Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Field-based experimental acidification alters fouling community structure and reduces diversity.

Increasing levels of CO2 in the atmosphere are affecting ocean chemistry, leading to increased acidification (i.e. decreased pH) and reductions in calcium carbonate saturation state. Many species are likely to respond to acidification, but the direction and magnitude of these responses will be based on interspecific and ontogenetic variation in physiology and the relative importance of calcification. Differential responses to ocean acidification (OA) among species will likely result in important changes in community structure and diversity. To characterize the potential impacts of OA on community composition and structure, we examined the response of a marine fouling community to experimental CO2 enrichment in field-deployed flow-through mesocosm systems. Acidification significantly altered the community structure by altering the relative abundance of species and reduced community variability, resulting in more homogenous biofouling communities from one experimental tile to the next both among and within the acidified mesocosms. Mussel (Mytilus trossulus) recruitment was reduced by over 30% in the elevated CO2 treatment compared to the ambient treatment by the end of the experiment. Strong differences in mussel cover (up to 40% lower in acidified conditions) developed over the second half of the 10-week experiment. Acidification did not appear to affect the mussel growth, as average mussel sizes were similar between treatments at the end of the experiment. Hydroid (Obelia dichotoma) cover was significantly reduced in the elevated CO2 treatment after 8 weeks. Conversely, the percentage cover of bryozoan colonies (Mebranipora membranacea) was higher under acidified conditions with differences becoming apparent after 6 weeks. Neither recruitment nor final size of barnacles (Balanus crenatus) was affected by acidification. By the end of the experiment, diversity was 41% lower in the acidified treatment relative to ambient conditions. Overall, our findings support the general expectation that OA will simplify marine communities by acting on important ecological processes that ultimately determine the community structure and diversity.
Can self-affirmation exacerbate adverse reactions to stress under certain conditions?

Objective: Self-affirmation has repeatedly been shown to reduce adverse psychological and physiological responses to stress. However, it is plausible that self-affirmation could exacerbate negative reactions to stress under certain conditions. The current research explored whether self-affirmation would increase negative psychological responses to a stressor occurring in a central life domain characterised by low levels of control. Design: Female participants (Study 1 N = 132; Study 2 N = 141) completed baseline measures of anxiety and mood. They were then randomly allocated to complete a self-affirmation or control task, before reading a narrative documenting a stressful birth and imagining themselves in the place of the woman giving birth. After completing this task, participants again reported their levels of anxiety and positive mood. Main outcome measures: Anxiety and positive mood assessed at follow-up. Results: Study 1 demonstrated that self-affirmed women experienced increased anxiety and less positive mood at follow-up, compared both to baseline and to women in the control condition. Study 2 revealed that the effect of self-affirmation on outcomes was moderated by fear of childbirth. Conclusion: These results provide preliminary evidence that self-affirmation may worsen negative responses to stressors under certain conditions and for certain individuals.
A study on detecting drones using deep convolutional neural networks

The object detection is a challenging problem in computer vision with various potential real-world applications. The objective of this study is to evaluate the deep learning based object detection techniques for detecting drones. In this paper, we have conducted experiments with different Convolutional Neural Network (CNN) based network architectures namely Zeiler and Fergus (ZF), Visual Geometry Group (VGG16) etc. Due to sparse data available for training, networks are trained with pre-trained models using transfer learning. The snapshot of trained models is saved at regular interval during training. The best models having high mean Average Precision (mAP) for each network architecture are used for evaluation on the test dataset. The experimental results show that VGG16 with Faster R-CNN perform better than other architectures on the training dataset. Visual analysis of the test dataset is also presented.
Protein levels of CC chemokine ligand (CCL)15, CCL16 and macrophage stimulating protein in patients with sarcoidosis

The objective of this study was to assess protein levels for candidate cytokines, chemokines, growth factors, matrix metalloproteinases and their inhibitors in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) in patients with polar forms of pulmonary sarcoidosis, i.e. Löfgren's syndrome (LS) and more advanced chest X‐ray (CXR) stage III disease. Twenty‐four inflammatory molecules were analysed in unconcentrated BALF samples from 10 sarcoidosis patients with CXR stage III and 10 patients with LS by semiquantitative protein array. Four novel molecules [CC chemokine ligand (CCL)15, CCL16, macrophage migration inhibitory factor (MIF) and macrophage stimulating protein (MSP)], detected for the first time in association with sarcoidosis, were then quantified by enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assay in a second cohort of 68 sarcoidosis patients and 17 control subjects. The protein levels of CCL15, CCL16, CCL24, CXCL8, CXCL9, CXCL10, interleukin‐16, MIF, MSP and matrix metallopeptidase 1 were increased in CXR stage III patients when compared with patients with LS. CCL15 and MSP up‐regulation in CXR stage III patients in comparison with LS patients and controls was confirmed by enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assay. Moreover, MSP was associated with treatment requirement (P = 0·001) and CCL15 was elevated in patients with disease progression at 2‐year follow‐up (P = 0·016). CCL16 levels were increased in sarcoidosis versus controls (P < 0·05), but no difference was observed between patient subgroups. MIF up‐regulation was not confirmed in a larger patient group. In conclusion, chemokines CCL15, CCL16 and MSP were found elevated for the first time in BALF from sarcoidosis patients; our results showed that CCL15 and MSP may affect disease course.
Two-dimensional materials for electronic applications

The successful isolation of graphene in 2004 has attracted great interest to search for potential applications of this unique material and other members of the two-dimensional materials family in electronics, optoelectronics and their interface with the biological systems. At this early stage of 2D materials research, many opportunities and challenges co-exist in this area. This thesis addresses the following issues which are crucial for 2D electronics to be successful, focusing on developing graphene for RF electronics and MoS2 for digital applications: (1) Development of some of the first graphene-based devices for high frequency applications; (2) Development of compact physical models for graphene transistors; and (3) Understanding the carrier transit delays in graphene transistors. In addition, this thesis proposes and experimentally demonstrates a completely new concept Ambipolar Electronics to take advantage of the unique properties of graphene for RF applications. Based on this new concept, a family of novel applications are developed that can significantly simplify the design of many fundamental building blocks in RF electronics, such as frequency multipliers, mixers and binary phase shift keying devices. In the last part of the thesis, the applications of other emerging 2D materials from the transition metal dichalcogenides family, such as molybdenum disulfide (MoS2), is also explored for potential application in digital electronics, especially as a new material option for high performance flexible electronics. The future opportunities and potential challenges for the applications of the 2D materials family are also discussed. Thesis supervisor: Tomás Palacios Title: Associate Professor of Electrical Engineering
Towards the Predictive Analysis of Cloud Systems with e-Motions

Current methods for the predictive analysis of software systems are not directly applicable on self-adaptive systems as cloud systems, mainly due to their complexity and dynamism. To tackle the difficulties to handle the dynamic changes in the systems and their environments, we propose using graph transformation to define an adaptive component model and analysis tools for it, what allows us to carry on such analyses on dynamic architectures. Specifically, we use the e-Motions system to define the Palladio component model, and simulation-based analysis tools for it. Adaptation mechanisms are then specified as generic adaptation rules. This setting will allow us to study different mechanisms for the management of dynamic systems and their adaptation mechanisms, and different QoS metrics to be considered in a dynamic environment.
Environmental and Host Effects on Skin Bacterial Community Composition in Panamanian Frogs

Research on the amphibian skin microbiota has focused on identifying bacterial taxa that deter a pathogenic chytrid fungus, and on describing patterns of microbiota variation. However, it remains unclear how environmental variation affects amphibian skin bacterial communities, and whether the overall functional diversity of the amphibian skin microbiota is associated to such variation. We sampled skin microbial communities from one dendrobatoid frog species across an environmental gradient along the Panama Canal, and from three dendrobatoid frog species before and after the onset of the wet season in one site. We found frog skin microbial alpha diversity to be highest in frogs from sites with low soil pH, but no clear effect of the onset of the wet season. However, we found frog skin microbial community structure to be affected by soil pH and the onset of the wet season, which also resulted in a decrease in between-sample variation. Across the sampled frog species, bacterial functional groups changed with the onset of the wet season, with certain bacterial functional groups entirely disappearing and others differing in their relative abundances. In particular, we found the proportion of Bd-inhibitory bacteria to correlate with mean soil pH, and to increase in two of the frog species with the onset of the wet season. Taken together, our results suggest that structure and predicted function of amphibian bacterial skin communities may be influenced by environmental variables such as pH and precipitation, site effects, and host effects.
Some fundamental aspects of second and third order repetitive controllers

Repetitive controllers ((RCs) are well known as an effective control method that can produce zero error in a control system tracking a periodic command, or cancel the influence of a periodic disturbance. In addition, several studies address that using a higher order RC incorporating errors from some previous period can improve the robustness to disturbance period fluctuations. So the higher order RCs show us the more prospects of RCs. But so many studies of higher order RCs are developed in the frequency response analysis instead of the time response analysis. In order to show some abilities of higher order RCs in both frequency domain and time domain, we believe that will be better to study the simplest higher order RCs: second and third order RCs. So, this paper studies some basic aspects of second and third order repetitive controls from both frequency response and time response. We found some interesting results and that will find a toehold to study the higher order RCs.
The Effectiveness of Neural Mobilization for Neuromusculoskeletal Conditions: A Systematic Review and Meta‐analysis

&NA; • STUDY DESIGN: Systematic review with meta‐analysis. • OBJECTIVES: To determine the efficacy of neural mobilization (NM) for musculoskeletal conditions with a neuropathic component. • BACKGROUND: Neural mobilization, or neurodynamics, is a movement‐based intervention aimed at restoring the homeostasis in and around the nervous system. The current level of evidence for NM is largely unknown. • METHODS: A database search for randomized trials investigating the effect of NM on neuromusculoskeletal conditions was conducted, using standard methods for article identification, selection, and quality appraisal. Where possible, studies were pooled for meta‐analysis, with pain, disability, and function as the primary outcomes. • RESULTS: Forty studies were included in this review, of which 17 had a low risk of bias. Meta‐analyses could only be performed on self‐reported outcomes. For chronic low back pain, disability (Oswestry Disability Questionnaire [0‐50]: mean difference, ‐9.26; 95% confidence interval [CI]: ‐14.50, ‐4.01; P<.001) and pain (intensity [0‐10]: mean difference, ‐1.78; 95% CI: ‐2.55, ‐1.01; P<.001) improved following NM. For chronic neck‐arm pain, pain improved (intensity: mean difference, ‐1.89; 95% CI: ‐3.14, ‐0.64; P<.001) following NM. For most of the clinical outcomes in individuals with carpal tunnel syndrome, NM was not effective (P>.11) but showed some positive neurophysiological effects (eg, reduced intraneural edema). Due to a scarcity of studies or conflicting results, the effect of NM remains uncertain for various conditions, such as postoperative low back pain, cubital tunnel syndrome, and lateral epicondylalgia. • CONCLUSION: This review reveals benefits of NM for back and neck pain, but the effect of NM on other conditions remains unclear. Due to the limited evidence and varying methodological quality, conclusions may change over time. • LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Therapy, level 1a. • KEY WORDS: back pain, exercise, manual therapy, musculoskeletal conditions, neck pain, nerve mobilization, neurodynamics, physical therapy
Effects of in ovo administration of L‐ascorbic acid on broiler hatchability and its influence on the effects of pre‐placement holding time on broiler quality characteristics1,2,3

ABSTRACT The current study was conducted to determine the possible effects of the in ovo administration of different dosages of L‐ascorbic acid (AA) to broiler hatching eggs on hatchability and its potential for reducing the adverse effects of delayed placement. A total of 702 broiler hatching eggs was hand‐injected at 17 d of incubation (DOI) with 100 &mgr;L of sterile saline (0.85%) alone or containing 0.5, 1.5, 4.5, or 13.5 mg AA. Hatchability was recorded every 5 h from 480 h to 505 hours. Results showed that AA injection did not affect embryo BW as percentage of set egg weight or yolk sac weight as percentage of embryo weight at 19.5 DOI. The hatching time of all embryos that received an AA in ovo injection was between 480 and 495 h of incubation, and significantly fewer embryos hatched before 480 h in comparison to non‐injected controls. Hatchability (above 92% in all groups) was not significantly affected by injection treatment. However, fertile eggs injected with saline containing 4.5 mg AA had the highest hatchability. At 21 DOI, hatching BW as a percentage of set egg weight and yolk sac weight as a percentage of BW were numerically higher in AA injection groups. An in ovo injection of AA at a 13.5 mg/egg level resulted in a numerically higher BW as a percentage of set egg weight. The in ovo injection of AA did not reduce the adverse effects of a 48‐hour posthatch pre‐placement holding time on BW or on yolk sac absorption. Overall, in ovo injection of L‐ascorbic acid (0.5 to 13.5 mg/egg) into fertile broiler hatching eggs at 17 DOI did not negatively affect hatchability or embryo development, and did not prevent the negative effects of a 48‐hour posthatch holding time on BW and yolk sac absorption. The range of tolerance as well as the optimal dosage of in ovo‐injected AA warrants future study.
Topics in Chromatic Graph Theory: Colouring random graphs

How many colours are typically necessary to colour a graph? We survey a number of perspectives on this natural question, which is central to random graph theory and to probabilistic and extremal combinatorics. It has stimulated a vibrant area of research, with a rich history extending back through more than half a century. Erdős and Rényi [36] asked a form of this question in a celebrated early paper on random graphs in 1960. Let Gn,m be a graph chosen uniformly at random from the set of graphs with vertex-set [n] = {1, 2, . , n} and m edges. In this probabilistic model, we cannot rule out the possibility that Gn,m is, for example, the disjoint union of one large clique and some isolated vertices, or perhaps one Turán graph (a balanced complete multipartite graph) and some isolated vertices. The resulting range is large: in the former situation the chromatic number could be about √ 2m, while in the latter it could be 2 if m ≤ n2/4. These outcomes are unlikely, however, and we are interested in the most probable ones. To state the question properly, we say that an event An (which here always describes a property of a random graph on the vertex-set [n]) holds asymptotically almost surely (a.a.s.) if the probability that An holds satisfies P(An)→ 1 as n→∞. Erdős and Rényi asked the following question. Suppose that m ∼ cn for some c ≥ 12 . Is there a positive integer function f = fc(n) for which χ(Gn,m) = f a.a. s. , and if so how large is it?
Long‐term outcomes and survival after laparoscopy‐assisted distal gastrectomy for gastric cancer: Three‐year survival analysis of a single‐center experience in Korea

Laparoscopy‐assisted distal gastrectomy (LADG) has been established as an alternative treatment for early gastric cancer (EGC) because of excellent short‐term results. However, only a few reports have considered the long‐term outcomes of LADG. In this study, we investigated the 3‐year outcome and survival of patients who underwent LADG.
A randomized phase II trial comparing chemoimmunotherapy with or without bevacizumab in previously untreated patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia

Bevacizumab is a monoclonal antibody targeting vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) with in vitro pro-apoptotic and antiangiogenic effects on chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) cells. As monotherapy in patients with CLL, it has no clinical activity. Here we report the results of an open-label, randomized phase II trial comparing the combination of pentostatin, cyclophosphamide and rituximab (PCR) either without or with bevacizumab (PCR-B) in previously untreated CLL patients. A total of 65 evaluable patients were enrolled, 32 receiving PCR and 33 PCR-B. A higher rate of grade 3-4 cardiovascular toxicity was observed with PCR-B (33% vs. 3%, p < 0.003). Patients treated with PCR-B had a trend for a higher complete remission (CR) rate (54.5% vs 31.3%; p = 0.08), longer progression-free survival (PFS)(p = 0.06) and treatment-free survival (TFS)(p = 0.09). No differences in PFS and TFS by IGHV mutational status were observed with the addition of bevacizumab. A significant post-treatment increase in VEGF levels was observed in the PCR-B arm (29.77 to 57.05 pg/mL); in the PCR-B arm, lower baseline CCL-3 levels were significantly associated with achievement of CR (p = 0.01). In conclusion, the addition of bevacizumab to chemoimmunotherapy in CLL is generally well-tolerated and appears to prolong PFS and TFS.
Effect of Use of Platelet-Rich Plasma (PRP) in Skin with Intrinsic Aging Process

Background In previous papers, we demonstrated that the treatment of human photoaged skin with stromal-vascular fraction-enriched fat or expanded adipose-derived stem cells showed a decrease of elastosis and the appearance of new oxytalan elastic fibers in dermis and an increase in the vascular network. The utilization of fat plus platelet-rich plasma (PRP) led to an increase in the vascular permeability and reactivity of the nervous component. Objectives The purpose of this study was to analyze the histologic and ultrastructural changes of human skin after the injection of only PRP in the retroauricular area that was not exposed to sun and did not present the photoaging process, in comparison with our previous results. Methods This study was performed in 13 patients who were candidates for facelift and whose ages ranged between 45 and 65 years. The PRP injection was performed in the mastoidea area. Fragments of skin were removed before and 3 months after treatment and analyzed by optical and electron microscopy. Results After the injection of PRP, we observed an increase of reticular dermis thickness because of the deposition of elastic fibers and collagen, with a fibrotic aspect. A modified pattern of adipose tissue was also found at the dermohypodermal junction. Significative regenerative aspects were not found at histologic and ultrastructural analysis. The presence of foci of moderate inflammation and microangiopathy were observed. Conclusions Treatment with PRP increased reticular dermis thickness with a fibrotic aspect. In the long term, the presence of inflammation and microangiopathy caused by PRP injection could lead to trophic alteration of the skin and the precocious aging process. Level of Evidence 4
The “10 Keys” to Healthy Aging

The purpose of this report was to evaluate a prevention program to reduce risk factors for common diseases among older individuals in a lower income community. This randomized community-based study enrolled older adults into a Brief Education and Counseling Intervention or a Brief Education and Counseling Intervention plus a physical activity and (for those with hypertension) a dietary sodium intervention. Outcomes were collected on 389 adults with a mean age of 73.9 years over 24 months. Adherence to the “10 Keys” improved significantly in the proportion meeting goals for low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (+14%), bone mineral density testing (+11%), pneumonia vaccination (+11%), colonoscopy (+14%), and adherence to antihypertensive medication (+9%). This program resulted in significant reductions in key risk factors, increases in immunizations, and adherence to established prevention guidelines over 2 years. Further research is needed to refine the use of community health counselors for translating prevention knowledge into community settings. A major limitation of these studies is the low participation percentage.