Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Body Size Evolution in Snakes: Evidence from Island Populations

Abstract The current literature reports divergent conclusions on the patterns of body size change in island snakes. I reviewed body size data in the published literature and tested the effects of island biogeographic variables on such changes. I found that none of the physiographic variables (island area, island age, distance to mainland, and latitude) was important in determining changes in size of island snakes. Additionally, a current hypothesis of phylogenetic history had no effect on changes in body size. Rather, the proportional change in body size of island snakes was bimodal, consistent with a diet alteration hypothesis that suggests that snake body size is principally influenced by prey size and that island snakes encounter prey that are larger or smaller in size compared with those on the mainland. Also, snakes that became small on islands did so to a relatively greater degree than those that became large. Ontogenetic changes in foraging strategies appeared to explain this pattern. The distribution of gigantic and dwarf snake populations on islands differed significantly between the families Viperidae and Colubridae. The foraging style of colubrids, specifically nest-robbing behavior, may predispose these species to become larger on islands. Numerous colubrid (and one elapid) species attain their largest sizes on islands that also support nesting seabirds, whereas dwarfed populations consume mainly squamates.
Histamine-mediated signaling processes in human malignant mammary cells

Histamine is a biogenic amine responsible for multiple biological actions including regulation of physiological functions of mammary gland. It has been postulated that histamine plays a critical role in proliferation of normal and cancer cells. To investigate the biological responses that histamine exerts in malignant cells derived from human mammary gland, we evaluated in MDA-MB-231 line the expression of histamine receptors, histamine intracellular content, the capacity of histamine to influence proliferation, cell cycle progression, differentiation and apoptosis. We also studied histamine involvement in cellular response to ionizing radiation. HBL-100 cells were used as control of non-tumorigenic breast cells. Proliferation and surviving fraction were assessed by clonogenic assay. Cell cycle progression and lipid accumulation were determined by flow cytometry while apoptosis was studied by Annexin V and DNA fragmentation assays. Both cell lines expressed the four histamine receptors subtypes as evaluated by western blot and RT-PCR analyses, and present endogenous histamine. Histamine regulated proliferation of cancer cells in a dose-dependent way and 10 μM histamine reduced significantly proliferation to 23% inducing cell cycle arrest in G2/M phase, differentiation by 26% and a significant increase in the number of apoptotic cells (p
Large-scale supervised learning of the grasp robustness of surface patch pairs

The robustness of a parallel-jaw grasp can be estimated by Monte Carlo sampling of perturbations in pose and friction but this is not computationally efficient. As an alternative, we consider fast methods using large-scale supervised learning, where the input is a description of a local surface patch at each of two contact points. We train and test with disjoint subsets of a corpus of 1.66 million grasps where robustness is estimated by Monte Carlo sampling using Dex-Net 1.0. We use the BIDMach machine learning toolkit to compare the performance of two supervised learning methods: Random Forests and Deep Learning. We find that both of these methods learn to estimate grasp robustness fairly reliably in terms of Mean Absolute Error (MAE) and ROC Area Under Curve (AUC) on a held-out test set. Speedups over Monte Carlo sampling are approximately 7500x for Random Forests and 1500x for Deep Learning.
Towards A Hybrid Approach To Word-Sense Disambiguation In Machine Translation

The task of word sense disambiguation aims to select the correct sense of a polysemous word in a given context. When applied to machine translation, the correct translation in the target language must be selected for a polysemous lexical item in the source language. In this paper, we present work in progress on a supervised WSD system with a hybrid approach: on the one hand it relies on supervised learning from manually sense-tagged corpora, and on the other hand it has the ability to use information from manually crafted disambiguation rules. We present evaluation and further plans to improve the system.
Title : Neuronal correlates of serial position performance in amnestic

1 Department of Psychosomatic Medicine, University of Rostock, Rostock, Germany 2 German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE) Rostock/Greifswald, Rostock, Germany 3 Department of Psychology, Liverpool Hope University, Liverpool, UK 4 Nathan Kline Institute for Psychiatric Research, Orangeburg, NY, USA; Department of Psychiatry, School of Medicine, New York University, New York City, NY, USA 5 Institute for Stroke and Dementia Research (ISD), University Hospital Munich, Germany
Do big customers influence listed firms’ performance? Based on supplier–customer relationships in China

Abstract Using hand-collected data of the top five customers disclosed by Chinese listed firms in their annual reports, this paper examines the impact of supplier–customer relationships on firms’ operating performance using the framework of DuPont analysis. The empirical results show a significantly negative correlation between customer concentration and firm performance based on return on assets. The negative impact on performance results from the decrease of the gross profit margin and accounts receivable turnover. Meanwhile, suppliers have to pay more entertainment expenses to retain their main customers and bear more financial expenses because of defaults in payment of customers. These results rely on the closeness of supplier–customer relationships and their relative bargaining power. Customer concentration increases the turnover of accounting receivables and inventories in those industries with overcapacity. The overall results provide evidence of the impact of big customers on the supplier’s performance.
Probabilistic Selling Strategy with Customer Return Policy

Probabilistic selling is a marketing strategy that multi-item vendors provide to consumers, presenting discounted options through acceptance of uncertain risks with random selections from sets of multiple distinct items. However, past studies of this strategy assume a no return policy since returned items shift part of the mentioned uncertain risk to the retailer. Because returns are a common business practice and an important coordination tool in supply chains, this research identifies the impacts of a return policy on the efficacy of probabilistic selling models.
The relationships between risk factors and the distribution of retinopathy lesions in type 2 diabetes.

PURPOSE Previous studies have shown that the progression of diabetic retinopathy to vision-threatening lesions may be related to the development of retinopathy lesions in specific retinal areas. The purpose of the present study was to examine whether the occurrence of retinopathy in these retinal areas is related to known risk factors for progression of retinopathy in type 2 diabetes. METHODS A total of 377 randomly selected patients with type 2 diabetes underwent examinations which included measurement of blood pressure, haemoglobin A1c and cholesterol, and a full eye examination including fundus photography. The fundus photographs were digitized and a computer-assisted technique was used to quantify retinopathy lesions in the macular area, around the vascular arcades and in the retinal periphery. Only the number of microaneurysms/haemorrhages was sufficient for statistical analysis. RESULTS Patients with retinopathy had significantly longer diabetes duration, and higher blood pressure and HgbA1c than patients without retinopathy. However, among the patients with retinopathy there was no correlation between these risk factors and the overall number of microaneurysms/haemorrhages or the number of these lesions in the local areas of the fundus studied. CONCLUSIONS The localized distribution of retinopathy lesions does not correlate with known risk factors and background factors for the development of diabetic retinopathy in the early stages of the disease. Future improvements of grading systems for diabetic retinopathy should focus on a quantification of the overall number and dynamics of retinopathy lesions in the early stages of retinopathy and the regional distribution and dynamics of lesions in more advanced stages of retinopathy.
Neural networks and forecasting: 'orthodox' methods and new research

A survey by Wong et al. (1995) confirms that the vast majority of business-related neural network (NN) applications use the multilayer perceptron (MLP) model with the backpropagation algorithm employed to carry out training. The authors prefer to refer to the network in terms of the label MLP because it is important to distinguish between the topology of the network and the algorithm employed to train it. As regards using NN methods for forecasting the same standard approach has also been employed. Previous work by the authors suggests, however, that there is at least scope for doubting what has become an orthodoxy and has also considered certain approaches to diagnostic testing. Work has also been carried out on the precise details of the approximations provided by network models. This has looked at power series equivalents of the standard MLP model and has also considered a network's capacity to mimic or approximate certain functional forms. The research in question, described in more detail below was carried out without reference to specific applications: it also leaves scope for extended study. The paper considers the various strands of the work more specifically with reference to business forecasting. It also considers how the known properties of network models and techniques may need to be reassessed in a time series context.
Design and development of a compact wearable dipole GPS antenna

A compact GPS antenna has been designed and printed on a flexible polyimide substrate for integration into wearable devices. The design incorporates a planar dipole structure with optimised geometry to minimise volume and maximise surface current distribution. The antenna has been simulated and measured in open space and on a human wrist model; giving consistent results as presented. The printed antenna, with dimensions of 40mm×25mm (80% smaller than a wire dipole antenna with the same characteristics) is a compact and mechanically robust device capable of working inside a textile/nylon strap worn around the wrist. The antenna is interfaced with an impedance matched GPS receiver to measure time-to-first-fix for practical purposes. The antenna is integrated into wearable location tracking devices and shows promising performance in comparison to commercially available flexible GPS antennas, such as Round solutions NXP and Tao glass FXR.07.
Human Services Management (HSM) Certificate Program Expansion to Western Massachusetts Feasibility Study

See next page for additional authors Follow this and additional works at: https://commons.clarku. edu/sps_masters_papers Part of the Business and Corporate Communications Commons, Family, Life Course, and ociety C mmo s, Health Policy Commons, Human Resources Management Commons, Information Security Commons, Management Information Systems Commons, Marketing Commons, Nonprofit Administration and Management Commons, Public Administration Commons, Public Health Commons, Social Media Commons, and the Sociology of Culture Commons
An Investigation of Indigenous Knowledge and Institutions Contributing to Natural Forest Conservation in Yayo and Gechi Woreda, Illuababor Zone, Oromia National Regional State, South West Ethiopia

The study was conducted to investigate the indigenous knowledge and institutions contributing natural forest conservation in Yayo and Gechi woredas in Iluabbabor zone, Oromia regional state, southwest Ethiopia. To this end survey was conducted with 120 randomly selected household heads. Moreover, in-depth interviews were employed with informants to collect information required for the study. Quantitative and qualitative data was collected and analyzed using percentages and thematic analysis. The findings of the study indicated that the studied communities have special meaning and value for natural forests in their surroundings. Generally, forest is considered as A¢â‚¬A“a source of lifeA¢â‚¬Â for these communities as almost all basic requirements for human being stem from their natural forests. Consequently, the communities had been providing special care and protection for their natural forests through their indigenous knowledge and institutions. Delineation of intact sacred groves and trees, selective use of plant species, fluctuation of the use of natural forest species based on seasons, limiting the amount of natural forest used and its purposes are the major indigenous knowledge and institutions contributing to natural forest conservation in the studied communities. Almost all of the study participants confirmed that these indigenous knowledge and institutions are secret behind for sustainable use of natural forest in the study area since a long time, however, the legitimate power of these traditional knowledge and institutions in restricting human interaction with their natural forest has been declining due to poverty, unemployment and the abandonment of traditional religious beliefs and values. Moreover, the findings indicated that the government has been undertaking various activities that contribute to the local communitiesA¢â‚¬â„¢ indigenous knowledge and institutions with regards to natural forest conservation, however, still many things are left to be done in linking
CT features of exophthalmos in Chinese subjects with thyroid-associated ophthalmopathy.

AIM : To investigate computed tomography (CT) features of exophthalmos in Chinese subjects with thyroid-associated ophthalmopathy (TAO). METHODS A total of 605 eyes of 325 patients with exophthalmos due to TAO were classified as grade I (mild exophthalmos) or II (severe exophthalmos) based on orbital CT imaging. The increased orbital volume features, such as changes from extraocular muscles, orbital fat, or both, were analyzed. RESULTS A total of 605 eyes were analyzed, among them 62.98% presented grade I exophthalmos, while 36.02% showed grade II exophthalmos. In grade I, 56.69% showed orbital fat change, and in grade II, 89.29% exhibited extraocular muscle enlargement. CONCLUSION Orbital fat and extraocular muscle enlargement are likely to be observed on CTs of subjects with mild and severe exophthalmos, respectively. Our results suggest that CT findings may guide TAO clinical therapy recommendations and prognosis.
Emerging Economies and Small and Medium Industries: Challenges in the process of Globalization

Focus of this paper is to investigate export and import sector contribution as means of the SMIs market internationalization in emerging economies with the process of globalization. And explain how small businesses are important in current business world. Thetermemerging economies has explored since 1990s in the world economy.Around hundred and fifty six emerging economies in various stages of development is contributing to the international business in the world today.Some of these economies are rapidly emerging on the global stage. Among them, Argentina, Brazil,Indonesia, Turkey,Thailand,South Korea, Russia, Poland are very important in the internationalization phenomena.Globalization and business opportunities are take place among developing economies as well as emerging economies.The current era of globalization originated in the aftermath of world war second when major nations committed to global trade and investment.Most of the countries in the world today realized that joining the world economy is a must.As the countries started to emerge as new actors in the world economy 20% of its output contribute to the global GDP at present while western economies contribute approximately 80% to world GDP. Over the years emerging economies has involved considerable amount of transactions in the international trade and more prominently service sector has expanded within the globalization situation.
Numb Regulates Post-endocytic Trafficking and Degradation of Notch1*

Notch is a transmembrane receptor that controls cell fate decisions during development and tissue homeostasis. Both activation and attenuation of the Notch signal are tightly regulated by endocytosis. The adaptor protein Numb acts as an inhibitor of Notch and is known to function within the intracellular trafficking pathways. However, a role for Numb in regulating Notch trafficking has not been defined. Here we show that mammalian Notch1 is constitutively internalized and trafficked to both recycling and late endosomal compartments, and we demonstrate that changes in Numb expression alter the dynamics of Notch1 trafficking. Overexpression of Numb promotes sorting of Notch1 through late endosomes for degradation, whereas depletion of Numb facilitates Notch1 recycling. Numb mutants that do not interact with the ubiquitin-protein isopeptide ligase, Itch, or that lack motifs important for interaction with endocytic proteins fail to promote Notch1 degradation. Our data suggest that Numb inhibits Notch1 activity by regulating post-endocytic sorting events that lead to Notch1 degradation.
Proportional Fairness in Cognitive Wireless Powered Communication Networks

In this letter, we consider a cognitive wireless powered communication network (CWPCN), with a secondary wireless powered communication network (WPCN) that has cognitive ability to coexist with a primary communication network. To tackle the unfairness resource allocation issue in CWPCN, we extend proportional fair scheduler to this category of network. By utilizing the time division-based “harvest-then-transmit” protocol, we establish an optimization problem for optimal time slot allocation, which maximizes the bandwidth utility function for proportional fairness, under the constraints of time and interference. To solve this problem, an algorithm is proposed to find a tradeoff between fairness and throughput. Simulation results confirm the positive effect on the promotion of fairness metric.
Environmental and occupational factors in CKD

12 March 2015 will mark the 10th anniversary of World Kidney Day (WKD), an initiative of the International Society of Nephrology and the International Federation of Kidney Foundations.1 Since its inception in 2006, WKD has become the most successful effort ever mounted to raise awareness among decision-makers and the general public about the importance of kidney disease. Each year, WKD reminds us that kidney disease is common and harmful, yet treatable. The focus of WKD 2015 is on chronic kidney disease (CKD) in disadvantaged populations. CKD is now recognised as a global public health problem and a key determinant of poor health outcomes. While the magnitude of …
Coenzyme Q10 ameliorates the reduction in GLUT4 transporter expression induced by simvastatin in 3T3-L1 adipocytes.

BACKGROUND Statins significantly reduce cardiovascular events in a broad population of patients with hyperlipidemia. However, a small, but significant risk of new-onset diabetes has been reported in patients treated with statins. The mechanism by which statins cause diabetes has not been elucidated and therefore preventive strategies have yet to be defined. METHOD Our goal was to study the differing effects of a lipophilic (simvastatin) statin, hydrophilic (pravastatin) statin, and ezetimibe on glucose transporter-4 (GLUT4) protein expression in 3T3-L1 adipocytes. We hypothesized that the reductions in GLUT4 protein secondary to statin treatment would be prevented when cells were co-incubated with coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10). GLUT4 protein expression was determined using the In-Cell Western technique. Confluent adipocytes were differentiated using a hormonal cocktail for 3 days; followed by treatment with simvastatin, pravastatin, ezetimibe and CoQ10. Cell morphology was observed after treatment using phase-contrast microscopy. RESULTS Treatment with simvastatin (P<0.001) and simvastatin plus ezetimibe (P<0.001) significantly decreased GLUT4 protein expression in the adipocytes compared to control conditions. GLUT4 protein levels were similar to control after treatment with ezetimibe alone (P=0.52) or pravastatin (P=0.32). There was no significant difference (P=0.098) in GLUT4 protein levels after co-treatment with CoQ10 between any of the treatments and control conditions. CONCLUSION Our studies have shown that lipophilic statins (simvastatin) reduce the GLUT4 protein levels in adipocytes, whereas hydrophilic statins (pravastatin) or ezetimibe do not. Co-treatment with CoQ10 appears to prevent the reduction in GLUT4 protein levels caused by simvastatin.
The Role of Eicosanoids, Cyclooxygenases, and Nonsteroidal Anti‐inflammatory Drugs in Colorectal Tumorigenesis and Chemoprevention

&NA; There is mounting evidence from studies on experimental cancer in rodents, interventional studies in patients with familial adenomatous polyposis, and some, but not all, epidemiologic investigations, that suggests a chemopreventive effect of aspirin and nonaspirin nonsteroidal anti‐inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) against colorectal cancer. In addition, the mechanisms by which these agents modulate tumorigenesis are being elucidated in laboratory experiments. Currently available NSAIDs are unlikely to have an acceptable benefit‐to‐risk ratio for long‐term use in an asymptomatic population. Once the discrete chemopreventive mechanisms are established and the genetic background and risk factor profile of individuals who will benefit from chemoprevention are clarified, a low‐dose combination of NSAIDs with different targets may optimize efficacy and minimize toxicity. At present, however, colectomy is still the treatment of choice for patients with familial adenomatous polyposis, and early screening and regular surveillance colonoscopies are the choices for those at risk for hereditary nonpolyposis colorectal cancer. In the average‐risk individual, endoscopic screening and surveillance will remain the core of efforts to prevent sporadic colorectal cancer.
Structure and histopathology of the insertional region of the human achilles tendon

The Achilles tendon inserts onto the calcaneus, and the retrocalcaneal bursa intervenes between it and the bone immediately proximal to the enthesis. The enthesis, the bursa, and the bursal walls form a complex insertional region protecting against wear and tear. We examined the structure and histopathology of the insertional region in 50 tendons from cadavers (age at time of death, 57‐96 years). The enthesis contained fibrocartilage typical of attachment sites. In specimens with a prominent superior tuberosity (the majority), the walls of the bursa also were fibrocartilaginous. On the anterior wall, fibrocartilage replaced the calcaneal periosteum; on the posterior wall, there was a sesamoid fibrocartilage in the deep part of the tendon. When the tuberosity was not prominent, the bursal fibrocartilages were absent. Histopathological features were observed in 31 entheses. Bone spurs extended from the calcaneus into the tendon and probably formed by endochondral ossification of enthesial fibrocartilage. Longitudinal fissures were splits in the fibrocartilage along the lines of the endotenon, and small transverse tears occurred at the tendon‐bone junction. Longitudinal fissures showed evidence of repair; they were filled with amorphous material and surrounded by clusters of cells. In the bursal walls, calcification or degeneration, or both, were observed in 37 specimens and usually involved both sesamoid and periosteal fibrocartilages. These fibrocartilages could therefore be implicated in retrocalcaneal bursitis.