Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Evolution of postcranial skeleton in worm lizards inferred from its status in the Cretaceous stem-amphisbaenian Slavoia darevskii

Amphisbaenians are one of the most derived fossorial groups among Squamata. Studies of their evolution were hampered by their specialized limbless morphology and unrecognized early fossil record. This study presents a detailed description of the postcranial anatomy of the oldest known stem-amphisbaenian Slavoia darevskii . The skeleton shows an incipient adaptation to the fossorial mode of life, expressed in the early stages of limb reduction and elongation of the trunk, typical aspects of modern worm lizards. The forelimbs show a hyperphalangy of the first digit. They were probably strengthened this way to support the head in burrowing. Such an anatomy of the most ancient amphisbaenians implies that the forelimbs were lost multiple times in the amphisbaenians to be retained only in the Bipedidae. The hindlimb reduction was initiated early (before the split into modern families) but may have been completed independently. Despite these changes, S. darevskii still had the plesiomorphic 26 presacral vertebrae but the neck region was shorter, as shown by the ribs morphology and position.
Estimating the Clustering Coefficient of a Social Network by a Non-backtracking Random Walk

The clustering coefficient of social networks can be estimated via an unbiased sampling technique such as random walk sampling. To this end, we propose an algorithm that assumes no prior knowledge of the network and that accesses the network only through a publicly available interface. The clustering coefficient of a network is estimated by counting triangles in a non-backtracking random walk (NBRW). A social network is viewed as an undirected graph and the NBRW is retrieved through a public interface, which theoretically guarantees its retrieval. In a simulation study on real social networks, the proposed method achieved higher efficiency and accuracy than the prior state-of-the-art method based on a simple random walk.
Analytical Method for Iron Losses Reduction in Interior Permanent Magnet Synchronous Motor

Interior permanent magnet (PM) synchronous motors are widely used in electric vehicle, where limited space for motors is one of the most crucial challenges. This paper proposes an analytical design method to decrease iron losses, which saves much computation time compared with the parameter sweep method adopting finite-element analysis (FEA). The new method provides a design principle of the rotor, by which the harmonic magnetomotive force of the PM and the iron losses can be reduced significantly. This paper also takes the influence of the pole arc angle on iron loss reduction into consideration. The validity of the analytical technique is verified by 2-D FEA.
Lagrangian coherent structures from approximate velocity data

This paper examines whether hyperbolic Lagrangian structures—such as stable and unstable manifolds—found in model velocity data represent reliable predictions for mixing in the true fluid velocity field. The error between the model and the true velocity field may result from velocity interpolation, extrapolation, measurement imprecisions, or any other deterministic source. We find that even large velocity errors lead to reliable predictions on Lagrangian coherent structures, as long as the errors remain small in a special time-weighted norm. More specifically, we show how model predictions from the Okubo–Weiss criterion or from finite-time Lyapunov exponents can be validated. We also estimate how close the true Lagrangian coherent structures are to those predicted by models.
Inverse Relationship Between the Expression of Messenger Ribonucleic Acid for Peroxisome Proliferator-Activated Receptor g and P 450 Side Chain Cleavage in the Rat Ovary 1

Messenger RNA for peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor g (PPARg) has been found in granulosa cells, and its expression decreases after the LH surge. We determined which developmental stage of ovarian follicle expresses mRNA for PPARg and evaluated the impact of PPARg agonists on steroidogenesis. Ovaries were collected from immature eCG/hCG-treated rats at 0 (no eCG), 24, and 48 h post-eCG and 4 and 24 h post-hCG. Ovarian tissue was serially sectioned and processed for in situ hybridization to localize mRNA corresponding to PPARg, aromatase, and the LH receptor, and P450 side chain cleavage (P450SCC) and to determine whether apoptotic cells were present. During follicular development, there was no correlation between the expression of mRNAs for PPARg and aromatase or the presence of apoptotic cells, but a general inverse correlation was observed between the expression of PPARg mRNA and LH receptor mRNA. At 4 h post-hCG, follicles expressing P450SCC mRNA had lost expression of PPARg mRNA. This inverse pattern of expression between PPARg and P450SCC mRNAs was also observed 24 h post-hCG, with developing luteal tissue expressing high levels of P450SCC mRNA but little or no PPARg mRNA. To determine the impact of PPARg on steroidogenesis, granulosa cells were collected from ovaries 24 h post-eCG and cultured alone, with FSH alone, or with FSH in combination with the PPARg agonists ciglitazone or 15-deoxyD12,14-prostaglandin J2 (PGJ2). Treatment of granulosa cells with PGJ2 stimulated basal progesterone secretion, whereas ciglitazone or PGJ2 had no significant effect on FSH-stimulated steroid production. These findings suggest that 1) PPARg may regulate genes involved with follicular differentiation and 2) the decline in PPARg in response to LH is important for ovulation and/or luteinization. apoptosis, corpus luteum, follicle, granulosa cells, ovary
Parental Motivational Practice, Parent Involvement, and Students’ Choice of Study Field in College

This study analyzes data of the Educational Longitudinal Study of 2002 to examine the association between parentalprovision of task-extrinsic rewards for academic performance, parent involvement in students’ learning, and students’choice of study field in college. Results show that frequent receipt of task-extrinsic rewards for good grades fromparents lowers students’ probability of selecting STEM major in college by up to 12 percentage points compared tonever or rarely receiving such rewards from parents. Results also show that this association is only statisticallysignificant for high frequency of parental external rewards, and moderate frequency does not exert similar effect. Thelowered likelihood of STEM enrollment for students frequently exposed to parental task-extrinsic rewards adds tothe evidence that external rewards could have adverse effect on students that lasts into college.
Destabilizing NEK2 overcomes resistance to proteasome inhibition in multiple myeloma

&NA; Drug resistance remains the key problem in cancer treatment. It is now accepted that each myeloma patient harbors multiple subclones and subclone dominance may change over time. The coexistence of multiple subclones with high or low chromosomal instability (CIN) signature causes heterogeneity and drug resistance with consequent disease relapse. In this study, using a tandem affinity purification‐mass spectrometry (TAP‐MS) technique, we found that NEK2, a CIN gene, was bound to the deubiquitinase USP7. Binding to USP7 prevented NEK2 ubiquitination resulting in NEK2 stabilization. Increased NEK2 kinase levels activated the canonical NF‐&kgr;B signaling pathway through the PP1&agr;/AKT axis. Newly diagnosed myeloma patients with activated NF‐&kgr;B signaling through increased NEK2 activity had poorer event‐free and overall survivals based on multiple independent clinical cohorts. We also found that NEK2 activated heparanase, a secreted enzyme, responsible for bone destruction in an NF‐&kgr;B‐dependent manner. Intriguingly, both NEK2 and USP7 inhibitors showed great efficacy in inhibiting myeloma cell growth and overcoming NEK2‐induced and ‐acquired drug resistance in xenograft myeloma mouse models.
An Interim Evaluation of Sulfur Dioxide Emissions Trading

This paper summarizes recent empirical research on compliance costs and strategies and on permit market performance under the U.S. acid rain program, the first large-scale, long-term program to use tradeable emissions permits to control pollution. An efficient market for emissions permits developed in a few years, and this program more than achieved its early goals on time, and it cost less than had been projected. Because of expectation errors, however, investment was excessive, and permit prices substantially understate abatement costs. The tradeable permits approach has worked well, but it is not a miracle cure for environmental problems. Coauthors are Paul L. Joskow, A. Denny Ellerman, Juan Pablo Montero, and Elizabeth M. Bailey.
Intestinal Permeability of Artesunate-Loaded Solid Lipid Nanoparticles Using the Everted Gut Method

Background Artesunate is one of the most potent, rapidly acting and therapeutically versatile antimalarial drugs. Its efficacy is hampered by poor aqueous solubility and stability resulting in low oral bioavailability. Recent efforts to nanoformulate artesunate have shown great potential of improving its dissolution profile and bioavailability. However, no study has yet been done to investigate the intestinal permeability of these nanoformulations, which is a critical determinant of systemic absorption. Objective of the Study The main aim of the study was to determine the intestinal permeability of artesunate-loaded solid lipid nanoparticles (SLN). Method The microemulsion dilution technique was used to fabricate artesunate-loaded solid lipid nanoparticles. In vitro drug release studies were performed at pH 1.2 and 6.8 using the dialysis membrane method. The everted gut sac method was used to assess the intestinal permeability of the prepared nanoparticles. Results The average particle size was 1109 nm and the polydispersity index (PDI) was 0.082. The zeta potential was found to be −20.7 mV. The encapsulation efficiency of the solid lipid nanoparticles obtained was 51.7%. At both pH 1.2 and 6.8, pure artesunate was rapidly released within the first 30 mins while the SLN showed a biphasic release pattern with an initial burst release during the first hour followed by a prolonged release over time. The rate of drug release increased with increasing pH. The apparent permeability (Papp) of SLN was found to be greater (0.169 mg/cm2) as compared to that of pure artesunate (0.117 mg/cm2) at the end of the experiment. Conclusion The results obtained in this study showed that the microemulsion dilution technique can be used to formulate artesunate solid lipid nanoparticles. The formulation exhibited a sustained drug release profile. The intestinal permeability of artesunate could be enhanced by the nanoformulation.
The Growth Proliferation, Apoptotic Prevention, and Differentiation Induction of the Gelatin Hydrolysates from Three Sources to Human Fetal Osteoblasts (hFOB 1.19 Cells)

Gelatins from the skin of bovine, porcine, and tilapia were hydrolyzed to three degrees of hydrolysis (DH) by alcalase, neutrase, and papain, respectively. These hydrolysates at 0.02–0.1 g/L promoted the growth of human fetal osteoblasts by 101.4–135.7%, while higher DH or using papain and tilapia gelatins resulted in higher proliferation. The hydrolysates from porcine and tilapia gelatins at 0.05 g/L prevented induced apoptosis (decreasing total apoptotic proportions from 28.4% or 35.2% to 10.3–17.5% or 16.0–23.6%), and had differentiation induction (increasing alkaline phosphatase activity by 126.9–246.7% in early differentiation stage, or enhancing osteocalcin production by 4.1–22.5% in later differentiation stage). These hydrolysates had a similar amino acid profile; however, tilapia gelatin hydrolysates by papain with DH 15.4% mostly displayed higher activity than others. Tilapia gelatin hydrolysate could up-regulate β-catenin, Wnt 3a, Wnt 10b, cyclin D1, and c-Myc expression at mRNA levels by 1.11–3.60 folds, but down-regulate GSK 3β expression by 0.98 fold. Of note, β-catenin in total cellular and nuclear protein was up-regulated by 1.14–1.16 folds but unchanged in cytoplasmic protein, Wnt 10b, cyclin D1, and c-Myc expression were up-regulated by 1.27–1.95 folds, whilst GSK 3β expression was down-regulated by 0.87 fold. Activation of Wnt/β-catenin pathway is suggested to mediate cell proliferation and differentiation.
The effect of non-contributory pensions on labour supply and private income transfers: evidence from Singapore

Non-contributory pensions are becoming increasingly prevalent worldwide. As their effects are likely to be context-dependent, evaluating their effects in a wide range of settings is important for establishing the external validity of the non-contributory pension literature. We use a new monthly panel dataset and a difference-in-differences strategy to study the effect of a new non-contributory pension in Singapore (the Silver Support Scheme or SSS) on labour supply, work expectations, private cash transfers, and expenditure, 1 year after its implementation. We find no evidence that receiving SSS payouts led to a fall in labour supply, work expectations, or the receipt of private cash transfers in the first year after SSS implementation—our estimated effects for these outcomes are statistically insignificant and are either negative but close to zero or positive. Our point estimates of the effects of receiving SSS payouts on expenditure are positive but too imprecise to allow us to make any definitive conclusions. Lastly, we do not find evidence of anticipatory effects among younger individuals who are not age-eligible for payouts yet. These results, when coupled with our finding in a companion paper that the SSS improved recipients’ subjective well-being, suggest that the SSS was successful in improving recipients’ welfare without substantial crowding out of private transfers or changes in labour market behaviour of current and future SSS beneficiaries.
Wideband $N$-Beam Arrays Using Low-Complexity Algorithms and Mixed-Signal Integrated Circuits

This paper proposes a low-complexity wideband beamforming subarray for millimeter wave (mmW) 5G wireless communications. The multibeam subarray is based on using a novel delay Vandermonde matrix (DVM) algorithm to efficiently generate analog true-time-delay beams that have no beam squint. A factorization for the DVM leading to low-complexity analog realizations is provided and complexity analysis for real and complex inputs is derived. The DVM is a special case of a Vandermonde matrix but with complex nodes that lack any special properties (unlike the discrete Fourier transform matrix). Error bounds for the DVM are established and then analyzed for numerical stability. Mixed-signal CMOS integrated circuits designs are proposed for the implementation of DVM multibeam algorithms along with low-complexity digital realizations to achieve hybrid beamforming for mmW applications. Analog–digital hybrid mmW multibeam beamforming circuits and systems are designed, for example, with eight beams at 28 GHz and simulated in cadence for functional verification.
Temperature changes in 2% chlorhexidine gluconate using two activation methods with different intensity levels

Background Chlorhexidine is an irrigant solution widely used in root canal treatment because of its good antimicrobial properties. However, its mixture with sodium hypochlorite results in the appearance of substance called p-chloroaniline, a cytotoxic substance. This is also found when chlorhexidine is heated. The use of passive ultrasonic irrigation is related to an irrigant thermal increase, which can cause the appearance of p-chloroaniline. Thus, the objective is to establish the influence of ultrasonic and sonic activation, with the use of different intensities, upon the temperature of chlorhexidine gluconate (CHX). Material and Methods The following groups were established: control (without activation), ultrasonic activation and sonic activation. A 0.5-ml volume of CHX was placed in an Eppendorf tube in a thermo-static bath at 37ºC. Both methods resulted in immediate CHX activation. The temperature was recorded every 30 seconds between 60 and 180 seconds. The statistical analysis was performed based on the Mann-Whitney U-test. Results Both groups subjected to activation showed higher temperatures than the control group, and increased activation intensity was associated to greater temperature increments in both activated groups. Conclusions Both ultrasonic and sonic activation are correlated to temperature increase in CHX. Key words:Chlorhexidine, p-choroaniline, PUI, sonic irrigation, temperature.
Pooling of Causal Models under Counterfactual Fairness via Causal Judgement Aggregation

In this paper we consider the problem of combining multiple probabilistic causal models, provided by different experts, under the requirement that the aggregated model satisfy the criterion of counterfactual fairness. We build upon the work on causal models and fairness in machine learning, and we express the problem of combining multiple models within the framework of opinion pooling. We propose two simple algorithms, grounded in the theory of counterfactual fairness and causal judgment aggregation, that are guaranteed to generate aggregated probabilistic causal models respecting the criterion of fairness, and we compare their behaviors on a toy case study.
Family systems approach to attachment relations, war trauma, and mental health among Palestinian children and parents

ABSTRACT Background: Trauma affects the family unit as a whole; however, most existing research uses individual or, at most, dyadic approaches to analyse families with histories of trauma. Objective: This study aims to identify potentially distinct family types according to attachment, parenting, and sibling relations, to analyse how these family types differ with respect to war trauma, and to explore how children’s mental health and cognitive processing differ across these family types. Method: Participants included Palestinian mothers and fathers (N = 325) and their children (one per family; 49.4% girls; 10–13 years old; mean ± SD age = 11.35 ± 0.57 years) after the Gaza War of 2008–2009. Both parents reported their exposure to war trauma, secure attachment availability, and parenting practices, as well as the target child’s internalizing and externalizing symptoms [Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ)]. Children reported their symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (on the Children’s Revised Impact Event Scale), depression (Birleson), and SDQ, as well as their post-traumatic cognitions (Children’s Post Traumatic Cognitions Inventory). Results: A cluster analysis identified four family types. The largest type reflected secure attachment and optimal relationships (security and positive family relationships, 36.2%, n = 102), and the smallest exhibited insecurity and problematic relationships (insecurity and negative family relationships, 15.6%; n = 44). Further, families with discrepant experiences (23.0%; n = 65) and moderate security and neutral relationships (25.2%; n = 71) emerged. The insecurity and negative relationships family type showed higher levels of war trauma; internalizing, externalizing, and depressive symptoms among children; and dysfunctional post-traumatic cognitions than other family types. Conclusion: The family systems approach to mental health is warranted in war conditions, and therapeutic interventions for children should, thus, also involve parents and siblings. Knowledge of unique family attachment patterns is fruitful for tailoring therapeutic treatments and preventive interventions for war-affected children and families.
Neighborhood Density and Syntactic Class Effects on Spoken Word Recognition: Specific Language Impairment and Typical Development.

Purpose The purpose of the current study was to determine the effect of neighborhood density and syntactic class on word recognition in children with specific language impairment (SLI) and typical development (TD). Method Fifteen children with SLI (M age = 6;5 [years;months]) and 15 with TD (M age = 6;4) completed a forward gating task that presented consonant-vowel-consonant dense and sparse (neighborhood density) nouns and verbs (syntactic class). Results On all dependent variables, the SLI group performed like the TD group. Recognition performance was highest for dense words and nouns. The majority of 1st nontarget responses shared the 1st phoneme with the target (i.e., was in the target's cohort). When considering the ranking of word types from easiest to most difficult, children showed equivalent recognition performance for dense verbs and sparse nouns, which were both easier to recognize than sparse verbs but more difficult than dense nouns. Conclusion The current study yields new insight into how children access lexical-phonological information and syntactic class during the process of spoken word recognition. Given the identical pattern of results for the SLI and TD groups, we hypothesize that accessing lexical-phonological information may be a strength for children with SLI. We also discuss implications for using the forward gating paradigm as a measure of word recognition.
Clinical Utility of Triglyceride: HDL-Cholesterol Ratio as a Surrogate Marker of Inflammation in Pediatric Obesity

Objective: The prognostic utility of the triglyceride: HDL-cholesterol (TG:HDL-C) ratio, a marker for insulin resistance, is unknown among high-risk children and adolescents. We examined the clinical utility of TG:HDL-C ratio as a marker of insulin resistance and chronic inflammation in obese youth.
Plasmonically-enhanced absorption in organic solar cells with metal nanostructures

Considering the potential advantages of organic solar cells over their inorganic counterpart and the promise of plasmonic nanotechnology, an organic solar cell structure with integrated metal nanostructures is proposed and numerically investigated in this work. Incorporation of metal nanostructures in the active layer of a solar cell is a promising approach, as it can potentially induce localized and propagating plasmonic modes, cavity modes and optical scattering, thereby increasing optical absorption and hence conversion efficiency. In this work, the proposed plasmonic-organic solar cell structure (bulk heterojunction organic active layer with integrated metal nanostructures) is theoretically modeled and its performance parameters are evaluated. The investigation is carried out for nanostructures of different materials (silver and gold) and of different shapes (triangular, hexagonal and circular). The results of the analysis show increase in the values of power conversion efficiency and short-circuit current density of these plasmonically-modified organic solar cells. The overall optical absorption is found to be greatly enhanced for such solar cell structures compared to the basic organic solar cell.
UZH at TAC KBP 2017: Event Nugget Detection via Joint Learning with Softmax-Margin Objective

This paper presents the CLUZH systems for the TAC KBP 2017 Event Nugget Detection Task. We submit three runs in all three languages: English, Spanish, and Chinese. Each run is an ensemble of five recurrent neural network (RNN) systems. Run 2 ensembles over pipelines of an RNN Span/Subtype classifier followed by an RNN Realis classifier. Each system of the Run 3 ensemble is a jointly learned model that predicts all properties of the Event Nugget: its Span, Subtype, and Realis. Unlike the other runs, Run 1 is trained without early stopping on all labeled data. For each language, it uses the architecture that results in the best development set performance: joint models for English and Spanish and pipelines for Chinese. All single models are trained with a softmaxmargin objective that heavily penalizes recall and entity errors. We achieve the highest overall scores for all three languages in this year’s evaluation, largely with our Run 1. Our post-submission experiments indicate that joint models are consistently better than pipelines; pre-trained embeddings, cost-sensitive learning, and bidirectional RNN encoding are crucial to the models’ strong performance; ensembling always helps; but trading early stopping for training with more data is error-prone.