Dental Shape Variation and Phylogenetic Signal in the Rattini Tribe Species of Mainland Southeast Asia

We would like to thank Pierre-Henri Fabre for providing the phylogeny for this study. The collection of specimens used was funded by the French ANR Biodiversity, grant ANR 07 BDIV 012 CERoPath project (www.ceropath.org), and by the French ANR CP&ES, grant ANR 11 CPEL 002 BiodivHealthSEA project (www.biodivhealthsea.org). We also thank Madoudou Garba and Gauthier Dobigny (CBGP-IRD) for providing additional specimens. We greatly thank all local communities and their leaders for permission and invaluable help during field trapping. Special thanks to the CERoPath and BiodivHealthSEA teams and the drivers for their invaluable help during fieldwork. We would also like to thank Maeve McMahon for help with manuscript editing and preparation.Peer reviewedPublisher PD

When Models Interact with their Subjects: The Dynamics of Model Aware Systems

A scientific model need not be a passive and static descriptor of its subject. If the subject is affected by the model, the model must be updated to explain its affected subject. In this study, two models regarding the dynamics of model aware systems are presented. The first explores the behavior of "prediction seeking" (PSP) and "prediction avoiding" (PAP) populations under the influence of a model that describes them. The second explores the publishing behavior of a group of experimentalists coupled to a model by means of confirmation bias. It is found that model aware systems can exhibit convergent random or oscillatory behavior and display universal 1/f noise. A numerical simulation of the physical experimentalists is compared with actual publications of neutron life time and {\Lambda} mass measurements and is in good quantitative agreement.Comment: Accepted for publication in PLoS-ON

Multiple Input Electrode Gap Control During Vacuum Arc Remelting

Accurate control of the electrode gap in a vacuum arc remelting (VAR) furnace has been a goal of melters for many years. The size of the electrode gap has a direct influence on ingot solidification structure. At the high melting currents (30 to 40 kA) typically used for VAR of segregation insensitive Ti and Zr alloys, process voltage is used as an indicator of electrode gap, whereas drip-short frequency (or period) is usually used at the lower currents (5 to 8 kA) employed during VAR of superalloys. Modem controllers adjust electrode position or drive velocity to maintain a voltage or drip-short frequency (or period) set-point. Because these responses are non-linear functions of electrode gap and melting current, these controllers have a limited range for which the feedback gains are valid. Models are available that relate process voltage and drip-short frequency to electrode gap. These relationships may be used to linearize the controller feedback signal. An estimate of electrode gap may then be obtained by forming a weighted sum of the independent gap estimates obtained from the voltage and drip-short signals. By using multiple independent measures to estimate the gap, a controller that is less susceptible to process disturbances can be developed. Such a controller was designed, built and tested. The tests were carried out at Allvac Corporation during VAR of 12Cr steel at intermediate current levels

Preferences and skills of Indian public sector teachers

With a sample of 700 future public sector primary teachers in India, a Discrete Choice Experiment is used to measure job preferences, particularly regarding location. General skills are also tested. Urban origin teachers and women are more averse to remote locations than rural origin teachers and men respectively. Women would require a 26-73 percent increase in salary for moving to a remote location. The results suggest that existing caste and gender quotas can be detrimental for hiring skilled teachers willing to work in remote locations. The most preferred location is home, which supports decentralised hiring, although this could compromise skills

Measuring linguistic complexity in long-term L2 speakers of English and L1 attriters of German

Linguistic complexity is neither easily defined nor measured. The challenge in finding reliable ways to measure linguistic complexity is even more pronounced when the variation of contexts in which complexity is measured is taken into account. This paper therefore aims at finding measures for assessing syntactic and lexical complexity that are sensitive and non-overlapping even in a less frequently studied context: spontaneous speech of L1 attriters and highly proficient L2 English speakers. To evaluate operationalizations of syntactic and lexical complexity, several previously proposed measures are applied to a corpus of spontaneous speech and a principal component analysis is conducted. The results show which of the measures group together as underlying variables of syntactic and lexical complexity and how this can inform future operationalizations of complexity

Comparison of in silico strategies to prioritize rare genomic variants impacting RNA splicing for the diagnosis of genomic disorders

The development of computational methods to assess pathogenicity of pre-messenger RNA splicing variants is critical for diagnosis of human disease. We assessed the capability of eight algorithms, and a consensus approach, to prioritize 249 variants of uncertain significance (VUSs) that underwent splicing functional analyses. The capability of algorithms to differentiate VUSs away from the immediate splice site as being 'pathogenic' or 'benign' is likely to have substantial impact on diagnostic testing. We show that SpliceAI is the best single strategy in this regard, but that combined usage of tools using a weighted approach can increase accuracy further. We incorporated prioritization strategies alongside diagnostic testing for rare disorders. We show that 15% of 2783 referred individuals carry rare variants expected to impact splicing that were not initially identified as 'pathogenic' or 'likely pathogenic'; one in five of these cases could lead to new or refined diagnoses

Women in Power and Power of Women: The Liberian Experience

Do women really improve conditions for gender equality after becoming heads of states? This study investigates if having a woman at the helm of country’s decision making processes leads to better indicators on women conditions. Using time series observations for the period 2000-2011, we test the hypothesis with the Liberian experience. Our findings do not show significant changes between the first mandate of Ellen Johnson Sirleaf and the period before. Policy implications are discussed

Synchronous diversification of Sulawesi’s iconic artiodactyls driven by recent geological events

The high degree of endemism on Sulawesi has previously been suggested to have vicariant origins, dating back 40 Myr ago. Recent studies, however, suggest that much of Sulawesi’s fauna assembled over the last 15 Myr. Here, we test the hypothesis that more recent uplift of previously submerged portions of land on Sulawesi promoted diversification, and that much of its faunal assemblage is much younger than the island itself. To do so, we combined palaeogeographical reconstructions with genetic and morphometric data sets derived from Sulawesi’s three largest mammals: the Babirusa, Anoa, and Sulawesi warty pig. Our results indicate that although these species most likely colonized the area that is now Sulawesi at different times (14 Myr ago to 2-3 Myr ago), they experienced an almost synchronous expansion from the central part of the island. Geological reconstructions indicate that this area was above sea level for most of the last 4 Myr, unlike most parts of the island. We conclude that emergence of land on Sulawesi (~1–2 Myr) may have allowed species to expand synchronously. Altogether, our results indicate that the establishment of the highly endemic faunal assemblage on Sulawesi was driven by geological events over the last few million years