Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Telomere shortening and survival in free-living corvids

Evidence accumulates that telomere shortening reflects lifestyle and predicts remaining lifespan, but little is known of telomere dynamics and their relation to survival under natural conditions. We present longitudinal telomere data in free-living jackdaws (Corvus monedula) and test hypotheses on telomere shortening and survival. Telomeres in erythrocytes were measured using pulsed-field gel electrophoresis. Telomere shortening rates within individuals were twice as high as the population level slope, demonstrating that individuals with short telomeres are less likely to survive. Further analysis showed that shortening rate in particular predicted survival, because telomere shortening was much accelerated during a bird's last year in the colony. Telomere shortening was also faster early in life, even after growth was completed. It was previously shown that the lengths of the shortest telomeres best predict cellular senescence, suggesting that shorter telomeres should be better protected. We test the latter hypothesis and show that, within individuals, long telomeres shorten faster than short telomeres in adults and nestlings, a result not previously shown in vivo. Moreover, survival selection in adults was most conspicuous on relatively long telomeres. In conclusion, our longitudinal data indicate that the shortening rate of long telomeres may be a measure of ‘life stress’ and hence holds promise as a biomarker of remaining lifespan.
Relating mechanical properties and chemical bonding in an inorganic-organic framework material: a single-crystal nanoindentation study.

We report the application of nanoindentation and atomic force microscopy to establish the fundamental relationships between mechanical properties and chemical bonding in a dense inorganic-organic framework material: Ce(C(2)O(4))(HCO(2)), 1. Compound 1 is a mixed-ligand 3-D hybrid which crystallizes in an orthorhombic space group, in which its three basic building blocks, i.e. the inorganic metal-oxygen-metal (M-O-M) chains and the two organic bridging ligands, (oxalate and formate) are all oriented perpendicular to one another. This unique architecture enabled us to decouple the elastic and plastic mechanical responses along the three primary axes of a single crystal to understand the contribution associated with stiff vs compliant basic building blocks. The (001)-oriented facet that features rigid oxalate ligands down the c-axis exhibits the highest stiffness and hardness (E approximately 78 GPa and H approximately 4.6 GPa). In contrast, the (010)-oriented facet was found to be the most compliant and soft (E approximately 43 GPa and H approximately 3.9 GPa), since the formate ligand, which is the more compliant building block within this framework, constitutes the primary linkages down the b-axis. Notably, intermediate stiffness and hardness (E approximately 52 GPa and H approximately 4.1 GPa) were measured on the (100)-oriented planes. This can be attributed to the Ce-O-Ce chains that zigzag down the a-axis (Ce.Ce metal centers form an angle of approximately 132 degrees) and also the fact that the 9-coordinated CeO(9) polyhedra are expected to be geometrically more compliant. Our results present the first conclusive evidence that the crystal orientation dominated by inorganic chains is not necessarily more robust from the mechanical properties standpoint. Rigid organic bridging ligands (such as oxalate), on the other hand, can be used to produce greater stiffness and hardness properties in a chosen crystallographic orientation. This study demonstrates that there exists a vast opportunity to design the mechanical properties of dense hybrid framework materials through the incorporation of organic multifunctional ligands of varying rigidity.
Effect of Inhalational Anesthetics and Positive-pressure Ventilation on Ultrasound Assessment of the Great Vessels: A Prospective Study at a Children’s Hospital

Background:Bedside ultrasound has emerged as a rapid, noninvasive tool for assessment and monitoring of fluid status in children. The inferior vena cava (IVC) varies in size with changes in blood volume and intrathoracic pressure, but the magnitude of change to the IVC with inhalational anesthetic and positive-pressure ventilation (PPV) is unknown. Methods:Prospective observational study of 24 healthy children aged 1 to 12 yr scheduled for elective surgery. Ultrasound images of the IVC and aorta were recorded at five time points: awake; spontaneous ventilation with sevoflurane by mask; intubated with peak inspiratory pressure/positive end-expiratory pressure of 15/0, 20/5, and 25/10 cm H2O. A blinded investigator measured IVC/aorta ratios (IVC/Ao) and changes in IVC diameter due to respiratory variation (IVC-RV) from the recorded videos. Results:Inhalational anesthetic decreased IVC/Ao (1.1 ± 0.3 vs. 0.6 ± 0.2; P < 0.001) but did not change IVC-RV (median, 43%; interquartile range [IQR], 36 to 58% vs. 46%; IQR, 36 to 66%; P > 0.99). The initiation of PPV increased IVC/Ao (0.64 ± 0.21 vs. 1.16 ± 0.27; P < 0.001) and decreased IVC-RV (median, 46%; IQR, 36 to 66% vs. 9%; IQR, 4 to 14%; P < 0.001). There was no change in either IVC/Ao or IVC-RV with subsequent incremental increases in peak inspiratory pressure/positive end-expiratory pressure (P > 0.99 for both). Conclusions:Addition of inhalational anesthetic affects IVC/Ao but not IVC-RV, and significant changes in IVC/Ao and IVC-RV occur with initiation of PPV in healthy children. Clinicians should be aware of these expected vascular changes when managing patients. Establishing these IVC parameters will enable future studies to better evaluate these measurements as tools for diagnosing hypovolemia or predicting fluid responsiveness.
When does 'fraud on the market' induce a right to damages?

Sections 1041E and 1041H of the Corporations Act 2001 (Cth) give investors a right to trade in a market that is free of false statements. Section 1041I of the Corporations Act 2001 (Cth) gives investors compensation for loss or damage caused ‘by’ conduct that breaches ss 1041E to 1041H. However, the courts’ current approach to determining when loss is caused ‘by’ breaches of ss 1041E or 1041H is unclear and does not quadrate with the nature of false statements. This paper examines the interpretation of ‘by’ to determine the appropriate causal nexus between breach of ss 1041E and 1041H, and compensation under s 1041I.
Competition, Uncertainty, and Misallocation

Uncertainty delays investment that involves disruption cost or time-to-build, resulting in capital misallocation from a static point of view. However, theory predicts that uncertainty will affect investment, and hence static misallocation, depending on the degree of product market competition. Using a large panel dataset of manufacturing plants in Japan, we find that although uncertainty results in static misallocation, the effect is weaker for industries with less severe product market competition. We further find that competition worsens uncertainty-driven misallocation through the misallocation among firms that invested in the previous year (the active margin) rather than among those that did not (the inactive margin). While competition increases the probability of investment, it increases the variability of the optimal level of capital as well, which worsens misallocation. To improve allocative efficiency, reduced uncertainty complements competition policies.
Recent Developments in the Management of Peutz-Jeghers Syndrome in Childhood

A combined surgical and endoscopic approach for managing extensive polyposis in a child with Peutz-Jeghers syndrome (PJS) is presented. Application of this technique offers the following advantages over conventional surgical practice -- 1) an accurate assessment can be made of the extent of intestinal polyposis; 2) small polyps can be easily removed endoscopically; 3) endoscopy can direct the operating surgeon to selected enterotomy sites for open excision of larger polyps and 4) multiple laparotomy, extensive intestinal resection(s) and the potential threat of short-gut syndrome in PJS patients may be avoided.
Comprehensive analysis of various Energy detection parameters in spectrum sensing for cognitive radio systems

The radio spectrum is the most vital resource that needs to be efficiently utilized. The cognitive radio technology has been proposed to overcome the problem of spectrum under utilization. One of the key challenges for a cognitive radio system is to detect the presence of primary (licensed) users over the entire dynamic spectrum at a specific time and a particular geographic location. Thus for effective band utilization cognitive radio provides a unique solution in terms of spectrum sensing techniques. In spectrum sensing, the aim of secondary user is to identify the occupancy or vacancy of a particular radio channel over the entire radio spectrum. This paper presents the performance analysis of energy detection scheme of spectrum sensing. The Energy detector technique is well recognized by its relative ease of implementation. This paper highlights the effects of communication parameters like Signal to noise ratio, number of samples and noise uncertainty on the probability of detection and probability of false alarm of energy detector. The simulations are plotted using MATLAB software.
Procedures to improve convergence and efficiency of genetic algorithms: Application to antenna focusing elements

Design and optimization are difficult tasks when intense electromagnetic computation is involved. For instance, techniques such as gradient, Newton or genetic algorithms (GA) can be used. However, they require some iterative procedure in which analysis of the estimated structure must be analyzed. This is usually achieved by full-wave analysis. In the case of electrically large structures, this step is a lengthy process that produces prohibitive computer expenditure. Using simplified model such as geometrical optics may solve the problem but only partially because the method yields approximated solutions. In this paper, guidelines to enhance the convergence by using small population of individuals are given and examples of large gain antennas are presented.
Frequency of obsessive-compulsive disorder in a community sample of young adolescents.

OBJECTIVE To investigate the frequency and phenomenology of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) and subclinical OCD in young adolescents. METHOD A two-stage epidemiological study originally designed to investigate adolescent depression was conducted between 1986 and 1988 in the southeastern United States. In the first stage, a self-report depressive symptom questionnaire was administered to a community sample of 3,283 adolescents. In the diagnostic stage, the Schedule for Affective Disorders and Schizophrenia for School-Age Children and the Children's Global Assessment Scale were administered to 488 mother-child pairs. RESULTS The prevalences of OCD and subclinical OCD were found to be 3% and 19%, respectively. Prevalences were similar in males and females. Females reported more symptoms of compulsions although males reported more obsessions. About 55% of adolescents with OCD reported both obsessions and compulsions. The most common compulsions were arranging (56%), counting (41%), collecting (38%), and washing (17%). Major depressive disorder (45%), separation anxiety (34%), dysthymia (29%), suicidal ideation (15%), and phobia (8%) were the diagnoses most frequently comorbid with OCD. CONCLUSIONS Findings suggest that OCD is not infrequent among adolescents and that the characteristic comorbidity and symptomatology of OCD may facilitate earlier identification and treatment by clinicians.
Use of the mCherry Fluorescent Protein To Study Intestinal Colonization by Enterococcus mundtii ST4SA and Lactobacillus plantarum 423 in Mice

ABSTRACT Lactic acid bacteria (LAB) are natural inhabitants of the gastrointestinal tract (GIT) of humans and animals, and some LAB species receive considerable attention due to their health benefits. Although many papers have been published on probiotic LAB, only a few reports have been published on the migration and colonization of the cells in the GIT. This is due mostly to the lack of efficient reporter systems. In this study, we report on the application of the fluorescent mCherry protein in the in vivo tagging of the probiotic strains Enterococcus mundtii ST4SA and Lactobacillus plantarum 423. The mCherry gene, encoding a red fluorescent protein (RFP), was integrated into a nonfunctional region on the genome of L. plantarum 423 by homologous recombination. In the case of E. mundtii ST4SA, the mCherry gene was cloned into the pGKV223D LAB/Escherichia coli expression vector. Expression of the mCherry gene did not alter the growth rate of the two strains and had no effect on bacteriocin production. Both strains colonized the cecum and colon of mice.
CaMKII inhibition hyperpolarizes intestinal smooth muscle by closing a Cl-conductance

Background: Ionic basis of nitrergic ‘slow’ inhibitory junction potential (sIJP) is not fully understood. Purpose of the present study was to determine the nature and the role of CaMKII -dependent ion conductance in nitrergic neurotransmission at the intestinal smooth muscle neuromuscular junction. Methods: Studies were performed in guinea pig ileum. Modified Tomita Bath technique was used to induce passive hyperpolarizing electrotonic potentials (ETP) and membrane potential change due to sIJP or drug treatment in the same cell. Changes in membrane potential and ETP were recorded in the same smooth muscle cell, using sharp microelectrode. Nitrergic IJP was elicited by EFS in NANC conditions and chemical block of purinergic IJP. Modification of ETP during hyperpolarization reflected active conductance change in the smooth muscle Results: Nitrergic IJP was associated with decreased membrane conductance. CAMKII inhibitor KN93 but not KN92, Cl channel blocker niflumic acid (NFA) and KATP channel opener cromakalim (CK) hyperpolarized membrane. However, KN93 and NFA were associated with decreased and cromakalim was associated with increased membrane conductance. After maximal NFA-induced
Continuous time analog to digital conversion in interferer resistant wake up radios

Continuous time digital filtering offers the possibility of implementing low power, tunable, low frequency filters required for interferer rejection in ultra low power radios. The bottleneck of such architectures lies in the limited linearity of the continuous time analog to digital conversion (CT-ADC) stage. This paper presents an interferer resistant wake-up radio architecture based on continuous time digital filters and discusses different ways of improving the linearity of the analog to digital conversion stage without sacrificing its power consumption.
Low Density Lipoprotein Receptor-related Protein-mediated Membrane Translocation of 12/15-Lipoxygenase Is Required for Oxidation of Low Density Lipoprotein by Macrophages*

Oxidation of low density lipoprotein (LDL) is the key step for the development of atherosclerosis. The 12/15-lipoxygenase expressed in macrophages is capable of oxygenating linoleic acid esterified to cholesterol in the LDL particle, and thus this enzyme is presumed to initiate LDL oxidation. We recently reported that LDL receptor-related protein (LRP) was required for the enzyme-mediated LDL oxidation by macrophages and suggested the selective uptake of cholesterol ester from LDL to the plasma membrane (Xu, W., Takahashi, Y., Sakashita, T., Iwasaki, T., Hattori, H., and Yoshimoto. T. (2001) J. Biol. Chem. 276, 36454–36459). To elucidate precise mechanisms of lipoxygenase-mediated LDL oxidation, we investigated the intracellular localization of 12/15-lipoxygenase. The 12/15-lipoxygenase was predominantly detected in cytosol of resting peritoneal macrophages and of macrophage-like J774A.1 cells permanently transfected with the cDNA for the enzyme. When the cells were treated with LDL and subjected to subcellular fractionation, the 12/15-lipoxygenase was detected in the membranes with a concomitant decrease in cytosol as shown by Western blot analysis. The levels of the enzyme associated with the membrane reached maximum in 15 min after LDL addition and then decreased. However, the enzymatic activity of 12/15-lipoxygenase in the membrane fraction was very weak even after LDL treatment. This fact supports the suicide inactivation of the enzyme by the oxygenation of cholesterol ester transferred from the LDL particle to the plasma membrane. Immunohistochemical analysis using an antibody against 12/15-lipoxygenase revealed that the plasma membrane was the major site of the enzyme translocation by the LDL treatment. LDL-dependent 12/15-lipoxygenase translocation was inhibited by a blocking antibody against LRP. Furthermore, an enzyme translocation inhibitor, L655238, inhibited the LDL oxidation caused by the 12/15-lipoxygenase. We propose that cholesterol ester selectively transferred from the LDL particle to the plasma membrane via LRP is oxygenated by 12/15-lipoxygenase translocated to this membrane.
Working with human values in design

A survey of the literature confirms that engaging with human values when designing technology is an important undertaking. However, despite these efforts, there is still considerable divergence and a lack of agreement in how we conceptualize and approach values during technology design. This workshop seeks to bring expertise from different perspectives on design to explore theoretical, methodological, and relational issues when working with values in design. The aim is to better conceptualize, understand and establish ways we can work more systematically and productively with human values in future designs.
Identification and Dissection of Four Major QTL Affecting Milk Fat Content in the German Holstein-Friesian Population

Milk composition traits exhibit a complex genetic architecture with a small number of major quantitative trait loci (QTL) explaining a large fraction of the genetic variation and numerous QTL with minor effects. In order to identify QTL for milk fat percentage (FP) in the German Holstein-Friesian (HF) population, a genome-wide association study (GWAS) was performed. The study population consisted of 2327 progeny-tested bulls. Genotypes were available for 44,280 SNPs. Phenotypes in the form of estimated breeding values (EBVs) for FP were used as highly heritable traits. A variance components-based approach was used to account for population stratification. The GWAS identified four major QTL regions explaining 46.18% of the FP EBV variance. Besides two previously known FP QTL on BTA14 (P = 8.91×10−198) and BTA20 (P = 7.03×10−12) within DGAT1 and GHR, respectively, we uncovered two additional QTL regions on BTA5 (P = 2.00×10−13) and BTA27 (P = 9.83×10−5) encompassing EPS8 and GPAT4, respectively. EPS8 and GPAT4 are involved in lipid metabolism in mammals. Re-sequencing of EPS8 and GPAT4 revealed 50 polymorphisms. Genotypes for five of them were inferred for the entire study population. Two polymorphisms affecting potential transcription factor binding sites of EPS8 (P = 1.40×10−12) and GPAT4 (P = 5.18×10−5), respectively, were highly significantly associated with the FP EBV. Our results provide evidence that alteration of regulatory sites is an important aspect of genetic variation of complex traits in cattle.
What influences diet in early old age? Prospective and cross-sectional analyses of the Boyd Orr cohort.

BACKGROUND The aim of this study is to identify the socio-economic and health-related factors in childhood and later life associated with healthy eating in early old age. METHODS The study is based on surviving members of the Boyd Orr cohort aged 61-80 years. Data are available on household diet and socio-economic position in childhood and on health and social circumstances in later life. A 12-item Healthy Diet Score (HDS) for each subject was constructed from food frequency questionnaire responses. Complete data on all exposures examined were available for 1234 cohort members. RESULTS Over 50% of study members had inadequacies in at least half of the 12 markers of diet quality. In multivariable models having a childhood diet which was rich in vegetables was associated with a healthy diet in early old age. The HDS for those in the upper quartile of childhood vegetable intake was 0.30 (95% confidence interval -0.01 to 0.61) higher than those with the lowest intake levels (P-trend across quartiles = 0.04). The adult factors that were most strongly associated with a healthy diet were not smoking, being an owner-occupier, and taking anti-hypertensive medication. CONCLUSION Our analysis indicates that diet in early old age is influenced by childhood vegetable consumption, current socio-economic position, and smoking. Interventions for improving the diet of older people could usefully focus on both encouragement of healthy diet choices from an early age and higher levels of income or nutritional support for older people.
The impact of HIV / AIDS on child survival and development in Kenya.

This paper focuses on the impact of HIV/AIDS on child survival and development in Kenya. The rapid spread of HIV, mainly through heterosexual contact and mother-to child transmission, contributes to the increasing rates of infant and under-five mortality in Kenyan provinces. Moreover, the impact of AIDS on the well-being of children is likely to worsen, as preliminary findings of the 1999 sentinel surveillance data indicate that HIV prevalence among the adult population is still rising. Poverty increases the vulnerability of children to HIV/AIDS. In addition, it may increase the likelihood that women become commercial sex workers as an alternative source of income. Poverty also increases the risk of illness and death through poor access to basic services. Poor environmental sanitation and lack of access to safe water sources increase the vulnerability of children to the impact of the infection. As a consequence, more and more children will be infected and affected by HIV/AIDS, and the ability of HIV-positive parents to care for their children will be impaired, while the number of orphans will continue to increase dramatically as parents die within a short period. Recommended strategies in combating the epidemic and improving the well-being of children are outlined.
Pressure Enhancement of Ion Mobilities in Liquid Silicates from Computer Simulation Studies to 800 Kilobars

Ion dynamics computer simulation methods show that for many liquid silicates, like silica itself, the component diffusion coefficients show anomalous pressure dependences. This implies that their viscosities have negative pressure dependences. Overall, there is an interesting degree of analogy between the fundamental binary solutions of geochemistry and the aqueous solutions of common experience; however, due to the stronger bonding in silicate systems, the anomalies are much more persistent. Diffusivity maxima occur at pressures of 200 to 300 kilobars and are correlated with a prevalence of fivefold coordination of silicon ions. The relevance of these findings to planetary dynamics and thermophysical modeling problems is briefly considered.