Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Internet dating: a British survey

Purpose – An online survey was carried out with the purpose of finding out the extent to which internet users subscribe to online dating services. The paper aims to assess users' experiences of such services and their eventual outcomes.Design/methodology/approach – Data were obtained through a self‐completion online questionnaire survey posted on the website of a leading internet research agency, utilising its online panel of c. 30,000 UK respondents.Findings – More than 3,800 online panellists responded of whom 29 per cent said they had used an online dating site. Most of these respondents (90 per cent) had spent up to £200 on internet dating in the past two years, with 70 per cent of users achieving at least one date, 43 per cent enjoying at least one sexual relationship, and 9 per cent finding a marriage partner.Research limitations/implications – Despite the limitations over sample control of self‐completion surveying, a large online sample was achieved that indicated the growing importance of the int.
USE OF SNAIL DIGESTIVE JUICE IN ISOLATION OF YEAST SPORE TETRADS

Tetrad analysis of yeast is somewhat hampered by the difficulties associated with ascus dissection. This note describes a method found to simplify this procedure. The contents of the crop of the garden snail, Helix aspersa, have been shown to digest the cell wall of yeast (Eddy and Williamson, Nature, 179, 1252, 1957). This suggested a possible method for the release of ascospores similar to that reported by Wright and Lederberg (Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U. S., 43, 919, 1956). The crop contents of a number of snails were suspended in distilled water to a concentration of 29.3 mg dry weight per ml (Bawden and Pirie, Brit. J. Exptl. Pathol., 27, 81, 1946). This preparation, sterilized by filtration, was added at 5 per cent concentration by volume to a suspension containing approximately 107 cells per ml of the sporulated culture of Saccharomyces cerevisiae, and a sample was observed microscopically. It was noted that within 10 to 15 min most of the ascus walls had disappeared. The spores from a single ascus, however, remained together, providing the basis for the use of the procedure to obtain spore tetrads. A loopful of the treated suspension was streaked along one edge of a thin slab of nutrient agar (yeast extract, 1 per cent; peptone, 1 per cent; glucose, 2 per cent; agar, 2 per cent) that had been spread on a 40 by 22 mm cover slip. With a mechanical micromanipulator, tetrads were pulled into the uninoculated region of the slab and sister spores separated and spaced at 2-mm intervals. Up to 17 tetrads could be spaced on each agar slab, which was then removed from the cover slip with a sterile spatula and placed, spores upward, on the surface of nutrient agar contained in a petri dish. After incubation at 30 C for approximately 48 hr, spore colonies of approximately 1 mm diameter (figure 1) were available for transfer to nutrient agar plates
Keeping chromatin quiet

Disruption of chromatin organization during replication poses a major challenge to the maintenance and integrity of genome organization. It creates the need to accurately reconstruct the chromatin landscape following DNA duplication but there is little mechanistic understanding of how chromatin based modifications are restored on newly synthesized DNA. ATP-dependent chromatin remodeling activities serve multiple roles during replication and recent work underscores their requirement in the maintenance of proper chromatin organization. A new component of chromatin replication, the SWI/SNF-like chromatin remodeler SMARCAD1, acts at replication sites to facilitate deacetylation of newly assembled histones. Deacetylation is a pre-requisite for the restoration of epigenetic signatures in heterochromatin regions following replication. In this way, SMARCAD1, in concert with histone modifying activities and transcriptional repressors, reinforces epigenetic instructions to ensure that silenced loci are correctly perpetuated in each replication cycle. The emerging concept is that remodeling of nucleosomes is an early event imperative to promote the re-establishment of histone modifications following DNA replication.
Possible association of CD3 and CD4 polymorphisms with insulin‐dependent diabetes mellitus (IDDM)

Population and family studies show that predisposition to type I diabetes (IDDM) is multi‐factorial, and that polymorphisms in the MHC region contribute substantially to the susceptibility to IDDM. In the present study the association of polymorphisms in the CD4 and the 6 subunit of CD3 with IDDM were examined in a Belgian population. We observed that the frequency of the CD4*A4/A4 genotype and of the CD3*91 allele were significantly increased (P= 00077) and decreased (P = 3.8 × 10−5), respectively, in IDDM compared with controls. These results therefore suggest that CD4, CD3 or neighbouring genes might contribute to IDDM susceptibility. These results are, however, preliminary and cannot be considered as established until re‐tested in a new population.
Racial/Ethnic Disparities in Mental Health Service Utilization among Youth Participating in Negative Externalizing Behaviors.

PURPOSES Racial/ethnic differences in mental health service utilization were examined among youth who reported participating in negative externalizing behaviors. METHODS The study utilized merged data from the 2007-2010 National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH) to examine differences in utilization of inpatient or outpatient mental health services not related to substance or alcohol use by White, Black and Hispanic youth who reported engaging in negative externalizing behaviors ("acting out"). Differences in service utilization in these groups were assessed using logistic regression models. RESULTS Race/ethnicity was a significant predictor of outpatient mental health service use. Black and Hispanic children were less likely to use outpatient services. Inpatient service use decreased with increasing income. Parental presence in the household increased the likelihood of outpatient service use for minorities. CONCLUSION Racial/ethnic minority youth in the United States continue to use outpatient mental health services at lower rates. This may lead to high prevalence of untreated negative externalizing behaviors among minority adolescent groups and, in turn, lead to use of inpatient services from systems such as juvenile justice and foster care. Such severe treatment alternatives can be prevented if timely and culturally tailored outpatient intervention is provided.
The dialectic of Hebb and homeostasis

It has become widely accepted that homeostatic and Hebbian plasticity mechanisms work hand in glove to refine neural circuit function. Nonetheless, our understanding of how these fundamentally distinct forms of plasticity compliment (and under some circumstances interfere with) each other remains rudimentary. Here, I describe some of the recent progress of the field, as well as some of the deep puzzles that remain. These include unravelling the spatial and temporal scales of different homeostatic and Hebbian mechanisms, determining which aspects of network function are under homeostatic control, and understanding when and how homeostatic and Hebbian mechanisms must be segregated within neural circuits to prevent interference. This article is part of the themed issue ‘Integrating Hebbian and homeostatic plasticity’.
Treatment for routine symptomatic carotid bulb atherosclerosis: Carotid endarterectomy is better than stenting.

[Graphic][1] Symptomatic internal carotid artery (ICA) stenosis is a common cause of ischemic stroke. The goal of management is to decrease the risk of stroke. This objective can be reached with a combination of medical therapy and revascularization with either carotid endarterectomy (CEA) or carotid artery stenting (CAS). At this time, evidence-based medicine provides guidance for our decision regarding which revascularization procedure is the most appropriate for the patient with routine, symptomatic carotid stenosis, i.e., with no clinical or radiographic exclusions for either procedure. The choice of treatment for revascularization comes down to 3 questions: 1) If the goal is to reduce stroke, which treatment option provides the best short and long-term outcomes? 2) Which treatment is cost-effective? 3) Which treatment provides the best patient-centered outcomes? Two recent trials evaluating the difference between CEA and CAS are the Carotid Revascularization Endarterectomy vs Stent Trial (CREST)1 and the International Carotid Stenting Study (ICSS). 2 In CREST, the primary composite endpoint of any stroke, myocardial infarction (MI), or death within 30 days following treatment plus any ipsilateral stroke during long-term follow-up (median 2.5 years) was similar for CAS and CEA (7.2% vs 6.8%, hazard ratio [HR] 1.1, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.8–1.5). There was no differential treatment effect according to symptomatic status. In contrast, the ICSS interim safety analysis evaluating the 120-day rate of stroke, death, or procedural MI reported that more patients in the CAS group reached the combined endpoint of stroke, MI, or death than the CEA group (8.5% vs 5.2%, HR 1.69, 95% CI 1.16–2.45, p = 0.006). 2 In addition, a subanalysis of 231 patients in ICSS underwent MRI and demonstrated more ischemic brain lesions on diffusion-weighted imaging after treatment with CAS than … [1]: /embed/inline-graphic-1.gif
Enhancement of Outflow Facility in the Murine Eye by Targeting Selected Tight-Junctions of Schlemm's Canal Endothelia

Background: Similarly to secondhand smoke (SHS), thirdhand smoke (THS) beliefs may be correlated with smoking behaviors and smokefree policies in the home. Thus, there is a need to develop and validate measures to assess beliefs about THS. Methods: A list of 19 items related to THS were generated by an expert panel and tested in a pilot study. Based on results from an exploratory factor analysis, two factors emerged: THS persistence in the environment and THS impact on health. The scale was reduced to nine items, which showed no differential item functioning by smoking status or smoking ban status in the home. The nine items and the two factor structure were tested in a validation sample from a smoke-free homes intervention that included THS educational materials. Results: The 9-item scale showed excellent internal consistency. Confirmatory factor analysis indicated good model fit for the two factor solution in a low-income population. Tests of construct validity indicated differences due to exposure to the smoke-free homes intervention, by smoking status, whether participants own or rent their home, and smoking ban status in the home. Conclusions: The BATHS scale offers researchers a valid and reliable tool to assess THS beliefs.
Twofold symmetric angular distributions in multiphoton ionization with elliptically polarized light.

Les distributions angulaires des electrons dans l'ionisation multicanaux multiphotonique de l'hydrogene, dans le cas d'une lumiere laser polarisee elliptiquement, sont calculees a l'aide d'un modele theorique non perturbatif, prenant en compte l'interaction coulombienne de l'etat final. L'ellipticite de rayonnement ne modifie pas seulement la forme, mais aussi abaisse la symetrie rotationnelle d'ordre 4, intervenant dans la polarisation lineaire a une symetrie d'ordre 2
Fuel cell thermal management: Modeling, specifications and correct-by-construction control synthesis

Thermal management is crucial for safe and efficient operation of fuel cells. The goal of this paper is to algorithmically synthesize a provably-correct controller for a fuel cell thermal management system. For this purpose, we start with developing a control-oriented model for the fuel cell thermal management system and list the associated requirements. Then, we identify some structural properties of the system dynamics that can be leveraged for making the abstraction-based synthesis algorithm computationally efficient. Finally, we synthesize a controller for this system and demonstrate the closed-loop system behavior via simulations.
A novel control scheme for three-level full-bridge converter achieving low THD output voltage

A novel control scheme called symmetrical chop plus phase-shift (SCPS) control, allowing six switches of the three-level full-bridge converter to achieve zero voltage switching (ZVS) and reducing the total harmonic distortion (THD) of the transformer primary side voltage is proposed in this paper. The traditional control schemes for three-level full-bridge converter to achieve ZVS ignored the impact of the high THD of transformer primary side voltage. The high THD will cause large power loss in transformer and is not conducive to delivery energy for transformer. In the SCPS control, the output voltage of full bridge is symmetrical in half of switching period and the THD is reduced. At the same time, two switches have not achieved zero voltage on. This paper presents switching process and conditions of this control scheme. THD of the output voltage is analyzed and compared with CPS control. The performance of the proposed control scheme was verified on a prototype.
Agricultural Research, Productivity, and Food Prices in the Long Run

A reinvestment in agricultural R&D is critical to ensuring sufficient food for the world in the coming decades. In a recent update of earlier estimates (1), the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations reported that more than one billion people now suffer malnutrition (2). Despite declines in food prices from their 2008 highs, local prices in many developing countries are still high by recent historical standards. Long-run trends in global food commodity prices are driven by differential rates of growth in the supply and demand for food crops, feed, and livestock products.
Understanding Fuel Consumption/Economy of Passenger Vehicles in the Real World

The world is currently highly dependent upon oil for automotive transport. As a result, large amounts of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions are generated in the passenger automotive sector and are having a substantial effect on the environment. Among the various measures from both the automotive technology side and the transport demand side to reduce energy consumption and GHG emissions, improving the fuel consumption (FC, expressed in litres of gasoline per hundred kilometres of travel [L/100 km]) or fuel economy (FE, usually expressed in [km/L] or miles per gallon [mpg]) of passenger vehicles is regarded as the most effective measure. In this regard, many regions and countries around the world have implemented FC/FE or GHG standards (An et al., 2011), and some — for example, the United States, the European Union, and Japan — are tightening their existing standards.
Two-Step Detector for RADARSAT-2's Experimental GMTI Mode

Ground moving target indication (GMTI) from space has currently raised interest from wide area traffic monitoring as well as for military surveillance activities. This paper presents theoretical and real data GMTI results of RADARSAT-2's Moving Object Detection Experiment based on data gathered during the commissioning phase in February 2008. The proposed constant false alarm rate target detection is based on a novel and thorough analysis of the multilook test statistics. The practical and relevant case in which a target, for instance a passenger car, occurs in only l-out-of-n ground resolution multilook cells is analyzed. This general case is analyzed for the determination of adequate detection thresholds as well as the anticipated probability of detection Pd particularly with regard to a varying degree of terrain heterogeneity and target characteristics. The overall false alarm rate Pfa is significantly reduced by a complementary detection step using the along-track interferometric phase. The validity of these theoretical findings are corroborated by real two-channel space-based synthetic aperture radar-GMTI data of civilian vehicles of opportunity, whose main parameters have been estimated and compared with the derived Cramér-Rao Bounds.
Improvement of low‐temperature caseinolytic activity of a thermophilic subtilase by directed evolution and site‐directed mutagenesis

By directed evolution and subsequent site‐directed mutagenesis, cold‐adapted variants of WF146 protease, a thermophilic subtilase, have been successfully engineered. A four‐amino acid substitution variant RTN29 displayed a sixfold increase in caseinolytic activity in the temperature range of 15–25°C, a down‐shift of optimum temperature by ∼15°C, as well as a decrease in thermostability, indicating it follows the general principle of trade‐off between activity and stability. Nevertheless, to some extent RTN29 remained its thermophilic nature, and no loss of activity was observed after heat‐treatment at 60°C for 2 h. Notably, RTN29 exhibited a lower hydrolytic activity toward suc‐AAPF‐pNA, due to an increase in Km and a decrease in kcat, in contrast to other artificially cold‐adapted subtilases with increased low‐temperature activity toward small synthetic substrates. All mutations (S100P, G108S, D114G, M137T, T153A, and S246N) identified in the cold‐adapted variants occurred within or near the substrate‐binding region. None of these mutations, however, match the corresponding sites in naturally psychrophilic and other artificially cold‐adapted subtilases, implying there are multiple routes to cold adaptation. Homology modeling and structural analysis demonstrated that these mutations led to an increase in mobility of substrate‐binding region and a modulation of substrate specificity, which seemed to account for the improvement of the enzyme's catalytic activity toward macromolecular substrates at lower temperatures. Our study may provide valuable information needed to develop enzymes coupling high stability and high low‐temperature activity, which are highly desired for industrial use. Biotechnol. Bioeng. 2009; 104: 862–870. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Epigenetic Interactions between Alcohol and Cannabinergic Effects: Focus on Histone Modification and DNA Methylation

Epigenetic studies have led to a more profound understanding of the mechanisms involved in chronic conditions. In the case of alcohol addiction, according to the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, 16 million adults suffer from Alcohol Use Disorders (AUDs). Even though therapeutic interventions like behavioral therapy and medications to prevent relapse are currently available, no robust cure exists, which stems from the lack of understanding the mechanisms of action of alcohol and the lack of development of precision medicine approaches to treat AUDs. Another common group of addictive substance, cannabinoids, have been studied extensively to reveal they work through cannabinoid receptors. Therapeutic applications have been found for the cannabinoids and a deeper understanding of the endocannabinoid system has been gained over the years. Recent reports of cannabinergic mechanisms in AUDs has opened an exciting realm of research that seeks to elucidate the molecular mechanisms of alcohol-induced end organ diseases and hopefully provide insight into new therapeutic strategies for the treatment of AUDs. To date, several epigenetic mechanisms have been associated with alcohol and cannabinoids independently. Therefore, the scope of this review is to compile the most recent literature regarding alcohol and cannabinoids in terms of a possible epigenetic connection between the endocannabinoid system and alcohol effects. First, we will provide an overview of epigenetics, followed by an overview of alcohol and epigenetic mechanisms with an emphasis on histone modifications and DNA methylations. Then, we will provide an overview of cannabinoids and epigenetic mechanisms. Lastly, we will discuss evidence of interactions between alcohol and cannabinergic pathways and possible insights into the novel epigenetic mechanisms underlying alcohol-cannabinergic pathway activity. Finalizing the review will be a discussion of future directions and therapeutic applications.
Evidence of Genomic Instability inCampylobacter jejuni Isolated from Poultry

ABSTRACT Poultry isolates of Campylobacter jejuni derived from a survey of meat processing batches were genotyped by pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) of chromosomal DNA to establish the clonal relationships between single-colony isolates. In the majority of batches studied, one or two genotype patterns predominated. However, in one batch (batch A), 21 single-colony isolates gave 14 different PFGE genotypes. The banding patterns obtained with SmaI were sufficiently different to distinguish between genotypes, although the patterns also produced many common bands. The question of whether these isolates represented different clones or had a common clonal ancestry was addressed by additional genotypic and phenotypic methods. Restriction length polymorphism of PCR products obtained from the flagellin genes showed an identical flagellin genotype for all of these isolates. In contrast, unrelated control isolates resulted in different flagellin genotypes. Moreover, all 14 different PFGE genotypes of batch A had identical Penner serotypes and identical or similar biotypes and phage types. It was concluded that the isolates were of clonal origin and that the diversity in the PFGE banding patterns had most likely originated from genomic rearrangements. However, the PFGE genotypes were shown to be stable upon subculturing in vitro and after in vivo passage in chickens, and natural transformation between isogenic mutants carrying antibiotic markers did not occur in vivo in a chick colonization model. The possible mechanisms for the hypothesized genomic recombinations and the conditions that allow, induce, or select for such events are discussed.
Optimized Trust-Aware Recommender System using Genetic Algorithm

Trust-aware recommender system (TARS) recommends ratings based on user trust. It greatly improves the conventional collaborative filtering by providing reliable recommendations when dealing with the data sparseness problem. One basic research issue of TARS is to improve the recommending efficiency, in which the key point is to find sufficient number of recommenders efficiently for active users. Existing works searched recommenders via a skeleton, which consists of a number of hub nodes. The hub nodes are those who have superior degrees based on the scale-freeness of the trust network. However, existing works did not consider the skeleton maintenance cost and the coverage overlap between nodes of the skeleton. They also failed to suggest the proper size of the skeleton. This paper proposes an optimized TARS model to solve the problems of existing works. By using the genetic algorithm, our model chooses the most suitable nodes for the skeleton of recommender searching. It can achieve the maximum prediction coverage with the minimum skeleton maintenance cost. Simulation results show that compared with existing works, our model can reduce more than 90% of the skeleton maintenance cost with reasonable prediction coverage.