Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
It's good to be queen: classically eusocial colony structure and low worker fitness in an obligately social sweat bee

Lasioglossum malachurum, a bee species common across much of Europe, is obligately eusocial across its range but exhibits clear geographic variation in demography and social behaviour. This variation suggests that social interactions between queens and workers, opportunities for worker oviposition, and patterns of relatedness among nest mates may vary considerably, both within and among regions. In this study, we used three microsatellite loci with 12–18 alleles each to examine the sociogenetic structure of colonies from a population at Agios Nikolaos Monemvasias in southern Greece. These analyses reveal that the majority of colonies exhibit classical eusocial colony structure in which a single queen mated to a single male monopolizes oviposition. Nevertheless, we also detect low rates of multiqueen nest founding, occasional caste switching by worker‐destined females, and worker oviposition of both gyne and male‐producing eggs in the final brood. Previous evidence that the majority of workers show some ovarian development and a minority (17%) have at least one large oocyte contrasts with the observation that only 2–3% of gynes and males (the so‐called reproductive brood) are produced by workers. An evaluation of the parameters of Hamilton's Rule suggests that queens benefit greatly from the help provided by workers but that workers achieve greater fitness by provisioning and laying their own eggs rather than by tending to the queen's eggs. This conflict of interest between the queen and her workers suggests that the discrepancy between potential and achieved worker oviposition is due to queen interference. Comparison of relatedness and maternity patterns in the Agios Nikolaos Monemvasias population with those from a northern population near Tübingen, Germany, points to a north–south cline of increasingly effective queen control of worker behaviour.
Differential activation of the immune system by virulent Streptococcus pneumoniae strains determines recovery or death of the host

Streptococcus pneumoniae infection may result in asymptomatic carriage, mucosal or invasive disease. We hypothesize that self‐limiting or fatal disease outcome follows infection with S. pneumoniae differential activation of the host immune response. BALB/c and C57BL/6 mice were inoculated intranasally with S. pneumoniae serotype 3 strain WU2 and serotype 14 strain DW14 and mortality, bacterial load, pathological changes in the lungs and cytokines mRNA levels in the spleen were analysed. No differences between the C57BL/6 and the BALB/c inbred mice were observed except for the severity of their lung pathology and IL‐4 expression. Infection of the two mouse strains with S. pneumoniae WU2 resulted in sepsis and death that occurred within 4 days post‐inoculation. This death was preceded, in both mouse strains, in an increase over time of the lung bacterial load and bacteraemia. The lung pathology was characterized by diffuse pneumonia with marked congestion of the lungs. Analysis of mRNA expression of cytokines in the spleen revealed no alterations in tumour necrosis factor (TNF)‐α, transforming growth factor (TGF)‐β, interleukin (IL)‐12 and interferon (IFN)‐γ and induction of IL‐10 and IL‐4. The two strains of mice survived infection with S. pneumoniae DW14. This was accompanied by a reduction over time of lung bacterial load and bacteraemia. The lung pathology was characterized by focal lymphocyte infiltration and preserved architecture of the organ. Analysis of mRNA expression of cytokines in the spleen revealed a significant decrease in the levels of TNF‐α, TGF‐β, IL‐12 and IFN‐γ mRNA expression, which usually precedes cytokine protein expression. Interestingly, a significant increase in the levels of IL‐4 mRNA expression was found in BALB/c mice only. This study suggests that differential activation or evasion of cytokine expression by S. pneumoniae virulent strains determines disease outcome regardless of the host's immunogenetic background.
Characterization of blood components separated from donated whole blood after an overnight holding at room temperature with the buffy coat method

BACKGROUND: With buffy coat (BC) processing of whole blood (WB) donations, increase in WB storage time to facilitate overnight holding before the separation of blood components would be a logistically attractive development. This study undertakes a comparative in vitro characterization of blood components prepared from WB samples that were either processed within 8 hours or stored overnight at room temperature before processing by the BC method.
Checking stationarity of the incidence rate using prevalent cohort survival data

When survival data are collected as part of a prevalent cohort study with follow‐up, the recruited cases have already experienced their initiating event, say onset of a disease, and consequently the incidence process is only partially observed. Nevertheless, there are good reasons for interest in certain features of the underlying incidence process, for example whether or not it is stationary. Indeed, the well known relationship between incidence and prevalence, often used by epidemiologists, requires stationarity of the incidence rate for its validity. Also, the statistician can exploit stationarity of the incidence process by improving the efficiency of estimators in a prevalent cohort survival analysis. In addition, whether the incident rate is stationary is often in itself of central importance to medical and other researchers. We present here a necessary and sufficient condition for stationarity of the underlying incidence process, which uses only survival observations, possibly right censored, from a prevalent cohort study with follow‐up. This leads to a simple graphical means of checking for the stationarity of the underlying incidence times by comparing the plots of two Kaplan–Meier estimates that are based on partially observed incidence times and follow‐up survival data. We use our method to discuss the incidence rate of dementia in Canada between 1971 and 1991. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Trends in pediatric asthma hospitalization rates: regional and socioeconomic differences.

OBJECTIVE Asthma hospitalization rates continue to increase nationally for children despite efforts by the National Institutes of Health and specialty organizations to improve outcomes through the dissemination of practice guidelines. To understand the generalizability of national trends to regional populations, we studied childhood hospitalizations over a 10-year period in four northeastern states. DESIGN Longitudinal analysis of hospitalization rates by patient residence and patient characteristics using state hospital discharge datasets. POPULATION Age < 18 years residing in Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, or New York state during the period 1985 to 1994. RESULTS In multivariate analyses (controlling for age, sex, race/ethnicity, median household income, metropolitan status), we found that New York asthma hospitalization rates increased 3.8% per annum (95% confidence interval: 3.3, 4.2), whereas in New Hampshire, rates decreased 5.8% (95% confidence interval: 7.6, 4.1). Maine and Vermont rates did not change significantly during the study period. Increased asthma hospitalization rates were noted in black and Hispanic populations, in children residing in zip codes with lower median household incomes, and in those living in metropolitan areas. Hospitalization rates for nonasthma causes fell substantially. As a result, the proportion of hospital days attributed to childhood asthma increased in all population groups. CONCLUSIONS Asthma discharge rates measured by the state of residence or socioeconomic characteristic do not necessarily parallel national trends. None of the current hypotheses offered to explain national trends in asthma hospitalization rates (changes in disease severity, diagnostic substitution, or differences in the supply and character of medical care) can be the sole explanation of these regional trends. Efforts intended to improve asthma outcomes may benefit a greater number of children by redirecting resources toward specific populations identified through state hospital discharge datasets.
Sperm penetration to the zona pellucida of an oocyte: a computational model incorporating acrosome reaction

For fertilisation to occur, a spermatozoon needs to cross the zona pellucida (ZP), which is a glycoprotein layer surrounding the oocyte. Crossing the ZP requires an acrosome reaction (AR) where enzymes released from the spermatozoon head locally digest and soften the ZP so that the spermatozoon can penetrate deeper. Here, a biomechanical sperm–oocyte interaction model that considers the AR using the finite element method was formulated. This modelling is used to determine which of the following factors directly contribute to the crossing of the ZP: local ZP softening by AR, sperm head shape, ZP hardening elsewhere than in the AR site, ZP thickness and sperm hyperactivation (more flagellar beating). It has been found that an AR softening the ZP to over one-tenth of its basal stiffness is important for successful sperm penetration, and that ‘sharper’ heads have a biomechanical advantage in penetrating deeper. The approach is promising for understanding this exciting stage of reproduction.
Design and Implementation of GPU-Based Prim's Algorithm

Minimum spanning tree is a classical problem in graph theory that plays a key role in a broad domain of applications. This paper proposes a minimum spanning tree algorithm using Prim's approach on Nvidia GPU under CUDA architecture. By using new developed GPU-based Min-Reduction data parallel primitive in the key step of the algorithm, higher efficiency is achieved. Experimental results show that we obtain about 2 times speedup on Nvidia GTX260 GPU over the CPU implementation and 3 times speedup over non-primitives GPU implementation.
Acquisition Premiums and Performance Improvements for Acquirers and Targets in the Lodging Industry

Given that the stated purpose of mergers and acquisitions (M&A) is to create value for the newly merged firm, the M&A offer premium ought to be positively related to the realized benefits or realized synergies that result from combining the target and the acquirer. Not all empirical evidence supports this notion, however. Because some M&A activities have not been found to be consistently value enhancing, other M&A motives have been proposed, most notably empire building and personal rewards. In contrast to those notions, this paper’s analysis of lodging M&A results suggests that lodging M&A is in fact motivated by value creation. Furthermore, our evidence supports the supposition that the premium reflects the value of synergy, as postulated conceptually. Using a property-level dataset, this paper infers lodging managers’ intentions by investigating the relationship between the final offer premium paid to the target shareholders and the change in the pre- and postacquisition operating performance of the target’s and the acquirer’s properties. Refuting the argument of the market for corporate control as well as the non-value-related motives, this analysis finds that the premium is related to the performance changes of the acquirer’s properties but is not related to that of the target’s properties. Interestingly, this suggests that the target’s properties serve as a crucial resource to improve the performance of the acquirer’s properties, and consequently, the premium may be viewed as the payment to gain control over the targets’ resources.
Mixed finite element approximation for a coupled petroleum reservoir model

In this paper, we are interested in the modelling and the finite element approximation of a petroleum reservoir, in axisymmetric form. The flow in the porous medium is governed by the Darcy-Forchheimer equation coupled with a rather exhaustive energy equation. The semi-discretized problem is put under a mixed variational formulation, whose approximation is achieved by means of conservative Raviart-Thomas elements for the fluxes and of piecewise constant elements for the pressure and the temperature. The discrete problem thus obtained is well-posed and a posteriori error estimates are also established. Numerical tests are presented validating the developed code. Mathematics Subject Classification. 35Q35, 65N15, 65N30, 76S05.
Histocompatibility antigens in Parkinson's disease

The possible association of 7 HLA specificities in the HLA‐A locus and 16 specificities in the HLA‐B locus with susceptibility to Parkinsonian syndrome was investigated in a total of 36 patients with paralysis agitans (PA), as well as in 11 patients with other Parkinsonian syndromes, and 176 controls in Japan. There was no clear association between HLA‐A or ‐B locus antigens and PA or other Parkinsonian syndromes. Patients with PA were subdivided according to sex, age of onset, clinical manifestations, and response to L‐Dopa therapy. There was, however, no apparent association between HLA‐A or ‐B locus antigens and any of the variables investigated. Our data do not provide any evidence for genetic susceptibility in the pathogenesis of PA.
Three‐dimensional spinal curvature in idiopathic scoliosis

Scoliosis is usually considered as a deformity of the spine in the frontal plane, without reference to curvatures in other planes. In this study, the three‐dimensional shape of the spine of 104 patients with untreated idiopathic scoliosis (5–55° Cobb) was studied by means of stereo radiographs to determine relationships between curvature of the spine in the frontal plane view, in the lateral view, and in the intermediate views. There was a weak but statistically significant correlation (r = 0.2) relating greater scoliosis with lesser kyphosis or greater lordosis. In the thoracic region, the sagittal plane spinal curvature was less than that measured in a population without scoliosis (mean difference, 7.72 ° 9.9°). Seventy‐four of 76 scolioses in the upper region of the spine with lateral curvature greater than 5° Cobb were kyphotic. Sixty‐four of 84 curves greater than 5° Cobb in the lower region were lordotic. Measuring curvatures in the plane of symmetry of the rotated apical vertebra altered these ratios to 69 of 76 kyphotic in the upper region and 68 of 84 lordotic in the lower region. The plane of maximum curvature of sections of the spine with scoliosis was not related to the plane of symmetry of the rotated apical vertebra, for in kyphotic regions of the spine the rotations of these two planes were in opposite directions. In all cases, the magnitudes of the rotations were quite different, i.e., by a factor of −0.22 for curves in thoracic region and by a factor of 0.24 for curves in the lumbar region. This implies that mechanical measures to correct this spinal deformity or to prevent progression should apply different rotations to the apex from those applied to the curve as a whole and, in opposite senses, in curves in kyphotic regions. There was no evidence of an abnormality of sagittal curvature of a magnitude to implicate it in the etiology or in the treatment.
Improved control of atomic force microscope for high-speed image scanning

In this paper the design and experimental implementation of an observer based model predictive control (OMPC) scheme for accurate tracking and fast scanning of an atomic force microscope (AFM) is presented. The design of this controller is based on an identified model of the AFM piezoelectric tube (PZT) scanner. A Kalman filter is used to obtain full-state information in the presence of position sensor noise. To evaluate the performance improvement using the proposed control scheme an experimental comparison has been made with scanned images between the proposed controller and the existing AFM PI controller. The experimental results verify the efficacy of the proposed controller.
Basis of Altruism and Cooperation: Plausibility and Possibilities

1. Living beings are autonomous agents that generate information through reciprocal interactions with the environment. 2. The central nervous system does not function in a sequential pattern but rather generates its own coherent patterns (meaning-based) according to its reciprocal experiences with other information sources (including other brains). 3. Cognition is a form of embodied action with the goal of creating self-referential meaning. 4. The outside environment is not experienced by the brain as a fixed external reality but is a relational realm that is uniquely experienced subjectively by each person based upon how that person relates to that environment. 5. “Subjective” experience (consciousness) is not an epiphenomenon of brain function but is central to its construction.
Differentiated caching of dynamic content using effective page classification

As the use of dynamic documents increases, caching dynamic content is becoming an important issue for the usability and scalability of the Web. Dynamic content, which is not retained by current Web caching schemes, is adding significant load to Web servers and network links and hence increasing request response times. This paper proposes a scheme, called eager page dynamic caching (EPDC), to effectively cache dynamic content at proxy servers. The scheme identifies two kinds of dynamic pages, called eager-update pages and lazy-update pages, and uses different strategies to deal with each type. For eager-update pages, the Web server pushes the newest data to the proxy server after updates to the dynamic page content. For lazy-update pages, proxy servers pull the newest data from the Web server when clients request it. We use delta-encoding to decrease the amount of data transferred from the Web server to the cache server. We describe a set of simulation experiments we conducted to evaluate our scheme. We show that our scheme can achieve higher hit ratios and lower network latencies, under a variety of conditions, than both simple delta-encoding and traditional Web caching with the least recently used (LRU) scheme.
Pentameric complex of viral glycoprotein H is the primary target for potent neutralization by a human cytomegalovirus vaccine

Significance Congenital human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) infection is an important cause of newborn disability, and developing a vaccine against congenital HCMV is a top priority. However, despite decades of efforts, a vaccine remains elusive. Previous vaccines lacked an antigen called pentameric glycoprotein H (gH) complex, essential for the virus to infect epithelial/endothelial cells, and these vaccines induced poor neutralizing antibodies. To support a unique vaccine concept featuring the pentameric gH complex, we established 45 mAbs from a rabbit immunized with an experimental vaccine. Over 50% of the mAbs have antiviral activity, and potent clones target the pentameric gH complex, thus establishing this antigen as the key for potent antiviral antibodies by vaccination. Our result contributes to the understanding of immune attributes of an effective vaccine against HCMV. Human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) can cause serious morbidity/mortality in transplant patients, and congenital HCMV infection can lead to birth defects. Developing an effective HCMV vaccine is a high medical priority. One of the challenges to the efforts has been our limited understanding of the viral antigens important for protective antibodies. Receptor-mediated viral entry to endothelial/epithelial cells requires a glycoprotein H (gH) complex comprising five viral proteins (gH, gL, UL128, UL130, and UL131). This gH complex is notably missing from HCMV laboratory strains as well as HCMV vaccines previously evaluated in the clinic. To support a unique vaccine concept based on the pentameric gH complex, we established a panel of 45 monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) from a rabbit immunized with an experimental vaccine virus in which the expression of the pentameric gH complex was restored. Over one-half (25 of 45) of the mAbs have neutralizing activity. Interestingly, affinity for an antibody to bind virions was not correlated with its ability to neutralize the virus. Genetic analysis of the 45 mAbs based on their heavy- and light-chain sequences identified at least 26 B-cell linage groups characterized by distinct binding or neutralizing properties. Moreover, neutralizing antibodies possessed longer complementarity-determining region 3 for both heavy and light chains than those with no neutralizing activity. Importantly, potent neutralizing mAbs reacted to the pentameric gH complex but not to gB. Thus, the pentameric gH complex is the primary target for antiviral antibodies by vaccination.
The Convergence between Cloud Computing and Cable TV

This paper explores the nature and potential of the convergence between cloud computing and cable TV. The paper begins by discussing the fundamental issues and challenges in traditional cable TV and then focuses on opportunities and possibilities in relation to the overlap between cable TV and cloud computing. In addition, this study compares the situation before and after this convergence occurs and examines the related value chain. A descriptive case study related to Google TV is also conducted to gain a better understanding of the convergence between traditional cable activities and the relatively new and unexplored area of cloud computing.
Does Fracture Care Make Money for the Hospital? An Analysis of Hospital Revenues and Costs for Treatment of Common Fractures

Objectives: To determine the relative profitability for a hospital of treatment of common fractures within a state-regulated reimbursement system. Design: Retrospective cohort. Setting: Regional trauma referral center with state-regulated hospital reimbursement system. Methods: We reviewed hospital medical and financial records of 1228 patients admitted from 2008 through 2012 with a principle diagnosis of acute traumatic fracture requiring surgical treatment. Patients whose principle diagnosis fit into 1 of 6 common anatomic categories were included. Sixty-five pelvic, 275 acetabular, 277 hip, 255 femoral shaft, 148 tibial shaft, and 208 ankle fractures were identified. Patients with a different principle diagnosis were excluded. Net revenue, total cost of inpatient care, and direct margin for each patient's acute inpatient hospital course were recorded. Main Outcome Measurement: Direct margins, costs. Results: Per patient, the overall mean net revenue was $39,813, overall mean cost of inpatient care was $21,231, and overall mean direct margin (profitability) was $18,582. Mean direct variable expense was $14,898 per patient, and mean direct fixed expense was $6333 per patient. Factors most influencing cost included length of stay, supplies, and operating room use. Of 1228 patients, 46 (3.7%) had a negative direct margin (net loss to hospital). The most profitable diagnosis was pelvic fracture (mean direct margin, $21,767). Conclusions: The state-regulated reimbursement system allows analysis of hospital profitability in the context of a normalized revenue stream that should approximate the overall fiscal realities of other states. Providing orthopaedic trauma care can be economically feasible and profitable for a hospital. Level of Evidence: Economic Level IV. See Instructions for Authors for a complete description of levels of evidence.