Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Overlooked Mountain Rock Pools in Deserts Are Critical Local Hotspots of Biodiversity

Background The world is undergoing exceptional biodiversity loss. Most conservation efforts target biodiversity hotspots at large scales. Such approach overlooks small-sized local hotspots, which may be rich in endemic and highly threatened species. We explore the importance of mountain rock pools (gueltas) as local biodiversity hotspots in the Sahara-Sahel. Specifically, we considered how many vertebrates (total and endemics) use gueltas, what factors predict species richness, and which gueltas are of most priority for conservation. We expected to provide management recommendations, improve local biodiversity conservation, and simultaneously contribute with a framework for future enhancement of local communities’ economy. The identification of local hotspots of biodiversity is important for revaluating global conservation priorities. Methodology/Principal Findings We quantified the number of vertebrate species from each taxonomic group and endemics present in 69 gueltas in Mauritania, then compared these with species present in a surrounding area and recorded in the country. We evaluated the predictors of species number’s present in each guelta through a multiple regression model. We ranked gueltas by their priority for conservation taking into account the percentage of endemics and threats to each guelta. Within a mere aggregate extent of 43 ha, gueltas hold about 32% and 78% of the total taxa analysed and endemics of Mauritania, respectively. The number of species present in each guelta increased with the primary productivity and area of gueltas and occurrence of permanent water. Droughts and human activities threaten gueltas, while 64% of them are currently unprotected. Conclusion/Significance Gueltas are crucial for local biodiversity conservation and human activities. They require urgent management plans in Mauritania’s mountains. They could provide refugia under climate change being important for long-term conservation of Sahara-Sahel biodiversity. Given their disproportional importance in relation to their size, they are local hotspots of biodiversity deserving global attention.
Factors affecting e‐government adoption in Pakistan: a citizen's perspective

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to explore the factors that enable end‐user adoption of e‐government services in Pakistan, where these facilities are at a rudimentary stage.Design/methodology/approach – Following previous research on e‐government services adoption, this study employs the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT) model to examine the influential factors of the adoption and use of e‐government services in Pakistan from a citizen perspective. An online survey was conducted and a statistical descriptive analysis was performed on the responses received from 115 Pakistani citizens.Findings – In line with previous research, the findings show that performance expectancy, effort expectancy, facilitating conditions and social influence are the factors that affect the user's adoption of e‐government services in Pakistan. Furthermore, the results show that lack of awareness, user data privacy, lack of appropriate support and assistance hamper the process.Practical implications.
Atrial Fibrillation Complicated by Heart Failure Induces Distinct Remodeling of Calcium Cycling Proteins

Atrial fibrillation (AF) and heart failure (HF) are two of the most common cardiovascular diseases. They often coexist and account for significant morbidity and mortality. Alterations in cellular Ca2+ homeostasis play a critical role in AF initiation and maintenance. This study was designed to specifically elucidate AF-associated remodeling of atrial Ca2+ cycling in the presence of mild HF. AF was induced in domestic pigs by atrial burst pacing. The animals underwent electrophysiologic and echocardiographic examinations. Ca2+ handling proteins were analyzed in right atrial tissue obtained from pigs with AF (day 7; n = 5) and compared to sinus rhythm (SR) controls (n = 5). During AF, animals exhibited reduction of left ventricular ejection fraction (from 73% to 58%) and prolonged atrial refractory periods. AF and HF were associated with suppression of protein kinase A (PKA)RII (-62%) and Ca2+-calmodulin-dependent kinase II (CaMKII) δ by 37%, without changes in CaMKIIδ autophosphorylation. We further detected downregulation of L-type calcium channel (LTCC) subunit α2 (-75%), sarcoplasmic reticulum Ca2+-ATPase (Serca) 2a (-29%), phosphorylated phospholamban (Ser16, -92%; Thr17, -70%), and phospho-ryanodine receptor 2 (RyR2) (Ser2808, -62%). Na+-Ca2+ exchanger (NCX) levels were upregulated (+473%), whereas expression of Ser2814-phosphorylated RyR2 and LTCCα1c subunits was not significantly altered. In conclusion, AF produced distinct arrhythmogenic remodeling of Ca2+ handling in the presence of tachycardia-induced mild HF that is different from AF without structural alterations. The changes may provide a starting point for personalized approaches to AF treatment.
The 2140 cm−1 (4.673 microns) Solid CO Band: The Case for Interstellar O2 and N2 and the Photochemistry of Nonpolar Interstellar Ice Analogs

The infrared spectra of CO frozen in nonpolar ices containing N2, CO2, O2, and H2O and the UV photochemistry of these interstellar/precometary ice analogs are reported. The spectra are used to test the hypothesis that the narrow 2140 cm-1 (4.673 μm) interstellar absorption feature attributed to solid CO might be produced by CO frozen in ices containing nonpolar species such as N2 and O2. It is shown that mixed molecular ices containing CO, N2, O2, and CO2 provide a good match to the interstellar band at all temperatures between 12 and 30 K both before and after photolysis. The optical constants (real and imaginary parts of the index of refraction) in the region of the solid CO feature are reported for several of these ices. The N2 and O2 absorptions at 2328 cm-1 (4.296 μm) and 1549 cm-1 (6.456 μm), respectively, are also shown. The best matches between the narrow interstellar band and the feature in the laboratory spectra of nonpolar ices are for samples which contain comparable amounts of N2, O2, CO2, and CO. Co-adding the CO band from an N2:O2:CO2:CO=1:5::1 ice with that of an H2O:CO = 20:1 ice provides an excellent fit across the entire interstellar CO feature. The four-component, nonpolar ice accounts for the narrow 2140 cm-1 portion of the feature which is associated with quiescent regions of dense molecular clouds. Using this mixture, and applying the most recent cosmic abundance values, we derive that between 15% and 70% of the available interstellar N is in the form of frozen N2 along several lines of sight toward background stars. This is reduced to a range of 1%-30% for embedded objects with lines of sight more dominated by warmer grains. The cosmic abundance of O tied up in frozen O2 lies in the 10%-45% range toward background sources, and it is between 1% and 20% toward embedded objects. The amount of oxygen tied up in CO and CO2 frozen in nonpolar ices can be as much as 2%-10% toward background sources and on the order of 0.2%-5% for embedded objects. Similarly 3%-13% of the carbon is tied up in CO and CO2 frozen in nonpolar ices toward field stars, and 0.2%-6% toward embedded objects. These numbers imply that most of the N is in N2, and a significant fraction of the available O is in O2 in the most quiescent regions of dense clouds. Ultraviolet photolysis of these ices produces a variety of photoproducts including CO2, N2O, O3, CO3, HCO, H2CO, and possibly NO and NO2. XCN is not produced in these experiments, placing important constraints on the origin of the enigmatic interstellar XCN feature. N2O and CO3 have not been previously considered as interstellar ice components.
Fast Sorted-Set Intersection using SIMD Instructions

In this paper, we focus on sorted-set intersection which is an important part in many algorithms, e.g., RID-list inter-section, inverted indexes, and others. In contrast to traditional scalar sorted-set intersection algorithms that try to reduce the number of comparisons, we propose a parallel algorithm that relies on speculative execution of comparisons. In general, our algorithm requires more comparisons but less instructions than scalar algorithms that translates into a better overall speed. We achieve this by utilizing ef-ﬁcient single-instruction-multiple-data (SIMD) instructions that are available in many processors. We provide diﬀerent sorted-set intersection algorithms for diﬀerent integer data types. We propose versions that use uncompressed integer values as input and output as well as a version that uses a tailor-made data layout for even faster intersections. In our experiments, we achieve speedups up to 5 . 3x compared to popular fast scalar algorithms.
Dissection of the high rate constant for the binding of a ribotoxin to the ribosome

Restrictocin belongs to a family of site-specific ribonucleases that kill cells by inactivating the ribosome. The restrictocin–ribosome binding rate constant was observed to exceed 1010 M−1 s−1. We have developed a transient-complex theory to model the binding rates of protein–protein and protein–RNA complexes. The theory predicts the rate constant as ka = ka0 exp(−ΔGel*/kBT), where ka0 is the basal rate constant for reaching the transient complex, located at the outer boundary of the bound state, by random diffusion, and ΔGel* is the average electrostatic interaction free energy of the transient complex. Here, we applied the transient-complex theory to dissect the high restrictocin–ribosome binding rate constant. We found that the binding rate of restrictocin to the isolated sarcin/ricin loop is electrostatically enhanced by ≈300-fold, similar to results found in other protein–protein and protein–RNA complexes. The ribosome provides an additional 10,000-fold rate enhancement because of two synergistic mechanisms afforded by the distal regions of the ribosome. First, they provide additional electrostatic attraction with restrictocin. Second, they reposition the transient complex into a region where local electrostatic interactions of restrictocin with the sarcin/ricin loop are particularly favorable. Our calculations rationalize a host of experimental observations and identify a strategy for designing proteins that bind their targets with high speed.
Stars and Misfits: Self-Employment and Labor Market Frictions

Recent evidence has shown that entrants into self-employment are disproportionately drawn from the tails of the earnings and ability distributions. This observation is explained by a multitask model of occupational choice in which frictions in the labor market induce mismatches between firms and workers, and misassignment of workers to tasks. The model also yields distinctive predictions relating prior work histories to earnings and to the probability of entry into self-employment. These predictions are tested with the Korean Labor and Income Panel Study, from which we find considerable support for the model. This paper was accepted by Lee Fleming, entrepreneurship and innovation.
Effect of antihypertensive agents - captopril and nifedipine - on the functional properties of rat heart mitochondria

Objective(s): Investigation of acute effect on cellular bioenergetics provides the opportunity to characterize the possible adverse effects of drugs more comprehensively. This study aimed to investigate the changes in biochemical and biophysical properties of heart mitochondria induced by captopril and nifedipine antihypertensive treatment. Materials and Methods: Male, 12-week-old Wistar rats in two experimental models (in vivo and in vitro) were used. In four groups, the effects of escalating doses of captopril, nifedipine and combination of captopril + nifedipine added to the incubation medium (in vitro) or administered per os to rat (in vivo) on mitochondrial ATP synthase activity and membrane fluidity were monitored. Results: In the in vitro model we observed a significant inhibitory effect of treatment on the ATP synthase activity (P<0.05) with nonsignificant differences in membrane fluidity. Decrease in the value of maximum reaction rate Vmax (P<0.05) without any change in the value of Michaelis-Menten constant Km, indicative of a noncompetitive inhibition, was presented. At the in vivo level, we did not demonstrate any significant changes in the ATP synthase activity and the membrane fluidity in rats receiving captopril, nifedipine, and combined therapy. Conclusion: In vitro kinetics study revealed that antihypertensive drugs (captopril and nifedipine) directly interact with mitochondrial ATP synthase. In vivo experiment did not prove any acute effect on myocardial bioenergetics and suggest that drugs do not enter cardiomyocyte and have no direct effect on mitochondria.
Morphological changes in small pulmonary vessels are associated with severe acute exacerbation in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease

Background Pulmonary vascular remodeling is essential for understanding the pathogenesis of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). The total cross-sectional area (CSA) of small pulmonary vessels has been reported to correlate with the pulmonary artery pressure, and this technique has enabled the assessment of pulmonary vascular involvements. We investigated the contribution of morphological alterations in the pulmonary vessels to severe acute exacerbation of COPD (AE-COPD). Methods This study enrolled 81 patients with COPD and 28 non-COPD subjects as control and assessed the percentage of CSA (%CSA) less than 5 mm2 (%CSA<5) and %CSA in the range of 5–10 mm2 (%CSA5–10) on high-resolution computed tomography images. Results Compared with the non-COPD subjects, the COPD patients had lower %CSA<5. %CSA<5 was positively correlated with airflow limitation and negatively correlated with the extent of emphysema. COPD patients with lower %CSA<5 showed significantly increased incidences of severe AE-COPD (Gray’s test; P=0.011). Furthermore, lower %CSA<5 was significantly associated with severe AE-COPD (hazard ratio, 2.668; 95% confidence interval, 1.225–5.636; P=0.010). Conclusion %CSA<5 was associated with an increased risk of severe AE-COPD. The distal pruning of the small pulmonary vessels is a part of the risk associated with AE-COPD, and %CSA<5 might be a surrogate marker for predicting AE-COPD.
A-CCNN: Adaptive CCNN for Density Estimation and Crowd Counting

Crowd counting, for estimating the number of people in a crowd using vision-based computer techniques, has attracted much interest in the research community. Although many attempts have been reported, real-world problems, such as huge variation in subjects' sizes in images and serious occlusion among people, make it still a challenging problem. In this paper, we propose an Adaptive Counting Convolutional Neural Network (A-CCNN) and consider the scale variation of objects in a frame adaptively so as to improve the accuracy of counting. Our method takes advantages of contextual information to provide more accurate and adaptive density maps and crowd counting in a scene. Extensively experimental evaluation is conducted using different benchmark datasets for object-counting and shows that the proposed approach is effective and outperforms state-of-the-art approaches.
Uncertain Set Theory and Uncertain Inference Rule with Application to Uncertain Control

Uncertain set theory is a generalization of uncertainty theory to the domain of uncertain sets. This paper will introduce some concepts of uncertain set, membership degree, membership function, uncertainty distribution, independence, expected value, critical values, Hausdorfi distance, and conditional uncertainty. This paper will also propose an uncertain inference rule that derives consequences from uncertain knowledge or evidence via the tool of conditional uncertain set. Finally, an uncertain system will be presented and applied to uncertain inference control. c
Default Mode Network Connectivity as a Function of Familial and Environmental Risk for Psychotic Disorder

Background Research suggests that altered interregional connectivity in specific networks, such as the default mode network (DMN), is associated with cognitive and psychotic symptoms in schizophrenia. In addition, frontal and limbic connectivity alterations have been associated with trauma, drug use and urban upbringing, though these environmental exposures have never been examined in relation to DMN functional connectivity in psychotic disorder. Methods Resting-state functional MRI scans were obtained from 73 patients with psychotic disorder, 83 non-psychotic siblings of patients with psychotic disorder and 72 healthy controls. Posterior cingulate cortex (PCC) seed-based correlation analysis was used to estimate functional connectivity within the DMN. DMN functional connectivity was examined in relation to group (familial risk), group × environmental exposure (to cannabis, developmental trauma and urbanicity) and symptomatology. Results There was a significant association between group and PCC connectivity with the inferior parietal lobule (IPL), the precuneus (PCu) and the medial prefrontal cortex (MPFC). Compared to controls, patients and siblings had increased PCC connectivity with the IPL, PCu and MPFC. In the IPL and PCu, the functional connectivity of siblings was intermediate to that of controls and patients. No significant associations were found between DMN connectivity and (subclinical) psychotic/cognitive symptoms. In addition, there were no significant interactions between group and environmental exposures in the model of PCC functional connectivity. Discussion Increased functional connectivity in individuals with (increased risk for) psychotic disorder may reflect trait-related network alterations. The within-network “connectivity at rest” intermediate phenotype was not associated with (subclinical) psychotic or cognitive symptoms. The association between familial risk and DMN connectivity was not conditional on environmental exposure.
S malaria vaccine development : progress and considerations for postapproval

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Visualisation and 'diagnostic classifiers' reveal how recurrent and recursive neural networks process hierarchical structure

We investigate how neural networks can learn and process languages with hierarchical, compositional semantics. To this end, we define the artificial task of processing nested arithmetic expressions, and study whether different types of neural networks can learn to compute their meaning. We find that recursive neural networks can find a generalising solution to this problem, and we visualise this solution by breaking it up in three steps: project, sum and squash. As a next step, we investigate recurrent neural networks, and show that a gated recurrent unit, that processes its input incrementally, also performs very well on this task. To develop an understanding of what the recurrent network encodes, visualisation techniques alone do not suffice. Therefore, we develop an approach where we formulate and test multiple hypotheses on the information encoded and processed by the network. For each hypothesis, we derive predictions about features of the hidden state representations at each time step, and train 'diagnostic classifiers' to test those predictions. Our results indicate that the networks follow a strategy similar to our hypothesised 'cumulative strategy', which explains the high accuracy of the network on novel expressions, the generalisation to longer expressions than seen in training, and the mild deterioration with increasing length. This is turn shows that diagnostic classifiers can be a useful technique for opening up the black box of neural networks. We argue that diagnostic classification, unlike most visualisation techniques, does scale up from small networks in a toy domain, to larger and deeper recurrent networks dealing with real-life data, and may therefore contribute to a better understanding of the internal dynamics of current state-of-the-art models in natural language processing.
Detection of dynamically varying ITDs

Humans are highly sensitive to Interaural Time Differences (ITDs) in stimuli presented via headphones. For broadband noise stimuli of long durations, ITD detection thresholds can be as low as 10 to 15 μs. When the stimulus duration is shortened, thresholds increase by about a factor 2 for a tenfold decrease in duration. ITD thresholds also increase, when the probe carrying an ITD is surrounded by diotic fringes. When a 5-ms probe is combined with preceding or trailing fringes, the effect of a fringe preceding the probe is stronger than that of a trailing fringe for fringe durations < 35 ms. The effect of fringes surrounding the probe is equal to the addition of the effects of the individual fringes. In this contribution, we present behavioral data for the same experimental condition, called dynamically varying ITD detection, but for a wider range of probe and fringe durations. Probe durations varied between 5 and 400 ms, and fringe durations had values of 5, 20, 100 or 200 ms. In contrast to earlier ndings, we observed for most duration combinations a stronger effect of the trailing fringe than of the preceding fringe. For these congurations, the effect of surrounding fringes was dominated by the trailing fringe. Only for the combination of 5-ms fringes with 5-ms probes did we see the clear dominance of the preceding fringe. These results are not easy to align with the concept of onset emphasis often used to explain binaural localization data for short stimuli. In fact the data seem to be difcult to predict with a purely signal-driven model of perception and thus form an interesting challenge for modeling human localization.
Plasma metabolomic biomarkers accurately classify acute mild traumatic brain injury from controls

Past and recent attempts at devising objective biomarkers for traumatic brain injury (TBI) in both blood and cerebrospinal fluid have focused on abundance measures of time-dependent proteins. Similar independent determinants would be most welcome in diagnosing the most common form of TBI, mild TBI (mTBI), which remains difficult to define and confirm based solely on clinical criteria. There are currently no consensus diagnostic measures that objectively define individuals as having sustained an acute mTBI. Plasma metabolomic analyses have recently evolved to offer an alternative to proteomic analyses, offering an orthogonal diagnostic measure to what is currently available. The purpose of this study was to determine whether a developed set of metabolomic biomarkers is able to objectively classify college athletes sustaining mTBI from non-injured teammates, within 6 hours of trauma and whether such a biomarker panel could be effectively applied to an independent cohort of TBI and control subjects. A 6-metabolite panel was developed from biomarkers that had their identities confirmed using tandem mass spectrometry (MS/MS) in our Athlete cohort. These biomarkers were defined at ≤6 hours following mTBI and objectively classified mTBI athletes from teammate controls, and provided similar classification of these groups at the 2, 3, and 7 days post-mTBI. The same 6-metabolite panel, when applied to a separate, independent cohort provided statistically similar results despite major differences between the two cohorts. Our confirmed plasma biomarker panel objectively classifies acute mTBI cases from controls within 6 hours of injury in our two independent cohorts. While encouraged by our initial results, we expect future studies to expand on these initial observations.