Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Spatial Biodiversity Patterns of Madagascar's Amphibians and Reptiles

Madagascar has become a model region for testing hypotheses of species diversification and biogeography, and many studies have focused on its diverse and highly endemic herpetofauna. Here we combine species distribution models of a near-complete set of species of reptiles and amphibians known from the island with body size data and a tabulation of herpetofaunal communities from field surveys, compiled up to 2008. Though taxonomic revisions and novel distributional records arose since compilation, we are confident that the data are appropriate for inferring and comparing biogeographic patterns among these groups of organisms. We observed species richness of both amphibians and reptiles was highest in the humid rainforest biome of eastern Madagascar, but reptiles also show areas of high richness in the dry and subarid western biomes. In several amphibian subclades, especially within the Mantellidae, species richness peaks in the central eastern geographic regions while in reptiles different subclades differ distinctly in their richness centers. A high proportion of clades and subclades of both amphibians and reptiles have a peak of local endemism in the topographically and bioclimatically diverse northern geographic regions. This northern area is roughly delimited by a diagonal spanning from 15.5°S on the east coast to ca. 15.0°S on the west coast. Amphibian diversity is highest at altitudes between 800–1200 m above sea-level whereas reptiles have their highest richness at low elevations, probably reflecting the comparatively large number of species specialized to the extended low-elevation areas in the dry and subarid biomes. We found that the range sizes of both amphibians and reptiles strongly correlated with body size, and differences between the two groups are explained by the larger body sizes of reptiles. However, snakes have larger range sizes than lizards which cannot be readily explained by their larger body sizes alone. Range filling, i.e., the amount of suitable habitat occupied by a species, is less expressed in amphibians than in reptiles, possibly reflecting their lower dispersal capacity. Taxonomic composition of communities assessed by field surveys is largely explained by bioclimatic regions, with communities from the dry and especially subarid biomes distinctly differing from humid and subhumid biomes.
High Frequency Electrocardiography of Three Orthogonal Leads in Dogs During a Coronary Artery Occlusion

The ability to detect cardiac ischemia in dogs was studied using high frequency electrocardiography and signal averaging technique. Ischemia was induced via a balloon occluding cuff placed around the left anterior descending coronary artery. Three surface orthogonal bipolar leads (X, Y, and Z) were recorded prior to inflation of the occluding cuff. The cuff was then inflated, causing a complete occlusion of the coronary artery. The surface electrocardiogram was recorded before and during ligation and during reperfusion. The recorded waveforms were divided info sequential 10–15 second segments representing diferent stages of the ischemic state and were aligned using cross‐correlation scheme, averaged and band pass filtered between 150–250 Hz. Analysis of the filtered high frequency QRS complexes revealed that coronary ligation was accompanied by changes in waveform morphology including the appearance of zones of reduced amplitude. In seven out of ten experiments reduced amplitude zones were absent before the ligation, present during the occlusion and absent following reperfusion. In two experiments, reduced amplitude zones that were present prior to ligation became wider during occlusion. In one experiment no reduced amplitude zone was present during any stage of the experiment. Such zones may represent slow conduction in regions of the heart rendered ischemia during coronary Iigation. Therefore, the morphology of the high frequency QRS complex, as determined by analysis of the signal averaged electrocardiogram, may provide useful information regarding the presence of myocardial ischemia.
Ferredoxins from two sulfonylurea herbicide monooxygenase systems in Streptomyces griseolus.

We have purified and characterized two ferredoxins, designated Fd-1 and Fd-2, from the soluble protein fraction of sulfonylurea herbicide induced Streptomyces griseolus. These cells have previously been shown to contain two inducible cytochromes P-450, P-450SU1 (CYP105A1) and P-450SU2 (CYP105B1), responsible for herbicide metabolism [O'Keefe, D. P., Romesser, J. A. , & Leto, K. J. (1988) Arch. Microbiol. 149, 406-412]. Although Fd-2 is more effective, either ferredoxin can restore sulfonylurea monooxygenase activity to an aerobic mixture of NADPH, spinach ferredoxin:NADP oxidoreductase, purified cytochrome P-450SU1, and herbicide substrate. The gene for Fd-1 is located in the genome just downstream of the gene for cytochrome P-450SU1; the gene for Fd-2 follows the gene for P-450SU2. The deduced amino acid sequences of the two ferredoxins show that, if monomeric, each has a molecular mass of approximately 7 kDa, and alignment of the two sequences demonstrates that they are approximately 52% positionally identical. The spectroscopic properties and iron and acid-labile sulfide contents of both ferredoxins suggest that, as isolated, each contains a single [3Fe-4S] cluster. The presence of only three cysteines in Fd-1 and comparisons with three [4Fe-4S] ferredoxins with high sequence similarity suggest that both Fd-1 and Fd-2 have an alanine in the position where these [4Fe-4S] proteins have a fourth cysteine ligand to the cluster. Transformation of Streptomyces lividans, a strain unable to metabolize sulfonylureas, with DNA encoding both P-450SU1 and Fd-1 results in cells capable of herbicide metabolism. S. lividans transformants encoding only cytochrome P-450SU1 do not metabolize herbicide. (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Modeling volatility of the French stock market

This paper aims to investigate the volatility of the French stock market using the CAC40 index on daily and monthly frequencies. For this purpose, we use linear and nonlinear ARCH models to check whether the magnitude of volatility can be explained by data frequency and cyclical nonlinearity. Our findings reveal that the EGARCH model outperforms the TGARCH model in capturing volatility for both daily and monthly data.
TGF-beta 3-mediated tissue interaction during embryonic heart development.

A critical process during early heart development is the formation of mesenchymal cells which will contribute to valves and septa of the mature heart. These cells arise by an epithelial-mesenchymal transformation of endothelial cells in the atrioventricular (AV) canal and outflow tract areas of the heart. Adjacent endothelial cells in the atrium and ventricle remain epithelial. A three-dimensional collagen gel culture system has been exploited to examine the interactions that mediate this transformation. The AV canal myocardium produces a stimulus that is transmitted through an intervening extracellular matrix to the AV canal endothelium. This interaction is regionally specific, such that ventricular myocardium does not provide an adequate stimulus and ventricular endothelium does not respond to the AV canal myocardial stimulus. Exogenous TGF-beta 1 (or TGF-beta 2) can complement ventricular myocardium to produce transformation by AV canal endothelium. A blocking antibody, effective against several TGF-beta, prevents cell transformation. To identify the specific member of the TGF-beta family that functions in situ, antisense oligonucleotides for each of the numbered TGF-beta were topically added to AV canal explant cultures. Only the oligonucleotide targeted to TGF-beta 3 was an effective inhibitor of mesenchymal cell formation. Studies have been undertaken to localize specific mRNas by in situ hybridization and RNase protection assays. These assays have concentrated on the regional and temporal appearance of TGF-beta 2 and 3. Surprisingly, RNase protection assays with a TGF-beta 3 sense probe showed the presence of a transcript complementary to TGF-beta 3. (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Distinct Ex Vivo Susceptibility of B-Cell Subsets to Epstein-Barr Virus Infection According to Differentiation Status and Tissue Origin

ABSTRACT Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) uses tonsils as the portal of entry to establish persistent infection. EBV is found in various B-cell subsets in tonsils but exclusively in memory B cells in peripheral blood. The in vitro susceptibilities of B-cell subsets to EBV infection have been studied solely qualitatively. In this work, we examined quantitatively the in vitro susceptibilities of various B-cell subsets from different tissue origins to EBV infection. First, we established a centrifugation-based inoculation protocol (spinoculation) that resulted in a significantly increased proportion of infected cells compared to that obtained by conventional inoculation, enabling a detailed susceptibility analysis. Importantly, B-cell infection occurred via the known EBV receptors and infected cells showed EBV mRNA expression patterns similar to those observed after conventional inoculation, validating our approach. Tonsillar naïve and memory B cells were infected ex vivo at similar frequencies. In contrast, memory B cells from blood, which represent B cells from various lymphoid tissues, were infected at lower frequencies than their naïve counterparts. Immunoglobulin A (IgA)-positive or IgG-positive tonsillar memory B cells were significantly more susceptible to EBV infection than IgM-positive counterparts. Memory B cells were transformed with lower efficiency than naïve B cells. This result was paralleled by lower proliferation rates. In summary, these data suggest that EBV exploits the B-cell differentiation status and tissue origin to establish persistent infection.
PixelGAN Autoencoders

In this paper, we describe the "PixelGAN autoencoder", a generative autoencoder in which the generative path is a convolutional autoregressive neural network on pixels (PixelCNN) that is conditioned on a latent code, and the recognition path uses a generative adversarial network (GAN) to impose a prior distribution on the latent code. We show that different priors result in different decompositions of information between the latent code and the autoregressive decoder. For example, by imposing a Gaussian distribution as the prior, we can achieve a global vs. local decomposition, or by imposing a categorical distribution as the prior, we can disentangle the style and content information of images in an unsupervised fashion. We further show how the PixelGAN autoencoder with a categorical prior can be directly used in semi-supervised settings and achieve competitive semi-supervised classification results on the MNIST, SVHN and NORB datasets.
Comparative evaluation of Melissa officinalis L., Tilia europaea L., Passiflora edulis Sims. and Hypericum perforatum L. in the elevated plus maze anxiety test.

There are numerous plants that have been used for their 'tranquillising' properties in Portuguese folk medicine. This report will describe a comparative analysis of the effects of Melissa officinalis L. , Tilia europaea L. , Passiflora edulis Sims. and Hypericum perforatum L. on the performance of mice in the elevated plus maze, open-field, and horizontal-wire tests. We have tested lyophilised aqueous extracts with doses ranging from 5-100 mg/kg prepared according to traditional folk medicine. The results indicate that Hypericum perforatum L. and Tilia europaea L. induced significant raise in immobility time, diminution of rearing and other parameters, suggesting a clear sedative effect at doses ranging from 10-100 mg/kg. Below these doses, Tilia europaea L. did not induce any significant change in the tests mentioned, while Hypericum perforatum L. (5 mg/kg) increased the time spent in the open areas of the elevated plus maze and the percentage of unprotected head-dips and stretch-approach postures, thus indicating an anxiolytic effect. For this dose, there were no significant changes in motor activity as measured by classical parameters for the tests used. As the infused H. perforatum L. tested was devoid of hyperforin, it can be stated that the observed effects cannot be attributed to this substance.
Antiangiogenesis efficacy of nitric oxide donors

Angiogenesis is a complex process involving endothelial cell migration, proliferation, invasion, and tube formation. Inhibition of these processes might have implications in various angiogenesis‐mediated disorders. Because nitric oxide (NO) is known to play a key role in various vascular diseases, the present study was undertaken to determine the role of NO in angiogenesis‐mediated processes using the NO donor, S‐nitroso N‐acetyl penicillamine (SNAP) and S‐nitroso N‐acetyl glutathione (SNAG). The antiangiogenic efficacy of these NO donors was examined using in vivo and in vitro model systems. The in vitro studies demonstrated the ability of SNAP to inhibit cytokine fibroblast growth factor (FGF2)‐stimulated tube formation and serum‐induced cell proliferation. The inhibitory effect on cell proliferation by SNAP concentrations above the millimolar range was associated with significant shifts in the concentration of NO metabolites. Furthermore, using the mouse Matrigel implant model and the chick chorioallantoic membrane (CAM) models, SNAP demonstrated maximal inhibitory efficacy (85–95% inhibition) of cytokine (FGF2)‐induced neovascularization in both in vivo models. SNAP and SNAG resulted in 85% inhibition of FGF2‐induced neovascularization in the mouse Matrigel model when given at 5 mg/kg/day infusion in minipumps during 14 days and 87% inhibition of angiogenesis induced by FGF2 in the CAM when administered a single dose of 50 μg. Thus, NO donors might be a useful tool for the inhibition of angiogenesis associated with human tumor growth, or neovascular, ocular, and inflammatory diseases. J. Cell. Biochem. 80:104–114, 2000. © 2000 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Automated detection of user deception in on-line questionnaires with focus on eye tracking use

On-line questionnaires are today widely used for various tasks, from census data collection to knowledge testing in job interviews. However, there is currently no automated system that can help us decide if the answers from the questionnaires are reliable or estimate how reliable the are. Deception is a part of everyday human behavior and deception is also present when answering on-line questionnaires. People are trying to make themselves look better or are just withholding information for malicious reasons. In our paper we present a method for automatic prediction of honesty for answers in a questionnaire. We demonstrate that by using new technologies like eye-tracking, we can create an automated system which can help us estimate reliability and truthfulness of the answers from on-line questionnaires. In our paper we have proposed and evaluated several metrics that can be used for automated detection of user deception in on-line questionnaires and we have also created and tested our first automated system for deception detection, based on these metrics.
Co-infection with Onchocerca volvulus and Loa loa microfilariae in central Cameroon: are these two species interacting?

Ivermectin treatment may induce severe adverse reactions in some individuals heavily infected with Loa loa. This hampers the implementation of mass ivermectin treatment against onchocerciasis in areas where Onchocerca volvulus and L. loa are co-endemic. In order to identify factors, including co-infections, which may explain the presence of high L. loa microfilaraemia in some individuals, we analysed data collected in 19 villages of central Cameroon. Two standardized skin snips and 30 μl of blood were obtained from each of 3190 participants and the microfilarial (mf) loads of both O. volvulus and L. loa were quantified. The data were analysed using multivariate hierarchical models. Individual-level variables were: age, sex, mf presence, and mf load; village-related variables included the endemicity levels for each infection. The two species show a certain degree of ecological separation in the study area. However, for a given individual host, the presence of microfilariae of one species was positively associated with the presence of microfilariae of the other (OR=1·79, 95% CI [1·43–2·24]). Among individuals harbouring Loa microfilariae, there was a slight positive relationship between the L. loa and O. volvulus mf loads which corresponded to an 11% increase in L. loa mf load per 100 O. volvulus microfilariae. Co-infection with O. volvulus is not sufficient to explain the very high L. loa mf loads harboured by some individuals.
Pension principles in the Swedish pension system

ABSTRACT This article analyses the role of pension principles of funding and benefit provision for the development of the Swedish pension system. Focusing on four major public pension reforms in the twentieth century, it discusses why certain pension principles were used and under what circumstances they were more or less likely to change. The analysis shows that change was implemented to a large extent as a response to the previous pension system failing to fulfil its intended purpose in terms of financial stability, work incentives and redistribution.
Traffic Flow Modeling with Real-Time Data for On-Line Network Traffic Estimation and Prediction

Title: TRAFFIC FLOW MODELING WITH REALTIME DATA FOR ON-LINE NETWORK TRAFFIC ESTIMATION AND PREDICTION Xiao Qin, Ph.D., 2006 Directed By: Professor Hani S. Mahmassani, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering This research addresses the problem of modeling time-dependent traffic flow with real-time traffic sensor data for the purpose of online traffic estimation and prediction to support ATMS/ATIS in an urban transportation network. The fundamental objectives of this study are to formulate and develop a dynamic traffic flow model driven by real-world observations, which is suitable for mesoscopic type dynamic traffic assignment simulation. A dynamic speed-density relation is identified by incorporating the physical concept in continuum and kinetic models, coupled with the structural formulation of the transfer function model which is used to represent dynamic relationship. The model recognizes the time-lagged response of speed to the influential factors (speed relaxation, speed convection and density anticipation) as well as the potential autocorrelated system noise. The procedures adapted from transfer function theory are presented for the model estimation and speed prediction using the real-time data. Speed prediction is performed by means of minimum mean square error and conditional on the past information. In the context of real-time dynamic traffic assignment simulation operation, a framework based on the rolling-horizon methodology is proposed for the adaptive calibration of dynamic speed-density relations to reflect more recent traffic trends. To deal with the different time scales in the data observation interval and the traffic simulation interval, an approximation procedure is proposed to derive proper impulse responses for traffic simulation. Short term correction procedures, based on feedback control theory, are formulated to identify discrepancies between simulation and realworld observation in order to adjust speed periodically. Numerical tests to evaluate the dynamic model are conducted in a standalone manner firstly and then by integrating the model into a real-time DTA system. The overall conclusion from the results is that the proposed dynamic model is preferable in the context of real-time application to the use of conventional static traffic flow models due to its higher responsiveness and accuracy, although many other aspects remain to be investigated in further steps. TRAFFIC FLOW MODELING WITH REAL-TIME DATA FOR ON-LINE NETWORK TRAFFIC ESTIMATION AND PREDICTION
The Relationship between Authoritarian Leadership and Employees’ Deviant Workplace Behaviors: The Mediating Effects of Psychological Contract Violation and Organizational Cynicism

This study investigated the relationship between authoritarian leadership and employees’ deviant workplace behaviors (DWB), as well as the mediating effects of psychological contract violation and organizational cynicism. A cross-sectional survey was conducted among 391 manufacturing workers in a northern city of China. Structural equation modeling was performed to test the theory-driven models. The results showed that the relationship between authoritarian leadership and employees’ DWB was mediated by organizational cynicism. Moreover, this relationship was also sequentially mediated by psychological contract violation and organizational cynicism. This research unveiled psychological contract violation and organizational cynicism as underlying mechanism that explained the link between authoritarian leadership and employees’ DWB.
Valuing the Redevelopment Option Component of Urban Land Values

This study draws from the redevelopment, real option, and urban spatial growth literatures to explore the spatial dynamics of the components of house prices. More specifically, the paper proposes that the capitalized value of the option to redevelop housing at the property level can be estimated by incorporating the likelihood of exercising the redevelopment option (the probability of redevelopment) into spatial and nonspatial hedonic house price models. Accordingly, option values are estimated for properties across the spectrum of the housing life cycle. Results from the study reveal a substantial level of spatial variation and clustering in the predicted option values, indicating that location is a major determinant of redevelopment and real option values. Furthermore, the results provide new evidence in support of the theoretical construct that properties purchased for immediate redevelopment are only valued for the underlying land.
Comparison of Peritoneal Macrophages from Germfree and Conventional Mice

Morphology, lysosomal enzyme activities, and phagocytosis via immunological receptors were tested in peritoneal macrophages from germfree and conventional mice. Nonstimulated macrophages from germfree mice showed less spreading and were more easily detached when seeded on glass than conventional macrophages. The activities of the lysosomal acid phosphatase and cathepsin D were similar in the two cell groups, whereas β-glucuronidase showed higher activity in macrophages from germfree mice. Fc receptor-mediated phagocytosis of opsonized sheep erythrocytes was equally effective in germfree and conventional macrophages, and both cell types attached but did not internalize erythrocytes via the C3b receptor. Intraperitoneal injections of mineral oil caused a significantly higher influx of macrophages in conventional mice than in germfree mice, whereas the influx of polymorphonuclear cells was enhanced in both animals. Stimulation in vivo with oil or Escherichia coli endotoxin increased cell size, spreading ability, membrane ruffling, and lysosomal enzyme activities in macrophages from both conventional and germfree mice. The Fc-mediated phagocytosis was not influenced by stimulation, whereas the capacity to internalize via C3b receptor was triggered in macrophages from conventional mice, but not in corresponding cells from germfree mice. Similar results were obtained after stimulation with endotoxin in vitro. Culture in fetal calf serum for 72 h caused intracellular rises in all three enzyme activities tested in macrophages from conventional mice, whereas only the activity of acid phosphatase was increased in macrophages from germfree mice. Stimulation with zymosan in vitro caused selective release of lysosomal enzyme activity in macrophages from both animal groups. We conclude that peritoneal macrophages from germfree mice share several properties with cells from conventional mice, however, unstimulated β-glucuronidase activity was increased, whereas spreading on glass, chemotactic response, in vitro induction of lysosomal enzymes, and the capacity to internalize via the C3b receptor after stimulation were reduced or absent.