponent of its approach to schooling. After considering the question for a few moments, he told me: In the longterm, because we have privilege, we’re going to be able to do things that, you know, kids in other communities might not be able to accomplish. So, educating us about what’s right and what is, like, oppressive and unjust is important because of what we might go onto do. Otherwise, we’re going to be sitting blindly on, like, the upper realms of society. (Personal communication, March 2, 2010) In another interview, one of Dallas’s fellow students, Adam, responded to my question by referencing a quote made famous by the comic book superhero Spiderman: I think it’s our job as privileged people to understand that with great power comes great responsibility. (Personal communication,
Fine-grained GPU parallelization of pairwise local sequence alignment

The Smith-Waterman algorithm is used in Bio-informatics to perform pairwise local alignment between a query sequence and a subject sequence. We present a GPU based parallel version of this algorithm that is able to perform pair-wise alignment faster than previous algorithms. In particular, it parallelizes each alignment, rather than relying on parallelism across multiple pair alignments, which many other proposed GPU algorithms do. As a result it scales better. We further extend our algorithm to work efficiently on a cluster of GPUs. At a high level, our approach subdivides the iterative computation of elements of a matrix among blocks of processors such that each block can simply recompute the data it needs instead of waiting for other processors to compute them. Sometimes this may lead to excessive recomputation, however. We evaluate these cases and employ a hybrid approach, recomputing only limited data and communicating the rest. Our algorithm is also extended to produce not only the best but all `best K' alignments. Our results on SSCA#1 benchmark show that our method is upto 5-24 times faster than previous method.
Participation of neural factor in the pathogenesis of hypertension in the spontaneously hypertensive rat.

(1) Recording of electrical activity of the sympathetic (left splanchnic) nerve of the Spontaneously Hypertensive Rat revealed that the peripheral sympathetic tone is remarkably augmented in SHR in comparison with that of the control. (2) Pithing revealed the important role of the central nervous system in the maintenance of high blood pressure of the Spontaneously Hypertensive Rat. (3) Transection experiment (cerveau isole and encephale isole) offered the evidence that the pontobulbar portion of brain stem is responsible for the mechanism involved in the tonic maintenance of high blood pressure of the Spontaneously Hypertensive Rat.It is concluded that the increased sympathetic vasoconstrictor discharge which originates in the lower brain stem constitutes one important factor in the pathogenesis of, or at least, in the maintenance of hypertension in the Spontaneously Hypertensive Rat.
Changes of liver fat content and transaminases in obese children after 12-mo nutritional intervention.

AIM To assess a relationship between longitudinal changes in liver fat content and biochemical parameters in obese children after 1-year nutritional intervention. METHODS Forty-six obese children, 21 males and 25 females, aged 6-14 years, underwent metabolic measurements, liver ultrasonography (US) and chemical-shift magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) examinations at baseline and after 1-year nutritional intervention. A child was defined obese if her/his body mass index (BMI) was above the age- and sex-adjusted BMI Cole's curve passing through the cut-off of 30 kg/m(2) at 18 years. BMI Z scores were calculated and adjusted for age and gender by using the Cole's LMS-method and Italian reference data. Biochemistry included serum alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and aspartate aminotransferase (AST). Abdominal US and chemical-shift MRI were performed according to a randomized sequence. The same radiologist performed US by a GE Logiq 9 (General Electric Healthcare Medical Systems, Milwaukee, WI, United States) using a 3.5-MHz convex array transducer. Liver echogenicity was evaluated independently on videotape by 3 radiologists unaware of the child and MRI outcomes, and a consensus was established. Another experienced radiologist, unaware of the child and US data, performed the abdominal chemical-shift MRI with a 1-t system NT-Intera (Philips Medical Systems, Best, The Netherlands) and a phased-array coil. Liver fat fraction (FF) on MRI was judged elevated when greater than 9%. A FF > 18% was considered expressing more severe cases of fatty liver according to Fishbein. A nutritional-behavioral intervention was recommended to promote a normocaloric balanced diet and active lifestyle based on the Italian guidelines for treatment of childhood obesity. RESULTS Compared to baseline, at the end of intervention children showed lower intakes of energy (mean ± SD: 2549 ± 1238 Kcal vs 1770 ± 622 Kcal, P < 0.0001), total fat (90 ± 47 g vs 52 ± 23 g, P < 0.0001), carbohydrates (356 ± 174 g vs 241 ± 111 g, P = 0.001), and protein (99 ± 48 g vs 75 ± 23 g, P = 0.006) intakes. Prevalence of FF ≥ 9% declined from 34.8% to 8.7% (P < 0.01), with a mean reduction of 7.8% (95%CI: 5.0-10.6). At baseline, FF was associated with liver biochemical parameters (maximum P < 0.001). At the end of the intervention association was found with AST (P = 0.017). Change of FF was associated with change in AST (P = 0.027) and ALT (P = 0.024). Rate of increased liver echogenicity declined from 45.6% to 21.7% (P < 0.0001). Liver echogenicity was associated with ALT at baseline only (P < 0.001). An age- and sex- adjusted multiple regression analysis showed that FF change was independently associated with change in serum AST (adjusted regression coefficient 0.348, P = 0.048). CONCLUSION The results suggest that in obese children longitudinal changes in liver fat content based on MRI may be associated with change in serum transaminases suggesting novelty in monitoring nonalcoholic fatty liver disease.
REDUCING ANXIETY IN MIDDLE SCHOOL AND HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS: A COMPARISON OF COGNITIVE-BEHAVIORAL THERAPY AND RELAXATION TRAINING APPROACHES

This study compared the effectiveness of two group treatment procedures in reducing adolescent anxiety in a school setting. The interventions included group cognitive-behavioral treatment, group relaxation training, and study skills (control group). Participants were students in Grades 5-12 who were parent, teacher, or school personnel nominated. The adolescents had to exhibit T scores of > 60 on an anxiety scale of the Youth Self Report for ages 11-18 or Multidimensional Anxiety Scale for Children (MASC), self-report rating scales, a parent rating scale or teacher report form for ages 618 of the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL). Measurements were collected at preintervention, postintervention, and a 6-week follow up for the treatment groups. The control group was assessed at preintervention and postintervention only. The data gathered consisted of an overall student anxiety scale score from the MASC, and anxious/ depressed, anxiety problems, and internalizing problems scale scores from the student, teacher, and parent CBCL rating scales. All three groups exhibited lower scores from preintervention to postintervention on the student self-reported MASC. No differences were found among the groups in the reduction of teacher or parent reported anxiety levels from preintervention to postintervention except on the parent ratings of the CBCL anxious/depressed scale. A statistically significant group by time interaction indicated that the students in the CBT group showed significantly lower posttest scores than the relaxation and study skills groups. The significant interaction of group by time from preintervention to postintervention on the parent CBCL anxious/depressed scale score was expanded to the
A mixed discrete-continuous optimization scheme for Cyber-Physical System architecture exploration

We propose a methodology for architecture exploration for Cyber-Physical Systems (CPS) based on an iterative, optimization-based approach, where a discrete architecture selection engine is placed in a loop with a continuous sizing engine. The discrete optimization routine proposes a candidate architecture to the sizing engine. The sizing routine optimizes over the continuous parameters using simulation to evaluate the physical models and to monitor the requirements. To decrease the number of simulations, we show how balance equations and conservation laws can be leveraged to prune the discrete space, thus achieving significant reduction in the overall runtime. We demonstrate the effectiveness of our methodology on an industrial case study, namely an aircraft environmental control system, showing more than one order of magnitude reduction in optimization time.
Toward Personalized Lymphoma Immunotherapy: Identification of Common Driver Mutations Recognized by Patient CD8+ T Cells

Purpose: A fundamental challenge in the era of next-generation sequencing (NGS) is to design effective treatments tailored to the mutational profiles of tumors. Many newly discovered cancer mutations are difficult to target pharmacologically; however, T-cell–based therapies may provide a valuable alternative owing to the exquisite sensitivity and specificity of antigen recognition. To explore this concept, we assessed the immunogenicity of a panel of genes that are common sites of driver mutations in follicular lymphoma, an immunologically sensitive yet currently incurable disease. Experimental Design: Exon capture and NGS were used to interrogate tumor samples from 53 patients with follicular lymphoma for mutations in 10 frequently mutated genes. For 13 patients, predicted mutant peptides and proteins were evaluated for recognition by autologous peripheral blood T cells after in vitro priming. Results: Mutations were identified in 1–5 genes in 81% (43/53) of tumor samples. Autologous, mutation-specific CD8+ T cells were identified in 23% (3/13) of evaluated cases. T-cell responses were directed toward putative driver mutations in CREBBP and MEF2B. Responding T cells showed exquisite specificity for mutant versus wild-type proteins and recognized lymphoma cells expressing the appropriate mutations. Responding T cells appeared to be from the naïve repertoire, as they were found at low frequencies and only at single time points in each patient. Conclusions: Patients with follicular lymphoma harbor rare yet functionally competent CD8+ T cells specific for recurrent mutations. Our results support the concept of using NGS to design individualized immunotherapies targeting common driver mutations in follicular lymphoma and other malignancies. Clin Cancer Res; 22(9); 2226–36. ©2015 AACR.
The influence of geographic life environments on cardiometabolic risk factors: a systematic review, a methodological assessment and a research agenda

Recent environmental changes play a role in the dramatic increase in the prevalence of cardiometabolic risk factors (CMRFs) such as obesity, hypertension, type 2 diabetes, dyslipidemias and the metabolic syndrome in industrialized countries. Therefore, identifying environmental characteristics that are associated with risk factors is critical to develop more effective public health interventions. We conducted a systematic review of the literature investigating relationships between characteristics of geographic life environments and CMRFs (131 articles). Most studies were published after 2006, relied on cross‐sectional designs, and examined whether sociodemographic and physical environmental characteristics, and more recently service environment characteristics, were associated with obesity or, to a lesser extent, hypertension. Only 14 longitudinal studies were retrieved; diabetes, dyslipidemias and the metabolic syndrome were rarely analysed; and aspects of social interactions in the neighbourhood were critically underinvestigated. Environmental characteristics that were consistently associated with either obesity or hypertension include low area socioeconomic position; low urbanization degree; low street intersection, service availability and residential density; high noise pollution; low accessibility to supermarkets and high density of convenience stores; and low social cohesion. Intermediate mechanisms between environmental characteristics and CMRFs have received little attention. We propose a research agenda based on the assessment of underinvestigated areas of research and methodological limitations of current literature.
Student-led and teacher-led case presentations: further empirical evidence

The use of business case studies has been frequently promoted as a method for developing accounting graduates who are active, interdependent, and independent learners. The debate continues over the best method for using the case study method; should case studies be studentor teacher-led? A recent study (Adler, Whiting and Wynn-Williams, 2004) used Kolb’s Learning-Style Inventory (adapted from Honey and Mumford (1986) and Kolb (1984)) to investigate the use of business case studies and student learning styles in an intermediate-level cost and management accounting course. The findings from that study suggest that it is how the case studies are used and the level of student involvement that is of vital importance. This paper extends the findings of Adler et al (2004) by repeating the survey but with the following potentially important changes: prior to the survey, students had completed an entire semester of intermediate-level courses, including two accounting courses, plus the surveys were administered at a later point in the particular management accounting paper. The results of the second survey confirm and extend those of the first (Adler et al, 2004), namely, that a lack of active involvement in cases results in less balanced learning styles. Further, even when students have experienced the benefits of active participation, a prolonged suspension of such involvement also leads to an exaggerated lack of balance. That is, not only is the how of case involvement important, so is the when. That the students in the current survey had exposure to both more intermediate courses and to more business cases, regardless of level of involvement, had no discernible effect.
Differential Transit Peptide Recognition during Preprotein Binding and Translocation into Flowering Plant Plastids[W]

Despite their identification >30 years ago, the mechanism of how chloroplast transit peptides direct precursor import remains enigmatic. This is more confounding in light of emerging genomic data that indicate ∼20% of plant genomes encode chloroplast-targeted proteins. This article develops a heuristic approach that may provide universal criteria for what makes a functional transit peptide. Despite the availability of thousands of transit peptide (TP) primary sequences, the structural and/or physicochemical properties that determine TP recognition by components of the chloroplast translocon are not well understood. By combining a series of in vitro and in vivo experiments, we reveal that TP recognition is determined by sequence-independent interactions and vectorial-specific recognition domains. Using both native and reversed TPs for two well-studied precursors, small subunit of ribulose-1,5-bis-phosphate carboxylase/oxygenase, and ferredoxin, we exposed these two modes of recognition. Toc34 receptor (34-kD subunit of the translocon of the outer envelope) recognition in vitro, preprotein binding in organellar, precursor binding in vivo, and the recognition of TPs by the major stromal molecular motor Hsp70 are specific for the physicochemical properties of the TP. However, translocation in organellar and in vivo demonstrates strong specificity to recognition domain organization. This organization specificity correlates with the N-terminal placement of a strong Hsp70 recognition element. These results are discussed in light of how individual translocon components sequentially interact with the precursor during binding and translocation and helps explain the apparent lack of sequence conservation in chloroplast TPs.
Multiple sclerosis--the plaque and its pathogenesis.

Substantial advances have elucidated some of the central mechanisms underlying the inflammation, demyelination, and neurodegeneration that occur in multiple sclerosis. Correspondingly, the clinical strategies available for the management of the disease have widened. This review focuses on the current knowledge of the pathogenesis of the inflammatory and neurodegenerative elements of the multiple sclerosis plaque.
Feasibility and performance evaluation of a 6LoWPAN-enabled platform for ubiquitous healthcare monitoring

Technology has revolutionized medical practices by enabling more convenient and non-intrusive monitoring of patient's health, leading to next generation ubiquitous healthcare u-healthcare. The exploitation of the Internet protocol version 6 addressing space along with the miniaturization of electronic devices has fostered providing interoperability and connectivity of wearable sensor devices in wireless body area networks to the Internet of Things. In this paper, we propose to integrate the IPv6 over low power wireless personal area network 6LoWPAN to the u-healthcare monitoring system architecture. The main objective is to study the feasibility of the 6LoWPAN-enabled platform in real-world scenarios dealing with medical data. The performance evaluation of this platform is carried out initially through simulations using OMNet++ and then supported by an experimental study using sensor motes and a customized micro-computing unit. Performance metrics such as throughput, end-to-end delay, packet error rate, and energy consumption are investigated under acute health conditions, where patient's health information has to be sent continuously and at maximum rate to the care provider. The obtained results show that the proposed 6LoWPAN solution fulfills the main quality of service requirements of u-healthcare applications. Copyright © 2015John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Manipulation of apoptosis as a treatment modality in rheumatoid arthritis

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is an inflammatory and destructive joint disease. Present treatment modalities although beneficial in approximately 40% of RA patients, are insufficient to prevent severe disability in a high number of nonresponders. Thus, new treatment approaches for RA are required. Apoptosis is programmed cell death. Insufficient apoptosis in the inflamed RA synovia leads to intra-articular accumulation of highly differentiated B and T lymphocytes and invasive growth of macrophages and fibroblasts. It might also prevent response to antirheumatic treatment. The intracellular events supporting long-term cell survival in RA include low sensitivity to the ligation of professional death receptors (Fas and tumor necrosis factor receptor) and the increase in caspase and mitochondrial activity inhibitors. The authors summarize the attempts to increase apoptosis in RA by stimulation through death receptors, targeting proteins of the inhibitor of apoptosis protein family and by using the inhibitors of t.
Exploring collaboration with group pointer interaction

Enabling group collaboration is important in computer graphics today. We have developed a framework that supports multiple pointing devices to explore the collaborative utility of multiple mice and laser pointer interaction in graphical environments. Because most pointing device comparisons are done in the context of single user performance, very little is known about the affordances of collaborating with multiple pointing devices. We present an experimental comparison of mouse pointer to laser pointer interaction in a problem-solving task involving groups of one, two, and three people. We show that collaborative performance is largely orthogonal to motor performance and that the interaction patterns are dependent on the task and on the group size. This suggests that the collaborative characteristics of a pointing device are just as important as the physical characteristics that are usually given the most attention, such as precision and accuracy