Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Effects of Habitat and Social Complexity on Brain Size, Brain Asymmetry and Dentate Gyrus Morphology in Two Octodontid Rodents

Navigational and social challenges due to habitat conditions and sociality are known to influence dentate gyrus (DG) morphology, yet the relative importance of these factors remains unclear. Thus, we studied three natural populations of O. lunatus (Los Molles) and Octodon degus (El Salitre and Rinconada), two caviomorph species that differ in the extent of sociality and with contrasting vegetation cover of habitat used. The brains and DG of male and female breeding degus with simultaneous information on their physical and social environments were examined. The extent of sociality was quantified from total group size and range area overlap. O. degus at El Salitre was more social than at Rinconada and than O. lunatus from Los Molles. The use of transects to quantify cover of vegetation (and other physical objects in the habitat) and measures of the spatial behavior of animals indicated animal navigation based on unique cues or global landmarks is more cognitively challenging to O. lunatus. During lactation, female O. lunatus had larger brains than males. Relative DG volume was similar across sexes and populations. The right hemisphere of male and female O. lunatus had more cells than the left hemisphere, with DG directional asymmetry not found in O. degus. Degu population differences in brain size and DG cell number seemed more responsive to differences in habitat than to differences in sociality. Yet, large-sized O. degus (but not O. lunatus) that ranged over larger areas and were members of larger social groups had more DG cells per hemisphere. Thus, within-population variation in DG cell number by hemisphere was consistent with a joint influence of habitat and sociality in O. degus at El Salitre.
Cell-cycle regulation as a mechanism for targeting proteins to specific DNA sequences in Tetrahymena thermophila.

Transcriptionally active macronuclei and transcriptionally inert micronuclei of the ciliated protozoan Tetrahymena thermophila contain similar DNA sequences but have very different histones associated with the linker regions of chromatin. In situ hybridization showed that a gene coding for micronuclear linker histone is expressed only in association with micronuclear DNA replication, whereas the gene for macronuclear H1 histone is expressed during macronuclear (but not during micronuclear) S phase. These results indicate that cell-cycle regulation plays an important role in directing proteins to the appropriate nucleus in Tetrahymena and that the replication-expression model [Gottesfeld, J. & Bloomer, L. S. (1982) Cell 28, 781-791; Wormington, W. M. , Schlissel, M. & Brown, D. D. (1983) Cold Spring Harbor Symp. Quant. Biol. 47, 879-884] for establishing appropriate transcriptionally active or repressed chromatin complexes during DNA replication is generally applicable.
The Impact of NASD Rule 2711 and NYSE Rule 472 on Analyst Behavior: The Strategic Timing of Recommendations Issued on Weekends

Amendments to NASD Rule 2711 and NYSE Rule 472, enacted in May 2002, mandate that sell&#8208;side analysts disclose the distribution of their security recommendations by buy, hold and sell category. This regulation enhances the transparency of analysts&#8217; information and mitigates the long&#8208;recognized optimistic bias in their recommendations. However, we find that analysts are more likely to issue sell recommendations or downgrade revisions on weekends when investors have limited attention after these rule changes. This pattern is more pronounced for prestigious analysts, who are more likely to influence stock prices. Market reaction tests reveal an incomplete immediate response and a greater drift to unfavorable recommendations issued on weekends. Finally, analysts who are more likely to release unfavorable recommendations on weekends exhibit higher future forecast accuracy. Our findings suggest that, while these regulatory changes effectively reduce analysts&#8217; optimistic bias, they are also associated with an increased prevalence of a different form of distortion in the capital market.
LOOM: Showing the Dynamics of Power Laws in Twitter Data

LOOM is advanced as a new visualisation for changes in ranks and trends in power-law data that is changing dynamically over time. A comparison between LOOM and existing methods for visualising such data (e.g., time-series graphs, typical analytics dashboards). Several exemplar data sets are shown, using LOOM, drawn from the tracking of news stories on Twitter. The basis for the LOOM visualisation is elaborated and it is shown how it avoids the pitfalls arising in other line-graph representations.
Prevalence of Glaucoma in the Wroclaw Population. The Wroclaw Epidemiological Study

Purpose: Primarily to determine the prevalence of various types of glaucoma and ocular hypertension in Wroclaw inhabitants aged 40–79 years. The second aim of the study was to determine the number of undiagnosed glaucoma cases in this population. Methods: A representative group of the Wroclaw population (4853 people aged from 40 to 79 years) was recruited by a proportional simple random sampling selection with stratification. All participants underwent the first, screening-stage examination, which included a medical history interview, intraocular pressure (IOP) measurement, anterior chamber depth assessment by the Van Herrick technique, and optic nerve head (ONH) assessment by means of indirect ophthalmoscopy (Volk's lens), confocal scanning laser ophthalmoscopy with a Heidelberg Retinal Tomograph (HRT) and scanning laser polarimetry by the GDx Nerve Fiber Analyzer (GDx). The second stage, in glaucoma-suspect patients only, included best corrected visual acuity, static perimetry, 24-hour monitoring of IOP, gonioscopy, and full eye examination with mydriasis. Glaucoma was diagnosed by the presence of any two of the following: characteristic morphological changes in the optic disc, glaucomatous visual field abnormalities, and intraocular pressure greater than 21 mmHg. Results: The overall prevalence of glaucoma was 1.6% (79 subjects). The prevalence increased with age from 0.4% in subjects belonging to the age group 40–49 years to 4.6% in people aged between 70 and 79 years. The prevalence of definite primary open-angle glaucoma was 1.0% (49 subjects). Normal-pressure glaucoma was diagnosed in 13 subjects (0.3%). Ocular hypertension was diagnosed in 92 subjects (1.9%). Conclusion: The prevalence of the different types of glaucoma was similar to that found in other white populations. Among the subjects examined, 79 had various forms of glaucoma and 71% of them had not previously been diagnosed. Undiagnosed glaucoma is a serious public health problem in Poland.
The Strategic Thinking of the Sustained and Healthy Development Theme Park Based on the Experience Economy Philosophy ——A Case on Wuhu Fangte Theme Park

Theme park has become a hot tourism product in many districts nationally,and the coming of experience economy era gives new meanings and development opportunities to the theme park. Based on the analysis of the theme park's connotation and development process, experience economy connotation and its interaction with theme park,the author evaluates the Wuhu Fangte Theme park's development status and existing problems from the prospective view,and puts forward some sustained and healthy development countermeasures.
Association of infant child care with infant feeding practices and weight gain among US infants.

OBJECTIVE To assess whether child care arrangements influence infant feeding practices and weight gain among US infants. DESIGN Cross-sectional analysis of data collected by the US Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics. SETTING A nationally representative sample of infants enrolled in the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study, Birth Cohort at baseline. PARTICIPANTS A total of 8150 infants aged 9 months. MAIN EXPOSURES Age (in months) at initiation and type and intensity of child care. OUTCOME MEASURES Breastfeeding initiation, early introduction of solid foods (<4 months), and weight gain (birth to 9 months). RESULTS A total of 55.3% of infants received regular, nonparental child care and half of these infants were in full-time child care. Among infants in child care, 40.3% began at younger than 3 months, 39.3% began between 3 and 5.9 months of age, and 20.7% began at 6 months or older. Infants who initiated child care at younger than 3 months were less likely to have been breastfed (odds ratio, 0.58; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.43-0.74) and were more likely to have received early introduction of solid foods (odds ratio, 1.73; 95% CI, 1.43-2.04) than those in parental care. Infants in part-time child care gained 175 g (95% CI, 100-250 g) more weight during 9 months than those in parental care. Infants being cared for by relatives had a lower rate of breastfeeding initiation, a higher rate of early introduction of solid foods, and greater weight gain compared with infants receiving parental care. The early introduction of solid foods was a risk factor for weight gain. CONCLUSIONS Child care factors were associated with unfavorable infant feeding practices and more weight gain during the first year of life in a nationally representative cohort. The effects of early child care on breastfeeding and introduction of solid foods warrant longer follow-up to determine subsequent risk of childhood overweight.
A Two-stage Converter with a Coupled-Inductor

In this paper, a novel multi-stage converter with a coupled-inductor is presented in order to reduce the ripple currents in the switches and the output capacitor. The operating principle is described in detail and the steady state analysis is performed for a 12 V to 1.5 V prototype buck converter. From the experiments, it is confirmed that ripple currents in switches are greatly reduced and power efficiency is improved compared with the conventional multiphase converter. Furthermore, from the small signal analysis, it is found that the transfer function of the duty ratio of the first stage to the output voltage of the second stage becomes nearly quadratic similar to the single buck converter even though composed of two cascaded stages, so the converter with feedback circuit is inherently stable.
Cyclo-static DataFlow phases scheduling optimization for buffer sizes minimization

Cyclo-Static DataFlow (CSDF) is a powerful model for the specification of DSP applications. However, as in any asynchronous model, the synchronization of the different communicating tasks (processes) is made through buffers that have to be sized such that timing constraints are met. In this paper, we want to determine buffer sizes such that the throughput constraint is satisfied. This problem has been proved to be of exponential complexity. Exact techniques to solve this problem are too time and/or space consuming because of the self-timed schedule needed to evaluate the maximum throughput. Therefore, a periodic schedule is used. Each CSDF actor is associated with a period that satisfies the throughput constraint and sufficient buffer sizes are derived in polynomial time. However, within a period, an actor phases can be scheduled in different manners which impacts the evaluation of sufficient buffer sizes. This paper presents a Min-Max Linear Program that derives an optimized periodic phases scheduling per CSDF actor in order to minimize buffer sizes. It is shown through different applications that this Min-Max Linear Program allows to obtain close to optimal values while running in polynomial time.
Does size matter for hypoxia tolerance in fish?

Fish cover a large size range, from milligrams to tonnes, and many of them are regularly exposed to large variations in ambient oxygen levels. For more than half a century, there have been various, often divergent, claims regarding the effect of body size on hypoxia tolerance in fish. Here, we attempt to link old and new empirical data with the current understanding of the physiological mechanisms behind hypoxia tolerance. Three main conclusions are drawn: (1) body size per se has little or no impact on the ability to take up oxygen during hypoxic conditions, primarily because the respiratory surface area matches metabolic rate over a wide size range. If size‐related differences are seen in the ability for oxygen uptake in a species, these are likely to reflect adaptation to different life‐styles or habitat choice. (2) During severe hypoxia and anoxia, where fish have to rely on anaerobic ATP production (glycolysis) for survival, large individuals have a clear advantage over smaller ones, because small fish will run out of glycogen or reach lethal levels of anaerobic end‐products (lactate and H+) much faster due to their higher mass‐specific metabolic rate. (3) Those fish species that have evolved extreme adaptations to hypoxia, including haemoglobins with exceptionally high oxygen affinities and an alternative anaerobic end‐product (ethanol), reveal that natural selection can be a much more powerful determinant of hypoxia tolerance than scaling of physiological functions.
Effect of Growth Rate on Resistance ofCandida albicans Biofilms to Antifungal Agents

ABSTRACT A perfused biofilm fermentor, which allows growth-rate control of adherent microbial populations, was used to assess whether the susceptibility of Candida albicans biofilms to antifungal agents is dependent on growth rate. Biofilms were generated under conditions of glucose limitation and were perfused with drugs at a high concentration (20 times the MIC). Amphotericin B produced a greater reduction in the number of daughter cells in biofilm eluates than ketoconazole, fluconazole, or flucytosine. Similar decreases in daughter cell counts were observed when biofilms growing at three different rates were perfused with amphotericin B. In a separate series of experiments, intact biofilms, resuspended biofilm cells, and newly formed daughter cells were removed from the fermentor and were exposed to a lower concentration of amphotericin B for 1 h. The susceptibility profiles over a range of growth rates were then compared with those obtained for planktonic cells grown at the same rates under glucose limitation in a chemostat. Intact biofilms were resistant to amphotericin B at all growth rates tested, whereas planktonic cells were resistant only at low growth rates (≤0.13 h−1). Cells resuspended from biofilms were less resistant than intact biofilm populations but more resistant than daughter cells; the susceptibilities of both these cell types were largely independent of growth rate. Our findings indicate that the amphotericin B resistance of C. albicans biofilms is not simply due to a low growth rate but depends on some other feature of the biofilm mode of growth.
pBR322 plasmid DNA modified with 2‐acetylaminofluorene derivatives: transforming activity and in vitro strand cleavage by the Escherichia coli uvrABC endonuclease.

Covalently closed circular plasmid DNA was treated with three reactive derivatives of 2‐acetylaminofluorene: N‐acetoxy‐N‐2‐acetylaminofluorene (N‐Aco‐AAF), its 7‐iodo derivative (N‐Aco‐ AAIF) and N‐hydroxy‐N‐2‐aminofluorene (N‐OH‐AF), and tested as substrates for the Escherichia coli uvrABC endonuclease and for transformation frequencies on wild‐type, uvrA, recA, uvrArecA and polA mutant strains. The uvrABC endonuclease reacted with all three substrates with high efficiency, implicating this enzyme in the repair of DNA containing all three types of adducts. However, only AAF‐ and AAIF ‐DNA showed greatly reduced survival on uvrA mutants (five adducts/lethal hit) relative to wild‐type (20 adducts/lethal hit). AF‐DNA survived equally well on uvrA mutant and wild‐type cells, and at a much higher level of modification (60 adducts/lethal hit). A mutation in recA had only a minor effect on the survival of either DNA. The polA mutation reduced the survival of the AAF‐treated DNA to the same extent as the uvrA mutation (five adducts/lethal hit). Also AF‐DNA showed reduced survival on polA mutant cells versus wild‐type. However, many more adducts (20/lethal hit) were tolerated than for AAF‐DNA, indicating that AF lesions in the template do not efficiently block replication of DNA.
Network coding for error resilient transmission of stereoscopic 3D video

Stereoscopic 3D video is a key enabler of advanced immersive multimedia systems. Network coding on the other hand is a promising technology that would be implemented on the future internet that has the capability to increase the throughput of networks. This paper considers a methodology for 3D video transmission over network coding enabled networks. Specifically, by way of extensive simulations, we compare the error resilient performance of network coding with redundant packets and redundant coding of video streams. Simulation results indicate that in terms of error resilience, packet redundancies at network layer in network coding enabled networks is superior to application level redundancies such as redundant coding of video streams. Thus, this paper illustrates how bandwidth hungry applications such as 3D video distribution could benefit from network coding.
Understanding NATO in the 21st century: alliance strategies, security and global governance

analyse the state of International Security Law. Studying the US engagements in Pakistan, Yemen and Somalia, Burke et al. stress the importance of placing global terrorism within the human ethical framework they developed in the Introduction. After deconstructing the relationship between ‘humanitarianism’ and ‘security’ in Chapter 6, Burke et al. reconstruct this relation within the proposed cosmopolitan security ethics. Here, the case study is the political conflict in Aceh before the Indian Ocean tsunami in 2004. The authors argue that the post-tsunami international humanitarian efforts shed light upon existing links between security politics and humanitarianism. By way of conclusion, the authors maintain that a cosmopolitan approach to security ethics is necessary. Anticipating key objections to their position, the authors especially await rejoinders from scholars within the ‘political realism’ paradigm. Ethics and global security addresses a complex interdisciplinary field of study, and gives the reader an overview of the issues in International Security Studies and International Relations, and how these may be coherently tied in with ethical theory. Key concepts are defined and expanded; a good interface to the relevant literature is provided; and the book is well referenced. The method of ‘deconstruct, then reconstruct’ simultaneously provides inner consistency while logically building interconnections between chapters. This book is well suited to serve as a textbook in university courses in any discipline studying security ethics. Supporting their innovative key thesis with solid scholarship, Burke et al. have written a book that also is highly conducive to interdisciplinary research. In particular, the discussion of environmental issues encourages researchers within the natural sciences to participate in the construction of a global security ethics. Contributions from scientific naturalists to this end should facilitate future discourses between philosophy and the social sciences.
Antiviral Drug Resistance and the Need for Development of New HIV-1 Reverse Transcriptase Inhibitors

ABSTRACT Highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) consists of a combination of drugs to achieve maximal virological response and reduce the potential for the emergence of antiviral resistance. Despite being the first antivirals described to be effective against HIV, reverse transcriptase inhibitors remain the cornerstone of HAART. There are two broad classes of reverse transcriptase inhibitor, the nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors (NRTIs) and nonnucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors (NNRTIs). Since the first such compounds were developed, viral resistance to them has inevitably been described; this necessitates the continuous development of novel compounds within each class. In this review, we consider the NRTIs and NNRTIs currently in both preclinical and clinical development or approved for second-line therapy and describe the patterns of resistance associated with their use as well as the underlying mechanisms that have been described. Due to reasons of both affordability and availability, some reverse transcriptase inhibitors with a low genetic barrier are more commonly used in resource-limited settings. Their use results in the emergence of specific patterns of antiviral resistance and so may require specific actions to preserve therapeutic options for patients in such settings.
Human Detection Using Doppler Radar Based on Physical Characteristics of Targets

In this letter, we propose a method for detecting a human subject using Doppler radar by investigating the physical characteristics of targets. Human detection has a number of applications in security, surveillance, and search-and-rescue operations. To classify a target from the Doppler signal, several features related to the physical characteristics of a target are extracted from a spectrogram. The features include the frequency of the limb motion, stride, bandwidth of the Doppler signal, and distribution of the signal strength in a spectrogram. The main contribution of this letter is the use of stride information of a target for the classification. Owing to the different lengths of legs and kinematic signatures of the target species, a human subject occupies a unique space in the domain of the stride and the frequency of limb motion. To verify the proposed method, we investigated humans, dogs, bicycles, and vehicles using the developed continuous-wave Doppler radar. The human subject is identified by a classifier of a support vector machine (SVM) trained to the extracted features. The trained SVM can detect a human subject with an accuracy of 96% with fourfold cross validation.
Suicide attempts among adolescents in Switzerland: prevalence, associated factors and comorbidity

Switzerland has one of the highest rates of adolescent suicide in Europe, but the prevalence of suicidal thoughts and attempts is unknown. The objective of this paper is to assess the prevalence of suicidal ideation and behaviour among Swiss teenagers and to identify the factors associated with suicide attempts. A self‐administered anonymous questionnaire was distributed to a representative sample of 9268 15‐ to 20‐year‐old adolescents attending school or college. Six items focused on suicidal ideation and conduct. Multivariate analyses were performed to identify the health variables associated with suicide attempts. About 55% of the adolescents had no suicidal concerns; 26% reported suicidal thoughts, 15% reported suicidal plans and 3% reported suicide attempts. Suicide attempters reported significantly more problems in four areas, namely health behaviour, life events, social relationships and mental health. In conclusion, many factors associated with suicide attempts represent detectable behaviours. Thus health professionals could use this knowledge to be more effective in suicide prevention among adolescents.
Alteration of Mosaic Methylation of the Repeat Unit of the Human Ribosomal RNA Genes in Lung Cancer

Abstract We have investigated the methylation status of the repeat unit of the human ribosomal RNA genes in lung cancer. Using a Southern blot analysis approach we have determined that the non-transcribed region of these genes was generally heavily methylated, while the transcribed region was not methylated in either tumor or normal DNA. Our study also revealed that, in one tumor, the boundary of mosaic methylation of the repeat unit was not distinct. In the same tumor, both the non-transcribed ribosomal spacer region and the L1 interspersed repeat sequences became partially demethylated. In tumor cells, the methylation status of DNA can be altered, but the methylation of subtelomeric repeats was found to be maintained. These results suggest that the mosaic methylation of the repeat unit is not necessarily maintained in tumor DNA, while subtelomeric repeats escape tumor-specific wave of demethylation.