Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Gummivory and gut morphology in two sympatric callitrichids (Callithrix emiliae and Saguinus fuscicollis weddelli) from western Brazilian Amazonia.

A comparative analysis of the gastrointestinal tracts of wild-caught marmosets, Callithrix emiliae, and tamarins, Saguinus fuscicollis weddelli, was undertaken in order to evaluate the degree of specialisation for digestion of plant exudates. Compared to S.f. weddelli, C. emiliae exhibits a reduced small intestine and a relatively large, compartmentalised caecum in which gum is probably fermented. The apparent specialisation of the digestive tract in C. emiliae correlates with that of its dentition, which is adapted for gouging the bark of gum-producing plants. A similar degree of specialisation of the caecum is predicted for other marmosets (Callithrix spp. and Cebuella pygmaea).
Ca2+ releases E‐Syt1 autoinhibition to couple ER‐plasma membrane tethering with lipid transport

The extended synaptotagmins (E‐Syts) are endoplasmic reticulum (ER) proteins that bind the plasma membrane (PM) via C2 domains and transport lipids between them via SMP domains. E‐Syt1 tethers and transports lipids in a Ca2+‐dependent manner, but the role of Ca2+ in this regulation is unclear. Of the five C2 domains of E‐Syt1, only C2A and C2C contain Ca2+‐binding sites. Using liposome‐based assays, we show that Ca2+ binding to C2C promotes E‐Syt1‐mediated membrane tethering by releasing an inhibition that prevents C2E from interacting with PI(4,5)P2‐rich membranes, as previously suggested by studies in semi‐permeabilized cells. Importantly, Ca2+ binding to C2A enables lipid transport by releasing a charge‐based autoinhibitory interaction between this domain and the SMP domain. Supporting these results, E‐Syt1 constructs defective in Ca2+ binding in either C2A or C2C failed to rescue two defects in PM lipid homeostasis observed in E‐Syts KO cells, delayed diacylglycerol clearance from the PM and impaired Ca2+‐triggered phosphatidylserine scrambling. Thus, a main effect of Ca2+ on E‐Syt1 is to reverse an autoinhibited state and to couple membrane tethering with lipid transport.
Two Chains of Rhamnogalacturonan II Are Cross-Linked by Borate-Diol Ester Bonds in Higher Plant Cell Walls

Polysaccharide moiety of the boron-polysaccharide complex (T. Matoh, K. Ishigaki, K. Ohno, J. Azuma [1993] Plant Cell Physiol 34: 639–642) isolated from radish (Raphanus sativus) roots has been shown to be rhamnogalacturonan II by glycosyl-linkage analysis and the presence of diagnostic monosaccharides, including apiose, aceric acid, 2-O-methylfucose, and 3-deoxy-D-manno-2-octulosonic acid. Removal of boron from the complex reduced the molecular weight by one-half without causing a significant increase in the number of reducing end groups, indicating that boron, as boric acid, links two rhamnogalacturonan II chains together to form the boron-polysaccharide complex.
How many bits?

Since 1982, Landsat has acquired multispectral data using 8-bit data. With many new and highly advanced systems and sensors being developed, we wish to evaluate the benefits of higher radiometric precision for forestry applications. Two industrial forestry sites in central Virginia are chosen to carry out this analysis because of the large variability in standing biomass associated with recovery from past harvest. IKONOS imagery and Earth Observing System's Advanced Land Imager (ALI) imagery are used in the study. These sensors acquire data using 11 and 12 bits, respectively. By subsampling to Landsat spatial resolution, and truncating the dynamic range and radiometric resolution, we can create Landsat-like image products at a variety of radiometric resolutions. Results show that although a difference can be seen when comparing datasets of higher and lower radiometric resolution, those differences appear to be small when trying to discriminate the boundaries of disturbed stands.
Diffusion of Contingency Management and Attitudes regarding Its Effectiveness and Acceptability

Substance abuse counselors are critical as the key arbiters of clients’ acceptance and use of innovative treatment techniques, with their potential support embedded in their knowledge of and attitudes towards particular innovations. In this analysis the authors examine the role of substance abuse counselors in the adoption of a psychosocial treatment innovation, contingency management (CM). Using data collected from 1140 counselors employed in a national sample of 318 public treatment centers, the authors examine theoretical predictors of counselors’ knowledge of CM, and their attitudes regarding CM's effectiveness and acceptability. Findings suggest that lack of exposure to CM through program use and innovation-specific training is the most salient barrier to CM adoption and diffusion. The study also highlights the importance of social networks in the diffusion and acceptance of treatment innovations.
On the variation of the Hardy-Littlewood maximal function

We show that a function $ f $ of bounded variation satisfies $$ \Var Mf \leq C \Var f $$ where $ Mf $ is the centered Hardy-Littlewood maximal function of $ f $. Consequently, the operator $ f \mapsto (Mf)' $ is bounded from $ W^{1,1}(R) $ to $ L^{1}(R) $. This answers a question of Hajlasz and Onninen in the one-dimensional case.
An Adaptive Long-Term Bus Arrival Time Prediction Model with Cyclic Variations

Real-time bus arrival information systems at transit stops can be useful to passengers for efficient trip planning and reducing waiting times. The accuracy of such systems depends upon the ability of the model to account for variations in the data series and to adjust according to changing traffic conditions. Many of the existing studies on passenger information systems have modeled the system based on stationary relations, not taking into account the cyclic variations in data, which is often suitable for demonstration purposes but not for long-term implementation. The present study models the changing relationships using Double-Seasonal Holt-Winter’s Exponential Smoothing approach, which allows for self-updating parameters at four levels. It accounts for both long-term and short-term seasonal fluctuations in data while maintaining the dynamic treatment of real-time bus information. The model also takes into account delays using the real-time running information of the bus and incorporates it into subsequent forecasts for better accuracy. Real-time data from GPS transmitters in buses were used for validation of the proposed model. The results show that the proposed model performs better than the currently-used elementary field methods and is able to forecast bus travel times with a reasonable accuracy.
Wie demographiefest ist die betriebliche Altersvorsorge

Die Krise der Umlagefinanzierung der sozialen Sicherung, insbesondere der Alterssicherung, lasst die Forderung nach einem Wechsel auf kapitalgedeckte Systeme starker werden. Diese werden in der Regel als weniger anfallig gegenuber demographischen Veranderungen angesehen. Allerdings sehen sich auch kapitalgedeckte Systeme, wie etwa die indirekt durch Pensionsruckstellungen oder direkt uber Fondsvermogen finanzierte betriebliche Altersversorgung, Risiken ausgesetzt, die auf demographische Veranderungen zuruckzufuhren sind. Prof. Dr. Jochen Zimmermann, Universitat Bremen, diskutiert in diesem Beitrag die hieraus resultierende Effekte fur die zukunftige Unternehmensperformance unter den betriebswirtschaftlichen Kriterien Ertrag und Liquiditat. Er sieht das Problem der betrieblichen Altersversorgung in einem fehlenden kollektiven Ausgleichsmechanismus. So gelange es etwa Lebens- und (privaten) Rentenversicherern uber Mindestgarantien und Uberschussbeteiligungen das System flexibel zu gestalten. Dies sei aber im Rahmen der festen Leistungszusagen der betrieblichen Altersversorgung nicht moglich. Hier mussten Unternehmen auf das (Sachanlage-)Vermogen zuruckgreifen und Anpassungen in ihrem realwirtschaftlichen Leistungsprogramm vornehmen und dadurch ihre Ertragskraft schwachen. Die derzeit vorherrschende Direktzusage erlaube es Unternehmen nicht, auf globalisierte Kapitalmarkte auszuweichen, bei denen Demographieeffekte nicht oder nur abgeschwacht eintreten. Deshalb durfte fur eine Vielzahl deutscher Unternehmen die betriebliche Altersvorsorge erhebliche demographische Probleme nach sich ziehen.
TAF-like functions of human cytomegalovirus immediate-early proteins

The human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) major immediate-early (IE) proteins IEP86 (IE2(579aa)) and IEP72 (IE1(491aa)) can transcriptionally activate a variety of simple promoters containing a TATA element and one upstream transcription factor binding site. In our previous studies, transcriptional activation was shown to correlate with IEP86 binding to both the TATA-box binding protein (TBP) and the transcription factor bound upstream. IEP72 often synergistically affects the activation by IEP86, although it has not previously been shown to directly interact in vitro with IEP86, TBP, or transcription factors (e.g., Sp1 and Tef-1) bound by IEP86. We report biochemical and genetic evidence suggesting that the major IE proteins may perform a function similar to that of the TBP-associated factors (TAFs) which make up TFIID. Consistent with this model, we found that the major IE proteins interact with a number of TAFs. In vitro, IEP86 bound with drosophila TAF(II)110 (dTAF(II)110) and human TAF(II)130 (hTAF(II)130), while IEP72 bound dTAF(II)40, dTAF(II)110, and hTAF(II)130. Regions on major IE proteins which mediate binding have been defined. In addition, our data indicate that both IEP72 and IEP86 can bind simultaneously to hTAF(II)130, suggesting that this TAF may provide bridging interactions between the two proteins for transcriptional activation and synergy. In agreement, a transcriptional activation mutant of IEP72 is unable to participate in bridging. Confirmation that these in vitro interactions were relevant was provided by data showing that both IEP72 and IEP86 copurify with TFIID and coimmunoprecipitate with purified TFIID derived from infected cell nuclei. To further support a TAF-like function of the IE proteins, we have found that the IE proteins expressed from the intact major IE gene, and to a lesser extent IEP86 alone, can rescue the temperature-sensitive (ts) transcriptional defect in TAF(II)250 in the BHK-21 cell line ts13. Analyses of mutations in the major IE region show that IEP86 is essential for rescue and that IEP72 augments its effect, and that mutations which affect TAF interactions are debilitated in rescue. Our data, showing that the IE proteins can bind with TFIID and rescue a ts transcriptional defect in TAF(II)250, support the model that the IE proteins perform a TAF-like function as components of TFIID.
A case-crossover study of acute alcohol use and suicide attempt.

OBJECTIVE Several studies have shown that acute alcohol use is associated with suicidal behavior, but the magnitude and nature of the relationship remain unclear. We report a study on the impact of acute alcohol use on suicide attempts treated in the emergency room (ER) using the case-crossover design. METHOD Seven ER studies carried out in the United States, Canada, Mexico and Australia from 1984 to 1996 with probability samples and similar methodology were merged yielding a total of 102 suicide attempters (overall 52% were male and 59% under 30 years of age). RESULTS Thirty-six patients reported alcohol use within 6 hours prior to the suicide attempt. When usual alcohol consumption during the past 12 months served as the control value, the estimated relative risk (RR) for patients who reported alcohol use within 6 hours prior to the suicide attempt was 9.6 (95% confidence interval: 5.7-16.3). Although the prevalence of alcohol use differed by sex, there was no statistically significant difference in the estimated RRs (RR = 13.6 men and RR = 5.3 women, p = 0.11 for the heterogeneity test). CONCLUSIONS A positive association was found between alcohol use 6 hours prior and suicide attempts in 102 ER cases in four countries. The case-crossover methodology is well suited to studies for which an external control group is not easily obtainable.
Lower inflection point and recruitment with PEEP in ventilated patients with acute respiratory failure.

The lower inflection point (LIP) on the total respiratory system pressure-volume (P-V) curve is widely used to set positive end-expiratory pressure (PEEP) in patients with acute respiratory failure (ARF) on the assumption that LIP represents alveolar recruitment. The aims of this work were to study the relationship between LIP and recruited volume (RV) and to propose a simple method to quantify the RV. In 23 patients with ARF, respiratory system P-V curves were obtained by means of both constant-flow and rapid occlusion technique at four different levels of PEEP and were superimposed on the same P-V plot. The RV was measured as the volume difference at a pressure of 20 cm H(2)O. A third measurement of the RV was done by comparing the exhaled volumes after the same distending pressure of 20 cm H(2)O was applied (equal pressure method). RV increased with PEEP (P < 0.0001); the equal pressure method compares favorably with the other methods (P = 0.0001 by correlation), although individual data cannot be superimposed. No significant difference was found when RV was compared with PEEP in the group of patients with a LIP < or =5 cm H(2)O and the group with a LIP >5 cm H(2)O (76.9 +/- 94.3 vs. 61.2 +/- 51.3, 267.7 +/- 109.9 vs. 209.6 +/- 73.9, and 428.2 +/- 216.3 vs. 375.8 +/- 145.3 ml with PEEP of 5, 10, and 15 cm H(2)O, respectively). A RV was found even when a LIP was not present. We conclude that the recruitment phenomenon is not closely related to the presence of a LIP and that a simple method can be used to measure RV.
Efficient compensation handling via subjective updates

Programming abstractions for compensation handling and dynamic update are crucial in specifying reliable interacting systems, such as Collective Adaptive Systems (CAS). Compensations and updates both specify how a system reacts in response to exceptional events. Prior work showed that different semantics for compensation handling can be encoded into a calculus of adaptable processes with objective updates, in which a process is reconfigured by its context. This paper goes further by considering subjective updates, in which, intuitively, a process reconfigures itself. A calculus of adaptable processes with subjective update its introduced, and its expressivity is assessed by encoding two semantics for compensation handling. The resulting encodings are more efficient than those using objective updates: they require less computational steps.
Verification of a new clinicopathologic staging system for colorectal adenocarcinoma.

Rectal adenocarcinoma is said to have a poorer outcome than colon adenocarcinoma when compared on the basis of Dukes' staging. However a new staging system, determined by a multivariate analysis of 147 patients with rectal adenocarcinoma, has revealed three other variables significantly related to outcome. Therefore this study analyzed the authors' experience with colonic carcinoma during the same time period as they had studied for rectal carcinoma to determine whether the new staging system is valid for colon carcinoma as well, and, if so, to compare the outcome of patients with colon and rectal carcinoma on the basis of this new staging. A total of 603 patients with 611 colonic adenocarcinoma were operated on at the University of Chicago Medical Center between 1965 and 1981. Two hundred seventy-nine adenocarcinomas (45.7%) were located proximal to the splenic flexure and 332 (54.3%) were located between the splenic flexure and the rectosigmoid. Four hundred sixty-two patients underwent segmental colectomy, 46 subtotal colectomy, 26 total colectomy, 18 proctocolectomy, 5 abdominal-perineal resection, 1 appendectomy, while 20 had local excision of the tumor through colotomy and 25 had permanent diverting stoma as the only procedure. The operative mortality rate was 6.1% in the whole group, but was only 2.7% in the group of potentially curable patients. Complete follow-up was obtained in all patients. To validate a previous staging system for Dukes' B and C rectal adenocarcinoma, the authors investigated the correlation between 5-year survival for colonic carcinoma patients and all relevant variables that they had considered potentially meaningful in the previous study with rectal adenocarcinoma. The resulting multivariate analysis using Cox regression showed that the four variables found previously to be significantly related to outcome for rectal adenocarcinoma patients (stage, race, tumor morphology, and vascular and/or lymphatic microinvasion) were the only four variables significantly (p less than 0.05) associated with outcome for colonic adenocarcinoma patients. In addition, by using the results of their previous staging system for rectal adenocarcinoma patients, they 'predicted' the 5-year survival rates of the colon adenocarcinoma patients, divided in 16 staging subgroups. In subgroups of at least 15 patients, the rectal staging system predicted the outcome to within 1 to 6 percentage points of the observed outcome of the colonic adenocarcinoma patients. Thus this study validates this staging system, incorporating stage, race, tumor morphology, and microinvasion to predict 5-year survival rate more accurately than Dukes' staging alone for both colon and rectal adenocarcinoma. (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)
A Comparison of the Forces Required to Produce Tooth Movement ex vivo through Three Types of Pre-adjusted Brackets When Subjected to Determined Tip or Torque Values

Friction in fixed appliance systems has received considerable attention in recent literature, although that attributable to varying second order (tip) and third order (torque) adjustments in either the bracket or the archwire has not been fully investigated. The ex vivo study of 0·022 × 0·028-inch slot Minitwin®, Activa®, and Standard Straight Wire® brackets investigates friction when known values of tip or torque were applied to 0·018 × 0·025-inch stainless steel wires. The resistance to sliding of the wire through the ligated brackets was measured on a vertically-mounted Instron testing machine. The results showed that the self-ligating Activa® brackets consistently produced less friction than the other conventionally tied brackets. Minitwin® brackets were slightly more resistant to movement than the Standard® brackets during torquing, but the converse was found when tip was applied. Increasing tip and torque (ranges tested 0–6 degrees and 0–25 degrees, respectively) produced almost linear increases in friction for all brackets, although increasing tip had the more profound effect on friction, particularly in Activa brackets.
Changes in sugar nucleotide and high energy phosphate kinetics during in vivo development of sponge biopsy connective tissue.

Connective tissue varies widely in its histological appearance and chemical composition. Its physical state ranges from the hardness of bone to the viscous mucopolysaccharides found in synovial fluid. Current evidence would indicate that the special fibrillar and other extracellular constituents are formed by the cells of the connective tissue (1). Certain of these constituents have been shown to change with age (2, 3), nu
Effect of rotavirus vaccination on death from childhood diarrhea in Mexico.

BACKGROUND A phased introduction of a monovalent rotavirus vaccine occurred in Mexico from February 2006 through May 2007. We assessed the effect of vaccination on deaths from diarrhea in Mexican children in 2008 and 2009. METHODS We obtained data on deaths from diarrhea, regardless of cause, from January 2003 through May 2009 in Mexican children under 5 years of age. We compared diarrhea-related mortality in 2008 and during the 2008 and 2009 rotavirus seasons with the mortality at baseline (2003-2006), before the introduction of the rotavirus vaccine. Vaccine coverage was estimated from administrative data. RESULTS By December 2007, an estimated 74% of children who were 11 months of age or younger had received one dose of rotavirus vaccine. In 2008, there were 1118 diarrhea-related deaths among children younger than 5 years of age, a reduction of 675 from the annual median of 1793 deaths during the 2003-2006 period. Diarrhea-related mortality fell from an annual median of 18.1 deaths per 100,000 children at baseline to 11.8 per 100,000 children in 2008 (rate reduction, 35%; 95% confidence interval [CI], 29 to 39; P<0.001). Among infants who were 11 months of age or younger, diarrhea-related mortality fell from 61.5 deaths per 100,000 children at baseline to 36.0 per 100,000 children in 2008 (rate reduction, 41%; 95% CI, 36 to 47; P<0.001). As compared with baseline, diarrhea-related mortality was 29% lower for children between the ages of 12 and 23 months, few of whom were age-eligible for vaccination. Mortality among unvaccinated children between the ages of 24 and 59 months was not significantly reduced. The reduction in the number of diarrhea-related deaths persisted through two full rotavirus seasons (2008 and 2009). CONCLUSIONS After the introduction of a rotavirus vaccine, a significant decline in diarrhea-related deaths among Mexican children was observed, suggesting a potential benefit from rotavirus vaccination.
Bootstrapping clustered data

Summary. Various bootstraps have been proposed for bootstrapping clustered data from one‐way arrays. The simulation results in the literature suggest that some of these methods work quite well in practice; the theoretical results are limited and more mixed in their conclusions. For example, McCullagh reached negative conclusions about the use of non‐parametric bootstraps for one‐way arrays. The purpose of this paper is to extend our understanding of the issues by discussing the effect of different ways of modelling clustered data, the criteria for successful bootstraps used in the literature and extending the theory from functions of the sample mean to include functions of the between and within sums of squares and non‐parametric bootstraps to include model‐based bootstraps. We determine that the consistency of variance estimates for a bootstrap method depends on the choice of model with the residual bootstrap giving consistency under the transformation model whereas the cluster bootstrap gives consistent estimates under both the transformation and the random‐effect model. In addition we note that the criteria based on the distribution of the bootstrap observations are not really useful in assessing consistency.
A Strong Loss-of-Function Mutation in RAN1 Results in Constitutive Activation of the Ethylene Response Pathway as Well as a Rosette-Lethal Phenotype

A recessive mutation was identified that constitutively activated the ethylene response pathway in Arabidopsis and resulted in a rosette-lethal phenotype. Positional cloning of the gene corresponding to this mutation revealed that it was allelic to responsive to antagonist1 (ran1), a mutation that causes seedlings to respond in a positive manner to what is normally a competitive inhibitor of ethylene binding. In contrast to the previously identified ran1-1 and ran1-2 alleles that are morphologically indistinguishable from wild-type plants, this ran1-3 allele results in a rosette-lethal phenotype. The predicted protein encoded by the RAN1 gene is similar to the Wilson and Menkes disease proteins and yeast Ccc2 protein, which are integral membrane cation-transporting P-type ATPases involved in copper trafficking. Genetic epistasis analysis indicated that RAN1 acts upstream of mutations in the ethylene receptor gene family. However, the rosette-lethal phenotype of ran1-3 was not suppressed by ethylene-insensitive mutants, suggesting that this mutation also affects a non-ethylene-dependent pathway regulating cell expansion. The phenotype of ran1-3 mutants is similar to loss-of-function ethylene receptor mutants, suggesting that RAN1 may be required to form functional ethylene receptors. Furthermore, these results suggest that copper is required not only for ethylene binding but also for the signaling function of the ethylene receptors.