Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
EFFECTS OF PREDATOR FORAGING BEHAVIOR ON PATTERNS OF PREY MORTALITY IN MARINE SOFT BOTTOMS

This study links spatial and seasonal patterns of mortality of the hard clam, Mercenaria mercenaria (L.), in marine soft bottoms with the predation rates and habitat use of its main predator, the blue crab, Callinectes sapidus Rathbun. Patterns of predation on tethered juvenile clams exposed to the natural assemblage of predators were compared among different habitat types in fall and summer. Between-habitat patterns of predation on clams varied with season. In fall, predation on tethered clams was greater in subtidal sand bottoms and just inside the edge of intertidal salt marshes than in intertidal sand flats. In summer, predation on clams was similar in all habitats. Experiments conducted in field enclosures showed that: (a) individual crabs spent more time in the salt marsh habitat than in intertidal sand flats; (b) crab individuals placed in a sand bottom habitat had greater predation rates in high-density prey patches than in low-density patches; (c) individuals had greater predation rates in prey patches located just inside the edge of salt marshes than in intertidal sand flats, when prey density was held constant between the two habitats; (d) at intermediate and high crab densities predation mortality of clams was similar between vegetated and unvegetated habitats; (e) both individual crabs and groups of crabs consumed similar numbers of clams in the two habitat types when large predatory birds (mainly various species of terns, Sterna spp., herring gulls, Larus argentatus Coues, and ring-billed gulls, L. delawarensis Ord) were excluded from enclosures, but the crabs consumed more clams in the salt marsh than in the sand flat habitat in control enclosures where birds were not excluded. In the fall, when Herring and Ring-billed Gulls were abundant in the study area, preference by blue crabs for safer and more profitable habitats may explain the greater predation on clams in salt marshes than in intertidal sand flats. In the summer, when Herring and Ring-billed Gulls were rare and crab densities are 1.5-3 times greater than in the fall, competition with conspecifics may have caused crabs to disperse and feed in intertidal flats and may explain the general lack of differences in predation intensity among habitat types observed in the summer. Thus, patterns of predation and habitat use by blue crabs appeared to explain between-habitat and seasonal differences in predation mortality of clams. Fo- cusing on the variation in the feeding rates of individual predators in response to external conditions can produce the mechanistic understanding of spatial and seasonal patterns of predation needed to understand and better predict the processes that structure benthic marine communities.
Curved paper rectification for digital camera document images by shape from parallel geodesics using continuous dynamic programming

Methods to rectify distortion of digital camera document images of curved papers have become important for camera-based image recognition. In this paper we propose a novel distortion rectification method based on "shape from parallel geodesies. " This method considers the following features: parallel lines corresponding to character strings or ruled lines of tables on extended surface become parallel geodesies on a curved paper surface and a smoothly curved paper can be modeled by a ruled surface, that is, a sweep surface of rulings. The projected geodesies and the projected rulings exist in the input image derived from perspective transformation. The presented method extracts the projected geodesies, estimates the projected rulings in the input image, estimates the ruled surface that models the curved paper, and generates the corrected image, in this order. It can estimate the ruled surface model directly by numerical operations of differentiation, integration and matrix inversion without any iterative calculation. We also report on experiments that show the effectiveness of the proposed method.
Dietary protein and bone health

The effects of dietary protein on bone health are paradoxical and need to be considered in context of the age, health status and usual diet of the population. Over the last 80 years numerous studies have demonstrated that a high protein intake increases urinary Ca excretion and that on average 1 mg Ca is lost in urine for every 1 g rise in dietary protein. This relationship is primarily attributable to metabolism of S amino acids present in animal and some vegetable proteins, resulting in a greater acid load and buffering response by the skeleton. However, many of these early studies that demonstrated the calciuric effects of protein were limited by low subject numbers, methodological errors and the use of high doses of purified forms of protein. Furthermore, the cross-cultural and population studies that showed a positive association between animal-protein intake and hip fracture risk did not consider other lifestyle or dietary factors that may protect or increase the risk of fracture. The effects of protein on bone appear to be biphasic and may also depend on intake of Ca- and alkali-rich foods, such as fruit and vegetables. At low protein intakes insulin-like growth factor production is reduced, which in turn has a negative effect on Ca and phosphate metabolism, bone formation and muscle cell synthesis. Although growth and skeletal development is impaired at very low protein intakes, it is not known whether variations in protein quality affect the achievement of optimal peak bone mass in adolescents and young adults. Prospective studies in the elderly in the USA have shown that the greatest bone losses occur in elderly men and women with an average protein intake of 16–50 g/d. Although a low protein intake may be indicative of a generally poorer diet and state of health, there is a need to evaluate whether there is a lower threshold for protein intake in the elderly in Europe that may result in increased bone loss and risk of osteoporotic fracture.
La competencia intercultural en alumnado de educación primaria: diseño y evaluación de un plan de intervención para su desarrollo

El proposito de esta tesis doctoral fue evaluar la competencia intercultural en alumnado de segundo y tercer ciclo de educacion primaria (8 a 12 anos de edad) con el fin de mejorar sus conocimientos, habilidades y actitudes interculturales. Las necesidades interculturales identificadas en estos estudiantes sirvieron de base para el diseno y la evaluacion de un programa de intervencion para el desarrollo de dicha competencia. Este estudio presento un enfoque cuantitativo, complementado con tecnicas cualitativas como la entrevista. Se emplearon dos tipos de diseno: (1) no experimental descriptivo mediante encuesta, y (2) cuasi-experimental factorial 2 x 2, con dos variables independientes: la modalidad de intervencion (experimental vs. control) y el ciclo (segundo ciclo vs. tercer ciclo), y la modalidad de intervencion (experimental vs. control) y el genero (varon vs. mujer). Los participantes (N = 187) eran estudiantes de un colegio de educacion primaria de Almansa (Albacete). La asignacion de los participantes a las condiciones de tratamiento (experimental, n = 94, y control, n = 93) fue al azar simple, utilizando el curso como criterio. Para evaluar la competencia intercultural en el alumnado se empleo el cuestionario CIAP (Competencia Intercultural en Alumnado de Primaria), adaptacion de Hernandez y Cardona (2007) y para conocer el grado de satisfaccion del alumnado con el programa se utilizo un guion de entrevista de tipo semiestructurada. La intervencion se efectuo sobre el alumnado del grupo experimental que recibio un programa de educacion intercultural durante 40 sesiones, de enero a mayo de 2008. Tras la intervencion, los resultados mostraron ganancias estadisticamente significativas (p < .05) en la competencia intercultural del alumnado del grupo experimental, como consecuencia directa de su participacion en el programa. Asi, los alumnos/as de tercer ciclo (10 a 12 anos) desarrollaron mejores conocimientos interculturales, mientras que los estudiantes de segundo ciclo (8 a 10 anos) mejoraron significativamente en habilidades y actitudes hacia otras culturas. Por el contrario, se comprobo que la variable genero tenia una escasa influencia en el desarrollo de la competencia intercultural estudiada.
Unexpected responses of the hypothalamic gonadotropin-releasing hormone "pulse generator" to physiological estradiol inputs in the absence of the ovary.

In the rhesus monkey (Macaca mulatta), the frequency of pulsatile gonadotropic hormone release is relatively constant in the face of widely varying levels of estradiol (E2) in the peripheral circulation--e.g., in the course of the follicular phase of the menstrual cycle and after ovariectomy. This suggests that modulation of the hypothalamic gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) "pulse generator" by this steroid is not of major physiological importance. Herein is described the unexpected inhibition or total blockade of the electrical activity of this pulse generator in ovariectomized monkeys by physiological levels of exogenous E2. This inhibition began 2-4.5 hr after the initiation of E2 infusion and was noted 1 to 3 weeks after subcutaneous implantation of E2-containing capsules. Pulse generator activity was also arrested during the initiation and subsequent development of estrogen-induced surges of luteinizing hormone. We propose that this inhibition of hypothalamic GnRH pulse generator activity by E2 in ovariectomized monkeys reflects the absence of an ovarian factor that normally protects this neuronal system from the inhibitory action of estrogen during the menstrual cycle.
Metatranscriptome Analysis of Fig Flowers Provides Insights into Potential Mechanisms for Mutualism Stability and Gall Induction

A striking property of the mutualism between figs and their pollinating wasps is that wasps consistently oviposit in the inner flowers of the fig syconium, which develop into galls that house developing larvae. Wasps typically do not use the outer ring of flowers, which develop into seeds. To better understand differences between gall and seed flowers, we used a metatranscriptomic approach to analyze eukaryotic gene expression within fig flowers at the time of oviposition choice and early gall development. Consistent with the unbeatable seed hypothesis, we found significant differences in gene expression between gall- and seed flowers in receptive syconia prior to oviposition. In particular, transcripts assigned to flavonoids and carbohydrate metabolism were significantly up-regulated in gall flowers relative to seed flowers. In response to oviposition, gall flowers significantly up-regulated the expression of chalcone synthase, which previously has been connected to gall formation in other plants. We propose several genes encoding proteins with signal peptides or associations with venom of other Hymenoptera as candidate genes for gall initiation or growth. This study simultaneously evaluates the gene expression profile of both mutualistic partners in a plant-insect mutualism and provides insight into a possible stability mechanism in the ancient fig-fig wasp association.
The Gender Gap in Private Pensions

In many western countries, older women receive considerably less private pension income than older men on average. We analyse this differential in Britain, examining differences between the sexes both in private pension coverage and in pension income conditional on receipt. Using regression-based decompositions, we show that both gender gaps are associated mainly with differences in returns to personal characteristics rather than with differences in personal characteristics per se.
Late hepatic complications after Fontan operation; non-invasive markers of hepatic fibrosis and risk factors

Objective To identify the prevalence, clinical characteristics, risk factors of hepatic complications after a Fontan operation. Methods This was a cross-sectional study of 139 Fontan patients who underwent cardiac CT scans out of a total of 204 patients who had undergone the Fontan procedure between 1986 and 2003. Mean age was 19.0±6.3 years and mean elapsed time since the initial Fontan operation was 11.5±4.7 years. Subjects' clinical features, echocardiograms, radiological features and biochemical test results were reviewed. Various non-invasive hepatic fibrosis blood markers were also evaluated. Results Fifty-seven patients had hepatic complications, including radiological features of liver cirrhosis (25.9%), thrombocytopenia (7.2%), hyperbilirubinaemia (20.9%) and hepatic masses (2.9%). Hepatic complications were also significantly associated with ventricular dysfunction (p=0.020), absence of fenestration (p=0.004), thrombus in the Fontan tract (p=0.027), sinus node dysfunction (p=0.034) and tachyarrhythmia (p<0.001). In a multivariate analysis, the elapsed time since the initial Fontan operation was the only measure that was correlated with hepatic complications; the odds ratio of the post-Fontan duration of 16–20 years to that of 0–5 years was 9.00 (CI 2.24 to 36.17). The non-invasive hepatic fibrosis blood marker (Forns index) was also correlated with the elapsed time since the initial Fontan operation (r=0.718, p<0.001). Conclusion Late hepatic dysfunction and cirrhotic change were often seen in Fontan patients. Moreover, hepatic complications were correlated with the duration of Fontan circulation. Therefore, after a Fontan operation, regular evaluation of the hepatic condition is required—for which some non-invasive hepatic fibrosis markers can be effectively used.
The broken link in specific musical anhedonia : ventral striatum activation and functional connectivity with auditory cortex Short title : Neural correlates of specific musical anhedonia

a Department of Basic Psychology, University of Barcelona, L’Hospitalet de Llobregat, 08097 Barcelona, Spain b Montreal Neurological Institute, McGill University, Montreal, QC H3A 2B4, Canada c Cognition and Brain Plasticity Group, Bellvitge Biomedical Research InstituteIDIBELL, L’Hospitalet de Llobregat, 08097 Barcelona, Spain d Institució Catalana de Recerca i Estudis Avançats (ICREA), 08010 Barcelona, Spain e International Laboratory for Brain, Music, and Sound Research, Montreal, QC H3C 3J7, Canada
Drug Targets in the Embryo

A central goal in developmental biology is the elucidation of signaling events that govern the formation of specific tissues and organs during embryonic morphogenesis. The many processes of morphogenesis, including cell proliferation, cell migration, alterations in cell shape, and cell death’ are correlated with the accurate execution of intrinsic genetic programs, which may be triggered and modified by concentration-dependent effects of extrinsic diffusible substances called morphog e n ~ . ~ ~ For example, a gradient of bicoid protein, set up by diffusion during the early syncitial stage of development in Drosophila, advances the determination of cell fate along the anteroposterior axis.5 Well-studied morphogen candidates include retinoic acid,6 hormones,2 and substances that mimic in vivo signals in in vitro assays such as the induction of mesoderm by activin and basic fibroblast growth factor. ’ Recently, increasing attention has been given to the role that neurotransmitters, classically defined by their actions in the adult, may play in embryonic development.2 Even though molecules that are spatially and temporally correlated with morphogenetic events may regulate morphogenesis, it is important not only to identify the biochemical nature of the inducing agent, but also to identify how the local competence of responding cells might be regulated during morphogenesis. In the vertebrate embryo, morphogenetic patterns are most often organized not by a simple cascade of inducing signals, but by a spatially and temporally restricted competence of cells to respond to such gradients. An example is the Wnt gene products in Xenopus laevis embryos, which can locally restrict as well as modify the competence of cells to respond to more uniformly distributed inductive signals.8 Our laboratory studies transporter proteins that are both prominent drug targets as well as agents that normally limit the temporal and spatial influence of neurotransmitters raising questions as to their contributions to embryonic drug effects and normal developmental patterning. Below we discuss our initial efforts to characterize murine serotonin transporter cDNAs and expression as a path to understanding its contributions to morphogenesis.
Wireless Power Transfer by Electric Field Resonance and Its Application in Dynamic Charging

In this paper, the electric field resonance (EFR) method, similar to the four-coil configuration of the magnetic field resonance wireless power transfer, is proposed for the capacitive coupling power transfer. The characteristics of the proposed method are derived and analyzed. With the EFR method, not only unity power factor for the power source is achieved, but also high power factor and low reactive power for the capacitive coupling stage are achieved. Effective power transfer is realized by the EFR method. Based on the proposed method, a dynamic charging concept for railway vehicles is then proposed. A prototype powering system is designed and built to prove the validity of the proposed method. Analytical, simulation, and experimental results are given and compared. A 23-cm model vehicle is put on a 150-cm track. It is shown that about 700-W power is transferred through a 24-pF coupling capacitor. The proposed method reaches 91% dc-dc overall efficiency at switching frequency 2 MHz.
The morphosyntactic structure of compound words influences parafoveal processing in Chinese reading

In an eye movement experiment employing the boundary paradigm, we compared parafoveal preview benefit during the reading of Chinese sentences. The target word was a two-character compound that had either a noun–noun or an adjective–noun structure each sharing an identical noun as the second character. The boundary was located between the two characters of the compound word. Prior to the eyes crossing the boundary, the preview of the second character was presented either normally or was replaced by a pseudocharacter. Previously, Juhasz, Inhoff, and Rayner observed that inserting a space into a normally unspaced compound in English significantly disrupted processing and that this disruption was larger for adjective–noun compounds than for noun–noun compounds. This finding supports the hypothesis that, at least in English, for adjective–noun compounds, the noun is more important for lexical identification than the adjective, while for noun–noun compounds, both constituents are similar in importance for lexical identification. Our results indicate a similar division of the importance of compounds in reading in Chinese as the pseudocharacter preview was more disruptive for the adjective–noun compounds than for the noun–noun compounds. These findings also indicate that parafoveal processing can be influenced by the morphosyntactic structure of the currently fixated character.
Relationship between alcohol consumption and myocardial infarction among ageing men using a marginal structural model.

BACKGROUND Studies on the association between alcohol consumption and myocardial infarction (MI) have typically used baseline data on alcohol consumption and potential confounders. This study aimed at investigating the association between alcohol consumption and MI considering time-varying alcohol consumption and time-varying confounders. METHODS Data were available for 1030 males participating in the Kuopio Ischaemic Heart Disease Risk Factor Study (Finland). Baseline data for the present study were collected in 1991-93. MIs were ascertained from national registries until December 2005. Alcohol consumption was categorized into four groups. Data were analysed using conventional discrete-time hazard and marginal structural models (MSMs). Time-invariant covariates were age, working status, diabetes and cigarette-years. Time-varying covariates in the MSM were prior alcohol consumption, smoking, history of cardiovascular diseases, body mass index, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, systolic blood pressure, insulin and fibrinogen. RESULTS An insignificant increase of MI risk among the heaviest alcohol consumers (≥168 g week(-1)) compared with the reference group (12-83 g week(-1)) was observed when using a conventional model including baseline alcohol consumption and confounders measured prior to baseline [relative risk (RR) = 1.20, 95% confidence interval (95% CI) = 0.68-2.12]. When using a conventional model with time-varying alcohol consumption and adjusting for prior confounders, an increased risk of MI among the heaviest alcohol consumers was revealed (RR = 1.71, 95% CI = 1.03-2.85). There was also a trend towards increased risk among the heaviest consumers using the MSM (RR = 1.59, 95% CI = 0.93-2.72). CONCLUSION Our findings suggest that standard methods using only baseline data on alcohol consumption and confounders may lead to biased estimates on the association between alcohol consumption and MI.
Normal growth with subnormal growth-hormone levels.

Abstract Nine patients had normal or superior rates of statural growth after the removal of tumors impinging upon the pituitary gland and hypothalamus (craniopharyngioma in eight and third-ventricle cyst in one). After operation hyperphagia and obesity, as well as deficiencies of vasopressin, thyroxine and cortisol, were observed. Four patients over 15 years of age remained sexually immature, with no measurable gonadotropin excretion. Immunoassay of plasma showed barely detectable growth hormone during fasting and after Stimulation by hypoglycemia in nine of the patients and after exercise in six. The patients were free of hypoglycemic symptoms, and fasting blood sugar levels were normal; the serum immunoreactive insulin levels were in the low-normal range, except in the presence of obesity. The endocrine data indicate that in these unusual patients, normal or accelerated growth can occur when growth-hormone secretion is so low as to be only barely detectable by presently available technics.
Localization of acne lesion through template matching

Counts of the lesion are typically required for the severity assessment of acne lesion. Localization of the lesions is first step for counting the lesions. Template matching approach has been widely used for locating the correlated object especially a face in an image. Here we have applied the same approach for localizing the acne lesion. It is a novel approach to count the lesions through by template matching; as no one has used it for localizing the acne. This approach proved to be affective for counting of lesions. Hypothetic ally, this approach can also be used for classification of the lesions.