Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Self-organizing tree models for image synthesis

We present a method for generating realistic models of temperate-climate trees and shrubs. This method is based on the biological hypothesis that the form of a developing tree emerges from a self-organizing process dominated by the competition of buds and branches for light or space, and regulated by internal signaling mechanisms. Simulations of this process robustly generate a wide range of realistic trees and bushes. The generated forms can be controlled with a variety of interactive techniques, including procedural brushes, sketching, and editing operations such as pruning and bending of branches. We illustrate the usefulness and versatility of the proposed method with diverse tree models, forest scenes, animations of tree development, and examples of combined interactive-procedural tree modeling.
Geochemical and Sr―Nd isotopic constraints on the origin of volcanic rocks from the northern Okinawa Trough

Okinawa Trough is an active back‐arc basin behind the Ryukyu Arc in the western Pacific. We report the geochemical and isotopic (Sr, Nd) compositions of volcanic rocks, which are recovered as lavas and pumices, dredged from northern Okinawa Trough. The volcanic rocks are composed of basaltic andesite, andesite, dacite, and trachydacite. Both intermediate and felsic rocks are characterized by enrichments in large‐ion lithophile elements (LILEs) and depletion in high‐field strength elements (HFSEs). Three groups of volcanic rocks have been identified. Andesite D5‐1 and trachydacite D10 display identical Sr and Nd isotopic ratios, together with strongly enriched in light‐REE and incompatible elements, compared to previously published basalts from middle Okinawa Trough (MOT). Andesite D5‐1 and trachydacite D10 are derived from basaltic magma modified by fractional crystallization. Andesites D5‐2, D5‐3, and D5‐4 exhibit lower 87Sr/86Sr and higher 143Nd/144Nd ratios than MOT basalts, transitional REE patterns and trace element ratios between adakite rocks and MOT basalts. Features of these samples can be interpreted by further mixing of the interaction magma of mantle wedge and subducted‐slab‐melt, with evolved basaltic magma. Dacite D22, occurring as pumice, shows undistinguishable trace element, including REE, and Sr and Nd isotopic compositions with rhyolites from the southern Ryukyu volcanic front, which indicates that this pumice was not emplaced in situ and most likely drifted from southern Ryukyu volcanic front by Kuroshio Current.
A Review of Management Options for Proximal Humeral Fractures

Proximal humeral fractures are common and although the majority can be managed non-operatively, the optimal treatment of displaced or complex fractures remains controversial. Non-operative treatment is typically selected for minimally displaced fractures where union rates are high and good or excellent outcomes can be expected in approximately 80% of cases. The aims of surgical fixation are to restore articular surface congruency, alignment and the relationship between the tuberosities and the humeral head. Hemiarthroplasty provides patients with reliable pain relief and its indications include fracture dislocations, humeral head splitting fractures and some three- and four- part fractures. The key areas of surgical technique that influence functional outcome include correctly restoring the humeral height, humeral version and tuberosity position. Function, however, is poor if the tuberosities either fail to unite or mal-unite. The interest in reverse shoulder arthroplasty as an alternative option has therefore recently increased, particularly in older patients with poor bone quality and tuberosity comminution. The evidence supporting this, however, is currently limited to multiple case series with higher level studies currently underway.
Bats in urban Sweden A multiple regression analysis of bats’ relationship to urbanization

Human development continues to use up more physical space in the natural world, threatening the natural habitats of many organisms. To combat the loss of biodiversity science needs to explore what landscape features are important for different organisms so that we can incorporate these into the modern environment. As bats play an important role in many ecosystems and can reflect changes through trophic levels, analyzing their preferred habitats can help planners improve biological diversity of the urban habitat. Using acoustically identified bat sightings from Artportalen.se for the years 2017-2018, this paper studied the habitats of bats in Sweden. Through multiple regression analysis we examine the response in abundance and/or diversity of bats to physical and socio-cultural attributes of the urban habitat. We examined a total of 10160 bats from 18 species in 418 land cover locales and 306 demographical statistical areas with varying degrees of urbanization. Our results indicate that bat abundance and diversity decrease significantly with higher urbanization while deciduous forests are the most important land cover type for all bats. The results also indicate that wealthier areas have less abundance and diversity even when factoring in population density. Species specific analysis suggested that bat species who are better adapted at foraging in open vegetated landscapes and over water were less susceptible to the negative impacts of the urban habitat. We conclude that diverse habitats with a mixture of open vegetated areas, watercourses and broadleaf forests are the most important land features for a diverse bat fauna along with high connectivity via tree cover and linear landscape elements. If urban planning could incorporate these features into the urban habitat, some of the negative impacts of urbanization could be prevented.
Endophytes: A Prospective Source of Enzyme Production

Endophytic microorganisms mostly comprising of bacteria and fungi are a diverse group of microbes, existing within a unique biological niche which is the intracellular spaces of higher plants. In this study, 17 endophytic fungi and 14 endophytic bacteria were isolated from the medicinal plants. These endophytes displayed the ability to produce some important enzymes namely amylase, protease and cellulase when screened using starch, casein and CMC as substrates respectively. The endopytic fungi Guignardia mangifera (CosA) isolated from Costus igneus was having maximum amylase activity (8.9 IU/ml) compared to others while the chief producer of protease was identified as Ne1(not yet identified) isolated from Nerium odoratum with the enzyme activity of 1.5 IU/ml. The endophytic bacteria Bacillus cereus (Adab) was showing maximum amylase activity of 0.58 IU/ml . The isolate Bacillus thuringiensis (Ci2b) isolated from Calophylum inophyllum was having the maximum protease activity (3.5 IU/ml) compared to the other endophytes. In an attempt to optimize the conditions for maximum production, pH of the medium has been varied to study its influence on the enzyme production.
Preparatory studies of composite mesenchymal stem cell islets for application in intraportal islet transplantation

Abstract Background. Low engraftment and adverse immune reactions hamper the success rate of clinical islet transplantation. In this study, we investigated the capacity of human mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) to adhere to human islets of Langerhans and their effects in immune modulation and during blood interactions in vitro. Methods. Composite MSC–islets were formed by suspension co-culture, and the phenotype was evaluated by confocal microscopy. Islet function was assessed by dynamic insulin release in response to glucose in vitro. Mixed lymphocyte–islet reactions (MLIR) and the tubing blood loop model were utilized as in vitro tools to analyse the effect of MSCs on the innate and adaptive immune reactions triggered by the islets. Results. MSCs rapidly adhered to islets and spread out to cover the islet surface. Insulin expression and secretion were sustained with the MSC coating. MSC-coated islets showed unaffected reactions with blood in vitro in comparison to control islets. Furthermore, MSCs suppressed lymphocyte proliferation induced by islet cells in MLIR. Conclusion. We conclude that it is possible to create composite MSC–islets to enable delivery of the MSCs by utilizing the adhesive capacity of the MSCs. This could have beneficial immunosuppressive effects in optimizing pancreatic islet transplantation.
Studies on the elimination of exogenous lipids from the blood stream. The kinetics for the elimination of chylomicrons studied by single intravenous injections in man.

Hallberg. D. Studies on the elimination of exogenous lipids from the blood stream. The kinetics for the eliminaiion of chylomicrons studied by single intravenous injections in man. Acta physiol. scand. 1965.65. 279–284. - The thoracic duct was cannulated in 2 subjects and chylomicrons were collected and then given to the subjects as rapid intravenous infusions during 2 and 5 min respectively. The amounts of triglyceride (TG) infused were 0.18 and 0.26 g/kg body weight respectively. Plasma samples were drawn and analysed for TG without and with separation into 3 fractions in a polyvinylpyrrolidone density gradient. The chylomicron TG was found in the top fraction of the gradient and endogenous plasma TG in the middle and bottom fractions. The elimination curve for the chylomicrons was found to be linear at high and exponential at low TG concentrations. During the elimination the TG concentration in the middle and bottom fractions changed in a way observed earlier for an artificial fat emulsion.
Comptes Rendus Mathématique

We prove an asymptotic relationship between the grade-two ﬂuid model and a class of models for non-Newtonian ﬂuids suggested by Oldroyd, including the upper-convected and lower-convected Maxwell models. This conﬁrms an earlier observation of Tanner. We provide a new interpretation of the temporal instability of the grade-two ﬂuid model for negative coe ﬃ cients. Our techniques allow a simple proof of the convergence of the steady grade-two model to the Navier–Stokes model as α → 0 (under suitable conditions) inthreedimensions.TheyalsoprovideaproofoftheconvergenceofthesteadyOldroydmodelstotheNavier– Stokes model as their parameters tend to zero. Résumé
Raising Interest and Collecting Suggestions on the EVALITA Evaluation Campaign

This paper describes the design and reports the results of two questionnaires. The first of these questionnaires was created to collect information about the interest of industrial companies in the field of Italian text/speech analytics towards the evaluation campaign EVALITA; the second to gather comments and suggestions for the future of the evaluation and of its final workshop from the participants and the organizers of the campaign on the last two editions (2011 and 2014). Novelties introduced in the organization of EVALITA 2016 on the basis of the questionnaires results are also reported.
The Effect of Return On Asset (ROA), Debt to Equity Ratio (DER), and Earning Per Share (EPS) on Stock Prices in the Mining Sector on the Indonesia Stock Exchange for the 2015 - 2019 Period

Stock Exchange is a market where a company is buying and selling securities. In Indonesia, this place of buying and selling is known as Indonesia Stock Exchange (IDX). Companies listed on the stock exchange are companies that are open to the public. In the data presented by the IDX, there are several companies with different sectors. This study aims to examine the effect of Return on Asset (ROA), Debt to Equity Ratio (DER), and Earning Per Share (EPS) on share prices in mining sector companies on the Indonesia Stock Exchange from 2015 to 2019. The population in this study are 48 companies and the number of samples studied after going through thestage purposive sampling was 32 companies. The population in this study are mining sector companies listed on the IDX. Data analysis using Fixed Effect Model from panel data regression analysis. The method used in this research is descriptive and verification methods with quantitative analysis. The results showed that the variable Debt to Equity Ratio (DER) had no significant effect on stock prices. Meanwhile, Return on Asset (ROA) and Earnings per Share (EPS) have a positive and significant effect on stock prices. The results of this study are expected that the variable Return on Assets (ROA), Debt to Equity Ratio (DER), and Earnings per Share (EPS) can be used as a reference, both by company management and by investors in determining the right investment strategy.
Continental-scale suppression of an invasive pest by a host-specific parasitoid heralds a new era for arthropod biological control

Biological control constitutes one of the world’s prime ecosystems services, and can provide long-term and broad-scale suppression of invasive pests, weeds and pathogens in both natural and agricultural environments. Following (very few) widely-documented historic cases that led to sizeable environmental up-sets, the discipline of insect biological control has -over the past three decades- gone through much-needed reform. Now, by deliberately taking into account the ecological risks associated with insect biological control, immense environmental and societal benefits can be gained. In this study, we document and analyze a rare, successful case of biological control against the invasive mealybug, Phenacoccus manihoti (Hemiptera: Pseudococcidae) which invaded Southeast Asia in 2008, where it caused substantial crop losses and triggered 2- to 3-fold surges in agricultural commodity prices. In 2009, the host-specific parasitoid Anagyrus lopezi (Hymenoptera: Encyrtidae) was released in Thailand and subsequently introduced into neighboring Asian countries. Drawing upon continental-scale insect surveys, multi-year population studies and (field-level) experimental assays, we show how A. lopezi attained intermediate to high parasitism rates across diverse agro-ecological contexts. Driving mealybug populations below non-damaging levels at a continental scale, A. lopezi allowed yield recoveries up to 10.0 t/ha and provided biological control services worth several hundred dollars per ha (at local farm-gate prices) in Asia’s 4-million ha cassava crop. Our work provides lessons to invasion science and crop protection worldwide, heralds a new era for insect biological control, and highlights its potentially large socio-economic benefits to agricultural sustainability in the face of a debilitating invasive pest. In times of unrelenting insect invasions, surging pesticide use and accelerating (invertebrate) biodiversity loss across the globe, this study unequivocally demonstrates how biological control – as a pure public good – constitutes a powerful, cost-effective and environmentally-responsible solution for invasive species mitigation.
Modulation of plant TPC channels by polyunsaturated fatty acids

Polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) are powerful modulators of several animal ion channels. It is shown here that PUFAs strongly affect the activity of the Slow Vacuolar (SV) channel encoded by the plant TPC1 gene. The patch-clamp technique was applied to isolated vacuoles from carrot taproots and Arabidopsis thaliana mesophyll cells and arachidonic acid (AA) was chosen as a model molecule for PUFAs. Our study was extended to different PUFAs including the endogenous alpha-linolenic acid (ALA). The addition of micromolar concentrations of AA reversibly inhibited the SV channel decreasing the maximum open probability and shifting the half activation voltage to positive values. Comparing the effects of different PUFAs, it was found that the length of the lipophilic acyl chain, the number of double bonds and the polar head were critical for channel modulation.The experimental data can be reproduced by a simple three-state model, in which PUFAs do not interact directly with the voltage sensors but affect the voltage-independent transition that leads the channel from the open state to the closed configuration. The results indicate that lipids play an important role in co-ordinating ion channel activities similar to what is known from animal cells.
Injuryof Syringomyelia after Excitotoxic Spinal Cord Diffusion-Weighted MR Imaging in a Rat Model

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Recent experimental data have shown that an increase of excitatory amino acids and the initiation of inﬂammatory responses within the injured spinal cord may play a role in post-traumatic syringomyelia. The purpose of this study was to determine whether diffusion-weighted MR imaging with apparent diffusion coefﬁcient (ADC) maps could provide earlier evidence of spinal cord cavitation in a rat model of syringomyelia than available with conventional MR imaging. METHODS: The spinal cord gray matter of four rats was injected with the (cid:97) -amino-3 hy-droxy-5 methyl-4 isoxazole propionic acid/metabotropic receptor agonist quisqualic acid. Animals were sacriﬁced at 1, 4, or 8 weeks after injection, and the spinal cords were ﬁxed in formalin for 1 week and imaged with T1, T2, and diffusion-weighted sequences. One control specimen was also imaged. ADC maps were constructed from the diffusion-weighted data. Histopathologic analyses of sections stained with cresyl violet were compared with the MR images. RESULTS: By 1 week after injection, ADC maps at the level of injection showed areas within the gray matter of increased intensity and increased ADC values as compared with the control specimen. These bright areas corresponded to cysts or cavities within the cord parenchyma on the histopathologic sections. The ADC values within affected gray matter areas progressively increased at 4 and 8 weeks, also corresponding to cyst formation. Conventional T1-and T2-weighted images showed corresponding lesions with cystic characteristics at 4 and 8 weeks, but not at 1 week. CONCLUSION: In an animal model of syringomyelia, diffusion-weighted imaging with ADC maps detected cystic lesions within spinal cord gray matter before they were seen on conventional
Release of DNA from Dead and Dying Lymphocyte and Monocyte Cell Lines In Vitro

DNA is a nuclear macromolecule that circulates in the blood where its levels can reflect the activity of inflammatory and malignant diseases. While dead and dying cells have usually been considered the source of blood DNA, the mechanisms for its release during apoptosis and necrosis are not well defined. To elucidate DNA release, an in vitro model system was used, assessing DNA in the media of living, apoptotic or necrotic Jurkat and U937 cells. Apoptosis was induced by etoposide, camptothecin or staurosporine, while necrosis was induced by heating at 56 °C. DNA release was measured by fluorometry with the dye PicoGreen while the extent of death was measured by fluorescence‐activated cell sorter analysis with propidium iodide and annexin. Apoptotic Jurkat cells released significantly more DNA in the media than untreated cells while necrotic cells did not show significant DNA release. U937 cells showed similar findings. Pretreatment of Jurkat cells with z‐VAD‐fmk, a caspase inhibitor, reduced both apoptosis and DNA release. By gel electrophoresis, extracellular DNA from apoptotic cells showed laddering with low molecular weight fragments. These studies suggest that extracellular release of DNA is a consequence of apoptosis and may account for some of the DNA in the blood.
EVALUATION ET CARACTERISATION DE LA DIVERSITE ARTHROPODOLOGIQUE D’UNE PALMERAIE DE TYPE GHOUT (SOUF, SAHARA SEPTENTRIONAL)

The study of the arthropodofauna of a Ghout palm grove in the Souf region (South-East of Algeria) is carried out following the use of 3 trapping methods (pitfall traps, yellow traps and sweeping net). This study allowed the identification of 52 families of arthropods distributed in 10 orders and 2 classes. A total of 397 individuals are counted including, 191 individuals are trapped by pitfall traps, 113 individuals by sweeping net and 93 individuals by yellow traps. Insects (96.1%) accounted for the largest share of arthropods recorded, with percentages varying according to sampling methods between 91.6% (pitfall traps) and 100% (sweeping net). On the other hand, arachnids (3.9%) are poorly represented, with percentages varying between 0 (sweeping net) and 8.4% (pitfall traps). Formicidae are heavily contacted, often accompanied by other winged groups such as the Aphididae, Scoliidae and Muscidae. This mixture constitutes a relatively large diversity (H '= 4.51 bits) in this type of area, whose individual numbers tend towards equilibrium (E = 0.79).
Comprehensive survey of carapacial ridge‐specific genes in turtle implies co‐option of some regulatory genes in carapace evolution

Summary The turtle shell is an evolutionary novelty in which the developmental pattern of the ribs is radically modified. In contrast to those of other amniotes, turtle ribs grow laterally into the dorsal dermis to form a carapace. The lateral margin of carapacial primordium is called the carapacial ridge (CR), and is thought to play an essential role in carapace patterning. To reveal the developmental mechanisms underlying this structure, we systematically screened for genes expressed specifically in the CR of the Chinese soft‐shelled turtle, Pelodiscus sinensis, using microbead‐based differential cDNA analysis and real‐time reverse transcription‐polymerase chain reaction. We identified orthologs of Sp5, cellular retinoic acid‐binding protein‐I (CRABP‐I), adenomatous polyposis coli down‐regulated 1 (APCDD1), and lymphoid enhancer‐binding factor‐1 (LEF‐1). Although these genes are conserved throughout the major vertebrate lineages, comparison of their expression patterns with those in chicken and mouse indicated that these genes have acquired de novo expression in the CR in the turtle lineage. In association with the expression of LEF‐1, the nuclear localization of β‐catenin protein was detected in the CR ectoderm, suggesting that the canonical Wnt signaling triggers carapace development. These findings indicate that the acquisition of the turtle shell did not involve the creation of novel genes, but was based on the co‐option of pre‐existing genes.
Targeting of Tumor Necrosis Factor Alpha Receptors as a Therapeutic Strategy for Neurodegenerative Disorders

Numerous studies have revealed the pleiotropic functions of tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α), and have linked it with several neurodegenerative disorders. This review describes the signaling pathways induced by TNF-α via its two receptors (TNFR1 and TNFR2), and their functions in neurodegenerative processes as in Alzheimer’s disease (AD), Parkinson’s disease (PD), multiple sclerosis (MS), and ischemic stroke. It has become clear that TNF-α may exert divergent actions in neurodegenerative disorders, including neurodegenerative and neuroprotective effects, which appear to depend on its signaling via either TNFR1 or TNFR2. Specific targeting of these receptors is a promising therapeutic strategy for many disorders.
Asymmetric Heterostructure With Reduced Distance From Active Region to Heatsink for 810-nm Range High-Power Laser Diodes

An asymmetric heterostructure design has been proposed to meet high-power laser diode (LD) requirements, such as a high catastrophic optical damage threshold, a low internal loss, low thermal and electrical resistances and a low vertical beam divergence. The asymmetry has been designed to shift the optical field in heterostructure waveguide toward the n-side, where losses are lower than those at the p-side. The main features of the design are: 1) a thin anti-guiding layer inserted between the “active” [containing quantum well (QW)] and the passive waveguides to elongate field penetration toward the n-side and to increase degree of freedom in design; and 2) reduced p-cladding layer thickness (thanks to the shift of the optical field toward the n-side) aimed at reducing the diode resistances due to shortened QW to heatsink distance. The characteristics of pulsed and CW operation of high-power LDs based on the asymmetric GaAsP/AlGaAs/GaAs heterostructure are presented. A lower temperature increase of the active region of asymmetric LDs compared with equivalent symmetric LDs has been evidenced by time-resolved spectra and thermovision characteristics.