Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Absolute Humidity and the Seasonal Onset of Influenza in the Continental US

Much of the observed wintertime increase of mortality in temperate regions is attributed to seasonal influenza. A recent re-analysis of laboratory experiments indicates that absolute humidity strongly modulates the airborne survival and transmission of the influenza virus. Here we extend these findings to the human population level, showing that the onset of increased wintertime influenza-related mortality in the United States is associated with anomalously low absolute humidity levels during the prior weeks. We then use an epidemiological model, in which observed absolute humidity conditions temper influenza transmission rates, to successfully simulate the seasonal cycle of observed influenza-related mortality. The model results indicate that direct modulation of influenza transmissibility by absolute humidity alone is sufficient to produce this observed seasonality. These findings provide epidemiological support for the hypothesis that absolute humidity drives seasonal variations of influenza transmission in temperate regions.
The response of grass‐cutting ants to natural and synthetic versions of their alarm pheromone

The responses of the grass‐cutting ants Atta bisphaerica (Forel) and Atta capiguara (Gonçalves) to the main components of their alarm pheromones were examined in simple field bioassays. Both species react most strongly to 4‐methyl‐3‐heptanone, which causes the full range of alarm behaviour and a large increase in the number of individuals near the sources. In later experiments with A. capiguara, this increase was found to be due primarily to attraction, with some arrestment also occurring. The ant response to 4‐methyl‐3‐heptanone was compared with that to crushed heads and to that with whole ants with crushed heads. The pheromone 4‐methyl‐3‐heptanone by itself stimulates the same level of attraction as crushed heads, but results in far less alarm behaviour and arrests fewer ants. Whole ants with crushed heads attract a greater number of ants than the other sources and also cause more alarm behaviour. Bodies alone attract ants, but do not result in alarm behaviour. The main component in both species is the same, supporting the view that alarm pheromones lack species specificity. However, it appears that other components may also be important either as synergists of the main compound, or by stimulating behaviours that would not be observed in its absence.
Clinical outcomes and cost-effectiveness of three different compression systems in newly-diagnosed venous leg ulcers in the UK.

OBJECTIVE To assess clinical outcomes and cost-effectiveness of using a two-layer cohesive compression bandage (TLCCB; Coban 2) compared with a two-layer compression system (TLCS; KTwo) and a four-layer compression system (FLCS; Profore) in treating newly-diagnosed venous leg ulcers (VLUs) in clinical practice in the UK, from the perspective of the NHS. METHOD This was a retrospective cohort analysis of the case records of patients with newly-diagnosed VLUs randomly extracted from The Health Improvement Network (THIN) database (a nationally representative database of clinical practice among patients registered with general practitioners in the UK) who were treated with either TLCCB (n=200), TLCS (n=200) or FLCS (n=200). The clinical outcomes and cost-effectiveness of the alternative compression systems were estimated over six months after starting treatment. RESULTS Patients' mean age was 72 years and 58% were female. Time from wound onset to the start of compression was a mean of two months, and when starting compression the wound size was a mean of 45 cm2. The distribution of healing was significantly different between the three groups; 76% of wounds in the TLCCB group healed by six months compared with 70% and 64% in the TLCS and FLCS groups, respectively (p=0.006). Time to healing was significantly less in the TLCCB group compared with the two other groups (p=0.003). Patients in the TLCCB group experienced better health-related quality of life over six months (0.413 quality-adjusted life years (QALYs) per patient), compared with the TLCS and FLCS groups (0.404 and 0.396 QALYs per patient, respectively). The mean six-month NHS management cost was £3045, £3842 and £4480 per patient in the TLCCB, TLCS and FLCS groups, respectively. CONCLUSION Real-world evidence demonstrates that treating newly-diagnosed VLUs with TLCCB, compared with the other two compression systems, affords a more cost-effective use of NHS-funded resources in clinical practice since it resulted in an increased healing rate, better health-related quality of life and a reduction in NHS management cost.
Roe deer (Capreolus capreolus) warts - fibromas, papillomas or fibropapillomas

Roe deer fibropapillomatosis is mainly a benign neoplastic disease caused by papillomaviruses. Previously, based on the gross appearance of the lesions, such skin tumors were usually classified by practitioners as fibromas and papillomas. On the other hand, a part of the literature describes these lesions as fibropapillomas. The aim of the study was to determine histologic characteristics of the lesions in roe deer in order to improve the knowledge of the appearance of papillomavirus induced neoplastic lesions in roe deer in Croatia. As part of the surveillance of wildlife diseases, three roe deer with few clearly visible skin lesions were presented to the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine. Gross examination was taken on the field, while samples of the lesions were alcohol fixed and submitted for histopathologic analysis (routine HE staining). Grossly, lesions were ranging in size from 1.5 to 19 cm. Some of these lesions were covered with intact skin, while in others the surface was hyperkeratotic and hyperpigmented with several ulcerations. Histopathologic analysis revealed elements that are characteristic of both fibromas and papillomas. Roe deer fibropapillomatosis is present in Croatia as an endemic disease, similarly to other European countries. It is a benign, in wild animals incurable disease, which depending on the location of the lesions can, with duration of the disease, cause severe or minor effects on the overall health and survival rate of the affected individual. From the results obtained, it is concluded that the majority of analyzed lesions contain both fibromatous and papillomatous characteristics, and therefore we find the term fibropapillomatosis suitable to describe this condition. Systematic survey and detailed examination of papillomavirus induced neoplasms is necessary for better understanding of its epidemiology. MORPHOLOGICAL FEATURES OF PLAQUE LESION OF MYCOSIS FUNGOIDES
Phylogenetically Poor Plant Communities Receive More Alien Species, Which More Easily Coexist with Natives

Alien species can be a major threat to ecological communities, but we do not know why some community types allow the entry of many more alien species than do others. Here, for the first time, we suggest that evolutionary diversity inherent to the constituent species of a community may determine its present receptiveness to alien species. Using recent large databases from observational studies, we find robust evidence that assemblage of plant community types from few phylogenetic lineages (in plots without aliens) corresponds to higher receptiveness to aliens. Establishment of aliens in phylogenetically poor communities corresponds to increased phylogenetic dispersion of recipient communities and to coexistence with rather than replacement of natives. This coexistence between natives and distantly related aliens in recipient communities of low phylogenetic dispersion may reflect patterns of trait assembly. In communities without aliens, low phylogenetic dispersion corresponds to increased dispersion of most traits, and establishment of aliens corresponds to increased trait concentration. We conclude that if quantified across the tree of life, high biodiversity correlates with decreasing receptiveness to aliens. Low phylogenetic biodiversity, in contrast, facilitates coexistence between natives and aliens even if they share similar trait states.
Evaluation of tricuspid valve regurgitation following laser lead extraction†

OBJECTIVES The objective of this study was to examine the effect of laser lead extraction (LLE) on the development of post-procedural tricuspid regurgitation (TR). Some reports have suggested an increase in TR associated with LLE. We present a series of patients who underwent both, LLE and complete echocardiographic evaluation for TR. METHODS A single centre analysis of consecutive patients referred for LLE between January 2012 and August 2015. One hundred and three patients had tricuspid valve function evaluated before the procedure with a transthoracic echocardiography (TTE), during the procedure using transoesophageal echocardiography and postoperatively using a TTE. TR was graded from 0 (none) to 4 (severe). RESULTS We treated 235 leads in 103 patients, including 118 ventricular leads. Seventy-seven were male (74.8%) and 26 female (25.2%), with a mean age of 65.6 ± 15.4 years. Mean time from initial lead implantation was 98.0 ± 67.3 months. Twenty-one patients (20.4%) had ejection fraction below 30%. No intra-procedural worsening of tricuspid valve function was seen with TEE in any of the patients. Ten patients (9.7%) were found to have TR before LLE that returned to normal valve function after the procedure. Two patients (1.9%) experienced mild TR after the procedure (both with tricuspid valve endocarditis). Ninety-one patients (88.3%) did not experience any significant change of the tricuspid valve function after LLE. CONCLUSION Transthoracic and transoesophageal echocardiography findings showed that laser lead extraction was not associated with a significant increase in the incidence of tricuspid valve regurgitation.
Inferring Students' Sense of Community from Their Communication Behavior in Online Courses

Sense of community is regarded as the reflection of students' feelings of connectedness with community members and commonality of learning expectations and goals. In online courses, sense of community has been proven to influence students' learning engagement and academic performance. Low sense of community is also one of the reasons for drop out. However, existing studies mainly acquire students' sense of community via questionnaires, which demand user efforts and have difficulty in obtaining real-time feeling during students' learning process. In addition, although communication is helpful to enhance students' sense of community, little work has empirically compared the impact of different online communication tools. In this paper, we are motivated to derive students' sense of community from their communication behavior in online courses. Concretely, we first identify a set of features that are significantly correlated with students' sense of community, which not only include their activities carried out in both synchronous and asynchronous online learning environment, but also their linguistic content in conversational texts. We then develop inference model to unify these features for determining students' sense of community, and find that LASSO performs the best in terms of inference accuracy.
Predicting the establishment success of introduced target species in grassland restoration by functional traits

Abstract Species‐rich semi‐natural grasslands are highly endangered habitats in Central Europe and numerous restoration efforts have been made to compensate for the losses in the last decades. However, some plant species could become more easily established than others. The establishment success of 37 species was analyzed over 6 years at two study sites of a restoration project in Germany where hay transfer and sowing of threshing material in combination with additional sowing were applied. The effects of the restoration method applied, time since the restoration took place, traits related to germination, dispersal, and reproduction, and combinations of these traits on the establishment were analyzed. While the specific restoration method of how seeds were transferred played a subordinate role, the establishment success depended in particular on traits such as flower season or the lifeform. Species flowering in autumn, such as Pastinaca sativa and Serratula tinctoria, became established better than species flowering in other seasons, probably because they could complete their life cycle, resulting in increasingly stronger seed pressure with time. Geophytes, like Allium angulosum and Galium boreale, became established very poorly, but showed an increase with study duration. For various traits, we found significant trait by method and trait by year interactions, indicating that different traits promoted establishment under different conditions. Using a multi‐model approach, we tested whether traits acted in combination. For the first years and the last year, we found that models with three traits explained establishment success better than models with a single trait or two traits. While traits had only an additive effect on the establishment success in the first years, trait interactions became important thereafter. The most important trait was the season of flowering, which occurred in all best models from the third year onwards. Overall, our approach revealed the potential of functional trait analysis to predict success in restoration projects.
Estimation of direct and maternal genetic parameters for pre-weaning traits in the Asturiana de los Valles beef cattle breed through animal and sire models.

SUMMARY Estimates of variance components for birth weight, weaning weight and average daily gain were obtained comparing different animal and sire univariate models for an important local beef cattle breed. Problems encountered with models involving maternal effects were discussed. Direct and maternal heritabilities were respectively 0.32 and 0.13 for birth weight, 0.60 and 0.30 for weaning weight and 0.49 and 0.37 for average daily gain. The correlation between direct and maternal genetic effects was not important for birth weight, but high and negative for weaning weight (-0.73), and average daily gain (-0.87), in close agreement with the most recent estimates in other breeds. ZUSAMMENFASSUNG: Schätzung Direkter und Maternal-Genetischer Parameter von Kälbermerkmalen in der "Asturiana de los Valles'' Fleischrinderrasse mittels Tier- und Vatermodellen. Varianzkomponentenschätzungen für Geburtsgewicht, Absatzgewicht und Durchschnittstageszuwachs wurden zwischen verschiedenen univariablen Tier- und Vatermodellen bei dieser wichtigen lokalen Rinderrasse verglichen. Die durch Einbeziehung maternaler Wirkungen entstandenen Probleme werden diskutiert. Direkte und maternale Heritabilitätswerte sind für Geburtsgewicht 0.32 und 0.13, für Absatzgewicht 0.60 und 0.30 und für Durchschnittstageszuwachs 0.49 und 0.37. Die Korrelation zwischen direkten und maternalen Wirkungen war für Geburtsgewicht unwichtig, aber hoch negativ für Absatzgewicht (-0.73) und für Zuwachs (-0.87), was mit zahlreichen neueren Schätzungen übereinstimmt.
Prevalence and Socio-Demographic Determinants of Hypertension in Thi-Qar Governorate: A Household Survey

Objectives: To estimate the prevalence, subtypes, and socio-demographic determinants of hypertension among adults in Nassiriya city. Design, Setting, and Participants : A cross sectional household survey was carried out in Thi-Qar governorate, Southern Iraq, on 2148 adults from two areas in Nassiriya city, aged 18 years and above, recruited between 1 st of November 2012 and 31 st of 2014 using multistage sampling. Main Outcomes and Measures : Hypertensive patient was defined as an individual with self-reported treated hypertension or with an average of two blood pressure measurements of systolic blood pressure 140 and or diastolic blood pressure 90 mmHg or more. Questionnaire based interview was used to measure the determinants. Results : The overall prevalence of hypertension was 26.5% (19.1% were known hypertensives and 7.4% were unrecognized hypertensives). The prevalence of prehypertension was 58.0%. Of the recognized hypertensives, only 25.4% were with controlled blood pressure. The prevalence of isolated systolic and isolated diastolic blood pressure among the study population were 6.8% and 4.0% respectively. Significant independent association was found between age, family history of hypertension, education, type of the family, socioeconomic status and prevalence of hypertension. Conclusion: The prevalence of hypertension in Thi-Qar Governorate was high. This necessitates effective preventive and control measures.
Complications of awake fibreoptic intubation without sedation in 200 healthy anaesthetists attending a training course.

BACKGROUND Two hundred anaesthetists underwent airway endoscopy and attempted awake fibreoptic intubation (FOI) on a training course. Complications were recorded and each subject's response to the procedure was assessed. METHODS Topical airway local anaesthesia was produced with up to 9 mg kg(-1) of lidocaine, sedation was not used. Complications during and after the procedure were noted. Later, the subjects completed an anonymous questionnaire about anxiety, pain, coughing, and side-effects of lidocaine. RESULTS More than 1300 endoscopies were performed, 180 delegates were intubated, 175 by the nasal route and five orally. Intubation was abandoned in 20 (10%) subjects. Nasal bleeding occurred in 20 (10%) subjects. Symptoms that could be attributed to lidocaine were reported by 71 (36%) subjects. Afterwards, two (1%) subjects experienced rigors and one developed a lower respiratory tract infection. CONCLUSIONS Nasendoscopy and FOI under local anaesthesia are associated with complications, notably those of infection and airway trauma. Side-effects potentially attributable to lidocaine administration were commonly reported.
A new copper(II) coordination polymer containing chains of interconnected paddle-wheel antiferromagnetic clusters.

The construction of supramolecular architectures based on inorganic-organic coordination frameworks with weak noncovalent interactions has implications for the rational design of functional materials. A new crystalline binuclear copper(II) one-dimensional polymeric chain, namely catena-poly[[[tetrakis(μ-4-azaniumylbutanoato-κ2O:O')dicopper(II)(Cu-Cu)]-μ-chlorido-[diaquadichloridocopper(II)]-μ-chlorido] bis(perchlorate)], {[Cu3Cl4(C4H9NO2)4(H2O)2](ClO4)2}n, was obtained by the reaction of 4-aminobutyric acid (GABA) with CuCl2·2H2O in aqueous solution. The structure was established by single-crystal X-ray diffraction and was also characterized by IR spectroscopy and magnetic measurements. The crystal structure consists of [{Cu2(GABA)4}{CuCl4(H2O)2}]+ cations and isolated perchlorate anions. Two symmetry-related CuII centres are bridged via carboxylate O atoms into a classical paddle-wheel configuration, with a Cu.Cu distance of 2.643 (1) Å, while bridging Cl atoms complete the square-pyramidal geometry of the metal atoms. The Cl atoms connect the paddlewheel moieties to a second CuII atom lying on an octahedral site, resulting in infinite helical chains along the c axis. The packing motif exhibits channels containing free perchlorate anions. The crystal structure is stabilized by hydrogen bonds between the perchlorate anions, the coordinated water molecules and the ammonium groups of the polymeric chains. The magnetic analysis of the title compound indicates a nontrivial antiferromagnetic behaviour arising from alternating weak-strong antiferromagnetic coupling between neighbouring CuII centres.
Merge-Based Parallel Sparse Matrix-Vector Multiplication

We present a strictly balanced method for the parallel computation of sparse matrix-vector products (SpMV). Our algorithm operates directly upon the Compressed Sparse Row (CSR) sparse matrix format without preprocessing, inspection, reformatting, or supplemental encoding. Regardless of nonzero structure, our equitable 2D merge-based decomposition tightly bounds the workload assigned to each processing element. Furthermore, our technique is suitable for recursively partitioning CSR datasets themselves into multi-scale, distributed, NUMA, and GPU environments that are constrained by fixed-size local memories. We evaluate our method on both CPU and GPU microarchitectures across a very large corpus of diverse sparse matrix datasets. We show that traditional CsrMV methods are inconsistent performers, often subject to order-of-magnitude performance variation across similarly-sized datasets. In comparison, our method provides predictable performance that is substantially uncorrelated to the distribution of nonzeros among rows and broadly improves upon that of current CsrMV methods.
SPECIALTHEME Business engagement on Twitter : a path analysis

Social media services, such as Twitter, enable commercial businesses to participate actively in online wordof-mouth communication. In this project, we examined the potential influences of business engagement in online wordof-mouth communication on the level of consumers’ engagement and investigated the trajectories of a business’ online word-of-mouth message diffusion in the Twitter community. We used path analysis to examine 164,478 tweets from 96,725 individual Twitter users with regards to nine brands during a 5-week study period. We operationalized business engagement as the amount of online word-of-mouth messages from brand and the number of consumers the brand follows. We operationalized consumers’ engagement as the number of online word-of-mouth messages from consumers both connecting to the brand and having no connection with the brand as well as the number of consumers following the brand. We concluded that the business engagement on Twitter relates directly to consumers’ engagement with online wordof-mouth communication. In addition, retweeting, as an explicit way to show consumers’ response to business engagement, indicates that the influence only reaches consumers with a second-degree relationship to the brand and that the life cycle of a tweet is generally 1.5 to 4 hours at most. Our research has critical implications in terms of advancing the understanding of the business’s role in the online word-ofmouth communication and bringing insight to the analytics of social networks and online word-of-mouth message diffusion patterns.
An Automatic Gait Feature Extraction Method for Identifying Gait Asymmetry Using Wearable Sensors

This paper aims to assess the use of Inertial Measurement Unit (IMU) sensors to identify gait asymmetry by extracting automatic gait features. We design and develop an android app to collect real time synchronous IMU data from legs. The results from our method are validated using a Qualisys Motion Capture System. The data are collected from 10 young and 10 older subjects. Each performed a trial in a straight corridor comprising 15 strides of normal walking, a turn around and another 15 strides. We analyse the data for total distance, total time, total velocity, stride, step, cadence, step ratio, stance, and swing. The accuracy of detecting the stride number using the proposed method is 100% for young and 92.67% for older subjects. The accuracy of estimating travelled distance using the proposed method for young subjects is 97.73% and 98.82% for right and left legs; and for the older, is 88.71% and 89.88% for right and left legs. The average travelled distance is 37.77 (95% CI ± 3.57) meters for young subjects and is 22.50 (95% CI ± 2.34) meters for older subjects. The average travelled time for young subjects is 51.85 (95% CI ± 3.08) seconds and for older subjects is 84.02 (95% CI ± 9.98) seconds. The results show that wearable sensors can be used for identifying gait asymmetry without the requirement and expense of an elaborate laboratory setup. This can serve as a tool in diagnosing gait abnormalities in individuals and opens the possibilities for home based self-gait asymmetry assessment.