Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Adaptive random testing through dynamic partitioning

Adaptive random testing (ART) describes a family of algorithms for generating random test cases that have been experimentally demonstrated to have greater fault-detection capacity than simple random testing. We outline and demonstrate two new ART algorithms, and demonstrate experimentally that they offer similar performance advantages, with considerably lower overhead than other ART algorithms.
Pulmonary nontuberculous mycobacterial disease prevalence and clinical features: an emerging public health disease.

RATIONALE Respiratory specimens with nontuberculous mycobacteria (NTM) are increasingly common; however, pulmonary disease prevalence is unknown. OBJECTIVES To determine the disease prevalence, clinical features, and risk factors for NTM disease, and to examine the predictive value of the microbiologic criteria of the American Thoracic Society (ATS)/Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA) pulmonary NTM case definition for true NTM disease. METHODS We identified all Oregon residents during 2005-2006 with at least one respiratory mycobacterial isolate. From a population-based subset of these patients, we collected clinical and radiologic information and used the ATS/IDSA pulmonary NTM disease criteria to define disease. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS In the 2-year time period, 807 Oregonians had one or more respiratory NTM isolates. Four hundred and seven (50%) resided within the Portland metropolitan region, among which 283 (70%) had evaluable clinical records. For those with records, 134 (47%) met ATS/IDSA pulmonary NTM disease criteria for a minimum overall 2-year period prevalence of 8.6/100,000 persons, and 20.4/100,000 in those at least 50 years of age within the Portland region. Case subjects were 66 years of age (median; range, 12-92 yr), frequently female (59%), and most with disease caused by Mycobacterium avium complex (88%). Cavitation (24.5%), bronchiectasis (16%), chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (28%), and immunosuppressive therapy (25.5%) were common. Eighty-six percent of patients meeting the ATS/IDSA microbiologic criteria for disease also met the full ATS/IDSA disease criteria. CONCLUSIONS Respiratory NTM isolates frequently represent disease. Pulmonary NTM disease is not uncommon, particularly among elderly females. The ATS/IDSA microbiologic criteria are highly predictive of disease and could be useful for laboratory-based NTM disease surveillance.
Changes in faecal bacteria associated with concentrate and forage-only diets fed to horses in training.

REASONS FOR PERFORMING STUDY Diets rich in readily fermentable carbohydrates, fed traditionally to meet the increased energy requirements of the performance horse, are associated with a number of gastrointestinal disorders that involve disturbances in the intestinal microbiota, however, these changes are poorly understood. OBJECTIVES With the long-term objective of improving intestinal health and to increase understanding of the relationship between diet and microbiota, the effect of feeding Standardbred horses a high-energy forage-only (F) diet was studied compared to a more traditional forage-concentrate (C) diet on faecal microbiota. METHODS Diets were fed in a cross-over design to 6 mature geldings on a scheduled training regime, both periods consisting of 29 days. DNA was extracted from faecal samples collected at 4 time points from each period, bacterial 16S rRNA genes were amplified and community composition assessed by terminal-restriction fragment length polymorphism, cloning and sequencing. Faecal pH and cultivable lactic acid bacteria (LAB) and enterobacteria were also assessed on the final collection day of each period. RESULTS Diet F resulted in a microbial composition that was more stable between sampling periods and had lower counts (P < 0.05) of cultivable LAB and specifically members of the Streptococcus bovislequinus complex. Motile and swarming Lactobacillus ruminis was present in all horses on diet C and not in horses on diet F. Diet C also resulted in the increase (P < 0.05) in members of Clostridiaceae cluster III and a concomitant reduction (P < 0.05) in an unknown group of Bacteroidales. CONCLUSIONS AND POTENTIAL RELEVANCE The greater microbial stability and reduction in LAB and members of the Streptococcus bovis/equinus complex on diet F indicate an opportunity to develop feeding strategies that support equine health and welfare. Novel changes identified in the faecal microbiota that resulted from carbohydrate inclusion merit further investigation.
Preferential COX-2 Inhibitor, Meloxicam, Compromises Renal Perfusion in Euvolemic and Hypovolemic Rats

Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs can impair renal perfusion through inhibition of cyclooxygenase (COX)-mediated prostaglandin synthesis. We investigated the influence of the preferential COX-2 inhibitor, meloxicam (MELO), on renal hemodynamics in eu- and hypovolemic rats compared to the nonselective COX inhibitor indomethacin (INDO). The hypovolemic state was obtained in rats by three daily injections of furosemide (2 mg/kg i.p.) followed by a sodium-deficient diet for 7 days. In euvolemic rats (n = 6) neither INDO (5 mg/kg i.v.) nor MELO (1 or 2 mg/kg i.v.) influenced mean arterial blood pressure (MAP) or impaired renal (RBF) and cortical blood flow (CBF). Medullary blood flow (MBF) decreased after INDO (18%; p < 0.05), and dose-dependently after MELO (1 mg, 10%; 2 mg, 18%; p < 0.05). In hypovolemic rats (n = 6) INDO and MELO had no effect on MAP. RBF and CBF were reduced after INDO (11 or 20%; p < 0.05), but showed no changes after MELO. INDO induced a decrease in MBF (22%; p < 0.05) which was less pronounced after MELO (12%; p < 0.05). In conclusion the preferential COX-2 inhibitor MELO compromized renal perfusion in the outer medulla both in eu- and hypovolemic animals.
XML Fragments Extended with Database Operators

XML documents represent a middle range between unstructured data such as textual documents and fully structured data encoded in databases. Typically, information retrieval techniques are used to support search on the "unstructured" end of this scale, while database techniques are used for the structured part. To date, most of the works on XML query and search have stemmed from the structured side and are strongly inspired by database techniques. In a previous work we described a new query approach via pieces of XML data called "XML Fragments" which are of the same nature as the queried XML documents and are specifically targeted to support the information needs of end-users in an intuitive way. In addition to its simplicity, XML Fragments represent a natural extension to traditional free text information retrieval queries where both documents and queries are represented as vectors of words and as such it enables a natural extension of IR ranking models to rank XML documents by context and structure. In this paper, we extend XML Fragments with database operators thus allowing both IR style approach together with database "structured" query capabilities.
Gait characteristics of the rheumatoid knee.

A study of 41 rheumatoid knees demonstrated significant (P=.05) relationships between the gait characteristics of knee motion during walking, cadence, and stride length with the severity of pain, status of the articular surface, flexion contracture, standing flexion, range of motion, varus-valgus deformity, and abnormality of the contralateral foot. Synovial thickness, effusion, and ligamentous instability did not significantly alter gait. The rheumatoid knee used less of the available motion in walking than did normal knees, 25.2% compared to 46%. Standing knee flexion exceeded fixed flexion deformity in 20 knees and varied from 14° to 40° in four knees without flexion deformity. Quantitative evaluation of the significant clinical features provides an indirect method of assessing knee function.
A Patient with Duodenal Mucinous Adenocarcinoma Presenting as a Laterally Spreading Tumor

Primary duodenal carcinoma is rare. Duodenal mucinous adenocarcinoma (DMA) is even rarer, and its associated manifestations and typical endoscopic or imaging findings are not well characterized. Herein, we report a case of primary DMA in an asymptomatic 58-year-old man who visited our hospital for a regular health screening. Upper endoscopy revealed an approximately 4-cm lesion in the second portion of the duodenum, but the mass was not visualized on computed tomography. Biopsies revealed a tubular adenoma that was subsequently resected. Frozen biopsies demonstrated DMA with a background of low-grade tubular adenoma for which we performed Roux-en-Y duodenojejunostomy and jejunojejunostomy. To our knowledge, this is the first report of a patient with DMA in Korea.
Large-Scale Dissipative and Passive Control Systems and the Role of Star and Cyclic Symmetries

In this technical note, symmetries in large-scale dissipative and passive control systems are considered. In the framework of dissipativity and passivity theory, stability conditions for large-scale systems are derived by categorizing agents into symmetry groups and applying local control laws under limited interconnections with neighbors. Building upon previous studies on stability of (Q,S,R)- dissipative large-scale systems, we show that for cyclic and star-shaped symmetric systems there exists an upper bound on the number of subsystems that can be added to preserve stability of dissipative systems. In cyclic and star-shaped symmetric systems, the subsystems can be heterogeneous as long as they satisfy the same dissipative inequalities. Approximate symmetry with respect to interconnections is also considered and the robustness of the results is demonstrated.
Affine Geometry, Visual Sensation, and Preference for Symmetry of Things in a Thing

Evolution and geometry generate complexity in similar ways. Evolution drives natural selection while geometry may capture the logic of this selection and express it visually, in terms of specific generic properties representing some kind of advantage. Geometry is ideally suited for expressing the logic of evolutionary selection for symmetry, which is found in the shape curves of vein systems and other natural objects such as leaves, cell membranes, or tunnel systems built by ants. The topology and geometry of symmetry is controlled by numerical parameters, which act in analogy with a biological organism’s DNA. The introductory part of this paper reviews findings from experiments illustrating the critical role of two-dimensional (2D) design parameters, affine geometry and shape symmetry for visual or tactile shape sensation and perception-based decision making in populations of experts and non-experts. It will be shown that 2D fractal symmetry, referred to herein as the “symmetry of things in a thing”, results from principles very similar to those of affine projection. Results from experiments on aesthetic and visual preference judgments in response to 2D fractal trees with varying degrees of asymmetry are presented. In a first experiment (psychophysical scaling procedure), non-expert observers had to rate (on a scale from 0 to 10) the perceived beauty of a random series of 2D fractal trees with varying degrees of fractal symmetry. In a second experiment (two-alternative forced choice procedure), they had to express their preference for one of two shapes from the series. The shape pairs were presented successively in random order. Results show that the smallest possible fractal deviation from “symmetry of things in a thing” significantly reduces the perceived attractiveness of such shapes. The potential of future studies where different levels of complexity of fractal patterns are weighed against different degrees of symmetry is pointed out in the conclusion.
Lemur Social Behavior and Primate Intelligence

Our human intellect has resulted from an enormous leap in capacity above the level of monkeys and apes. Earlier, though, Old and New World monkeys' intelligence outdistanced that of other mammals, including the prosimian primates. This first great advance in intelligence probably was selected through interspecific competition on the large continents. However, even at this early stage, primate social life provided the evolutionary context of primate intelligence. Two arguments support this conclusion. One is ontogenetic: modern monkeys learn so much of their social behavior, and learn their behavior toward food and toward other species through social example. The second is phylogenetic: some prosimians, the social lemurs, have evolved the usual primate type of society and social learning without the capacity to manipulate objects as monkeys do. It thus seems likely that the rudiments of primate society preceded the growth of primate intelligence, made it possible, and determined its nature.
Frequency‐dependent regulation of rat hippocampal somato‐dendritic excitability by the K+ channel subunit Kv2.1

The voltage‐dependent potassium channel subunit Kv2.1 is widely expressed throughout the mammalian CNS and is clustered primarily on the somata and proximal dendrites, but not axons, of both principal neurones and inhibitory interneurones of the cortex and hippocampus. This expression pattern suggests that Kv2.1‐containing channels may play a role in the regulation of pyramidal neurone excitability. To test this hypothesis and to determine the functional role of Kv2.1‐containing channels, cultured hippocampal slices were incubated with antisense oligonucleotides directed against Kv2.1 mRNA. Western blot analysis demonstrated that Kv2.1 protein content of cultured slices decreased > 90 % following 2 weeks of treatment with antisense oligonucleotides, when compared with either control missense‐treated or untreated cultures. Similarly, Kv2.1 immunostaining was selectively decreased in antisense‐treated cultures. Sustained outward potassium currents, recorded in both whole‐cell and outside‐out patch configurations, demonstrated a selective reduction of amplitude only in antisense‐treated CA1 pyramidal neurones. Under current‐clamp conditions, action potential durations were identical in antisense‐treated, control missense‐treated and untreated slices when initiated by low frequency stimulation (0.2 Hz). In contrast, spike repolarization was progressively prolonged during higher frequencies of stimulation (1 Hz) only in cells from antisense‐treated slices. Similarly, action potentials recorded during electrographic interictal activity in the ‘high [K+]o’ model of epilepsy demonstrated pronounced broadening of their late phase only in cells from antisense‐treated slices. Consistent with the frequency‐dependent spike broadening, calcium imaging experiments from single CA1 pyramidal neurones revealed that high frequency Schaffer collateral stimulation resulted in a prolonged elevation of dendritic [Ca2+]i transients only in antisense‐treated neurones. These studies demonstrate that channels containing Kv2.1 play a role in regulating pyramidal neurone somato‐dendritic excitability primarily during episodes of high frequency synaptic transmission.
Clinical course of chronic periodontitis. II. Incidence, characteristics and time of occurrence of the initial periodontal lesion.

AIM The purpose of this study was to assess the initiation and progression of periodontal disease during adult life. MATERIALS AND METHODS In a 26-year longitudinal investigation of the initiation and progression of chronic periodontitis that started in 1969 and included 565 men of Norwegian middle class, 223 who had participated in some, but not all, intermediate examinations presented at the last survey in 1995. Fifty-four individuals were available for examination in all seven surveys. RESULTS Covering the age range from 16 to 60 years, the study showed that at 16 years of age, 5% of the participants had initial loss of periodontal attachment (ILA > or = 2 mm) at one or more sites. Both the subject incidence and the site incidence increased with time, and by 32 years of age, all individuals had one or more sites with loss of attachment. As age progressed, new lesions affected sites, so that as these men approached 60 years of age approximately 50% of all available sites had ILA. An assessment of the intraoral distribution of the first periodontal lesion showed that, regardless of age, molars and bicuspids were most often affected. At and before the age of 40 years, the majority of ILA was found in buccal surfaces in the form of gingival recession. By 50 years, however, a greater proportion of sites presented with attachment loss attributed to pocket formation or a combination of pocket formation and gingival recession. As individuals neared 60 years of age, approximately half of the interproximal areas in posterior teeth had these lesions. CONCLUSION This investigation has shown that, in a well-maintained population who practises oral home care and has regular check-ups, the incidence of incipient periodontal destruction increases with age, the highest rate occurs between 50 and 60 years, and gingival recession is the predominant lesion before 40 years, while periodontal pocketing is the principal mode of destruction between 50 and 60 years of age.
Variable-length coding with epsilon-fidelity criteria for general sources

This paper addresses two problems of variablelength coding with a fidelity criterion for general sources, in which either the probability of codeword length overflow or that of excess distortion for a given threshold is allowed up to ε. In each problem, a general formula for the achievable region of coding rates and distortion levels is established via information spectrum methods. It is shown that there is a tight connection between the two problems, and the achievable regions are the same under a mild condition on the distortion measure. As a consequence, it turns out that superficially different general formulas for the two coding problems coincide with each other.
Childhood predictors differentiate life-course persistent and adolescence-limited antisocial pathways among males and females

This article reports a comparison on childhood risk factors of males and females exhibiting childhood-onset and adolescent-onset antisocial behavior, using data from the Dunedin longitudinal study. Childhood-onset delinquents had childhoods of inadequate parenting, neurocognitive problems, and temperament and behavior problems, whereas adolescent-onset delinquents did not have these pathological backgrounds. Sex comparisons showed a male-to-female ratio of 10:1 for childhood-onset delinquency but a sex ratio of only 1.5:1 for adolescence-onset delinquency. Showing the same pattern as males, childhood-onset females had high-risk backgrounds but adolescent-onset females did not. These findings are consistent with core predictions from the taxonomic theory of life-course persistent and adolescence-limited antisocial behavior.
Keel fracture assessment of laying hens by palpation: inter-observer reliability and accuracy

The objective of this study was to assess the interobserver reliability (agreement) and accuracy of keel palpation for the purpose of detecting old fractures in an end-of-lay flock of commercial laying hens. The low level of invasiveness and the relative speed at which this evaluation can be carried out lends itself well to use in a welfare audit, but only if the results are reliable and accurate from various assessors. The palpation technique first described by Wilkins and others (2004) was used to manually palpate for keel fractures. The technique was modified in that only keel fractures were considered. Eight assessors with varying laying hen experience palpated 100 live ISA Brown hens that had been in lay for 49 weeks. The hens were then euthanased and examined by dissection to establish whether there had been a keel fracture present (yes/no). The accuracy for individual assessors ranged from 87.1 to 96.8 per cent, with a mean of 91.8 per cent among all eight assessors. The interobserver reliability among all eight assessors was moderate (=0.44). Accuracy and κ values were 84.8 per cent and 0.41 for the first 50 hens, and 99.5 per cent and 0.47 for the last 50 hens, respectively, indicating that there was increased accuracy and agreement as the assessors became more experienced at palpation. This level of agreement, and the high level of accuracy, would make this technique an acceptable measure of keel fracture prevalence in a welfare audit.
Experimentally evolved and phenotypically plastic responses to enforced monogamy in a hermaphroditic flatworm

Sexual selection is considered a potent evolutionary force in all sexually reproducing organisms, but direct tests in terms of experimental evolution of sexual traits are still lacking for simultaneously hermaphroditic animals. Here, we tested how evolution under enforced monogamy affected a suite of reproductive traits (including testis area, sex allocation, genital morphology, sperm morphology and mating behaviour) in the outcrossing hermaphroditic flatworm Macrostomum lignano, using an assay that also allowed the assessment of phenotypically plastic responses to group size. The experiment comprised 32 independent selection lines that evolved under either monogamy or polygamy for 20 generations. While we did not observe an evolutionary shift in sex allocation, we detected effects of the selection regime for two male morphological traits. Specifically, worms evolving under enforced monogamy had a distinct shape of the male copulatory organ and produced sperm with shorter appendages. Many traits that did not evolve under enforced monogamy showed phenotypic plasticity in response to group size. Notably, individuals that grew up in larger groups had a more male‐biased sex allocation and produced slightly longer sperm than individuals raised in pairs. We conclude that, in this flatworm, enforced monogamy induced moderate evolutionary but substantial phenotypically plastic responses.