Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Tularemia: A Case Series of Patients Diagnosed at the National Reference Center for Rickettsioses From 2008 to 2017

Abstract Background We describe the epidemiological, clinical, and prognostic aspects of 177 tularemia cases diagnosed at the National Reference Center for rickettsioses, coxiellosis, and bartonelloses between 2008 and 2017. Methods All patients with a microbiological diagnosis of tularemia made in the laboratory were included. Clinical and epidemiological data were collected retrospectively from clinicians in charge of patients using a standardized questionnaire. Diagnostic methods used were indirect immunofluorescence serology, real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR), and universal PCR targeting the 16S ribosomal ribonucleic acid gene. Results The series included 54 females and 123 males (sex ratio, 2.28; mean age, 47.38 years). Eighty-nine (50.2%) were confirmed as having tularemia on the basis of a positive Francisella tularensis PCR or seroconversion, and 88 (49.8%) were considered as probable due to a single positive serum. The regions of France that were most affected included Pays de la Loire (22% of cases), Nouvelle Aquitaine (18.6% of cases), and Grand Est (12.4% of cases). Patients became infected mainly through contact with rodents or game (38 cases, 21.4%), through tick-bites (23 cases, 12.9%), or during outdoor leisure activities (37 cases, 20.9%). Glandular and ulceroglandular forms were the most frequent (109 cases, 61.5%). Two aortitis, an infectious endocarditis, a myocarditis, an osteoarticular infection, and a splenic hematoma were also diagnosed. Tularemia was discovered incidentally in 54.8% of cases. Seventy-eight patients were hospitalized, and no deaths were reported. Conclusions Our data suggest that in an endemic area and/or in certain epidemiological contexts, tularemia should be sought to allow an optimized antibiotic therapy and a faster recovery.
Sea-Net: Squeeze-And-Excitation Attention Net For Diabetic Retinopathy Grading

Diabetes is one of the most common disease in individuals. Diabetic retinopathy (DR) is a complication of diabetes, which could lead to blindness. Automatic DR grading based on retinal images provides a great diagnostic and prognostic value for treatment planning. However, the subtle differences among severity levels make it difficult to capture important features using conventional methods. To alleviate the problems, a new deep learning architecture for robust DR grading is proposed, referred to as SEA-Net, in which, spatial attention and channel attention are alternatively carried out and boosted with each other, improving the classification performance. In addition, a hybrid loss function is proposed to further maximize the inter-class distance and reduce the intraclass variability. Experimental results have shown the effectiveness of the proposed architecture.
On Scottish sawflies, with results of the 14th International Sawfly Workshop, in the southern Highlands, 2010 (Hymenoptera, Symphyta).

Die Ergebnisse der Feldarbeit aus dem 14. Internationalen Sawfly Workshop werden vorgestellt. Dies fand im sudlichen schottischen Hochland, uberwiegend in Perthshire, statt. Einige Nachweise von Pflanzenwespen aus anderen Teilen von Schottland sind enthalten. Erstnachweise fur die Britischen Inseln werden fur acht tenthredinide Arten erbracht: Amauronematus mimus, Phyllocolpa alienata, P. erythropyga, P. plicalapponum, P. plicaphylicifolia, P. prussica, Pristiphora thalictri und Tenthredo ignobilis. A. mimus ist auch aus Irland nachgewiesen. Amauronematus stenogaster ist aus der Liste der Symphyta der Britischen Inseln zu entfernen. Erstmalig sind in Schottland eine Cephiden-Art (Hartigia xanthostoma) und zehn Tenthrediniden gefunden worden (Claremontia uncta, Dolerus brevicornis, Empria basalis, Empria parvula, Parna apicalis, Pristiphora decipiens, Pristiphora leucopus, Pristiphora testacea, Tenthredo mandibularis und Tenthredopsis ornata). Merkmale fur die Unterscheidung einzelner Arten werden dargestellt. Der Locus typicus von Nematus herbaceae Cameron, 1876 ist geklart. Geranium pratense ist als Wirtspflanze von Macrophya albipuncta bestatigt. Salix reticulata ist eine Wirtspflanze von Amauronematus mcluckieae. Sedum rosea kann eine Wirtspflanze von Tenthredo ignobilis sein. Allgemeine Schlussfolgerungen: hoher Artenreichtum der Pflanzenwespenfauna von Perthshire im Vergleich zu anderen Regionen in Schottland, darunter mehrere Arten, die auf den Britischen Inseln nur von dort bekannt sind; die Wichtigkeit der Erhaltung der Lebensraume von Felssimsen; grose Defizite in unseren Kenntnissen bei vielen Arten, insbesondere zu Wirtspflanzen, Phanologie und Verbreitung; hoher Wert der Malaise-Falle in faunistischen Untersuchungen von Symphyta, weil das Spektrum von erfassten Taxa sich unterscheidet von dem was mit Streifnetz erfasst wird; Zusammensetzung des 'fall-out’ auf Schneeresten deutet darauf hin, dass Pflanzenwespen in einem groseren Ausmas als bisher angenommen, aktiver Dispersion innerhalb von Landmassen unterliegen.StichworterBritish Isles, Cephidae, Pamphiliidae, Tenthredinoidea, hosts, phenology, distribution.
Collect, connect, upscale: Towards coordinated monitoring of migratory shorebirds in the Asia-Pacific

Monitoring migratory species can be extremely challenging. For example, millions of migratory shorebirds migrate from breeding grounds in northern China, Mongolia and Russia to East Asia and Australasia each year, traversing more than 20 countries while on migration. Studies within individual nations have identified rapid declines in many species, yet progress toward a fully unified scheme for continuous tracking of population change at the scale of the entire East Asian-Australasian Flyway has been slow. To reflect on lessons learned and consider how further progress might be made, we review some of the factors that have limited the full emergence of shorebird monitoring in the East Asian-Australasian Flyway, including fragmentation among multiple databases, low data readiness, inadequate metadata and gaps in survey coverage. We conclude that while technical solutions for many of these issues do exist, the biggest challenge is to navigate the significant organisational, socio-cultural and resourcing contexts of those people doing the monitoring. Technical solutions alone will not create a cohesive network of people whose local efforts are pooled to create robust flyway-scale monitoring.
Expression, activity of phenylalanine-ammonia-lyase and accumulation of phenolic compounds in Lotus japonicus under salt stress

Abstract In the present work the gene expression levels and enzyme activity of phenylalanine-ammonia-lyase (PAL) were investigated in plants of the model legume Lotus japonicus under control and stress conditions. PAL is the key enzyme of the phenylpropanoid pathway, a route that involves numerous branches that lead to the production of a wide range of metabolites that can play an important role in the response to different kind of environmental stress. Unexpectedly treatment with salt caused decrease in activity of PAL in roots and the expression of several isogenes for PAL was significantly altered in roots or leaves; although the most highly expressed one, LjPAL10, remained unaffected by the treatment. Changes in tissue contents of some phenolic compounds, namely increase of quercetin glycosides and decrease of some phenylpropanoids were observed. The possible physiological meaning of the accumulation of phenolic compounds together with the changes in PAL enzyme activity is discussed.
LEVEL OF EDUCATION AND RENEWABLE ENERGY CONSUMPTION NEXUS IN SAUDI ARABIA

Purpose: A level of education may change the energy consumption habits of people. Further, economic growth may also demand cleaner energy consumption for better environmental quality. This research explores the impacts of education and economic growth on the renewable energy consumption of Saudi Arabia. Methodology: This research utilizes the unit root test of Dickey & Fuller (1981), cointegration test of Pesaran et al. (2001), and bound testing values of Kripfganz & Schneider (2020). Main Findings: Income and secondary education increase Renewable Energy Consumption (REC) in the long and short run. Primary education reduces REC in the long run, and the lag of primary education has a positive effect on REC. Implication: This research recommends to increase the level of education to promote renewable energy consumption for a cleaner environment. Novelty: Educational level and renewable energy consumption nexus have not been investigated in Saudi Arabia. Therefore, we claim an empirical contribution.
The relation between the corporate governance evaluation and abnormal returns: the role of company financial performance

ABSTRACT This research investigates the association between the upgrade/downgrade of rankings in corporate governance evaluation exercises and stock price reactions. Using Taiwan equities as the research setting, this study finds that firms receiving an upgraded (downgraded) ranking from corporate governance evaluation exercises do not experience significantly positive (negative) abnormal returns, but there is actually a positive (negative) correlation between such an upgrade (downgrade) after these evaluation exercises as well as abnormal returns under the condition of better company financial performance. This study contributes to the extant literature by shedding additional light on the correlation among corporate governance evaluation exercises, abnormal returns, and company financial performance.
Adaptive Square-Root Unscented Kalman Filter-Based State-of-Charge Estimation for Lithium-Ion Batteries with Model Parameter Online Identification

The state-of-charge (SOC) is a fundamental indicator representing the remaining capacity of lithium-ion batteries, which plays an important role in the battery’s optimized operation. In this paper, the model-based SOC estimation strategy is studied for batteries. However, the battery’s model parameters need to be extracted through cumbersome prior experiments. To remedy such deficiency, a recursive least squares (RLS) algorithm is utilized for model parameter online identification, and an adaptive square-root unscented Kalman filter (SRUKF) is designed to estimate the battery’s SOC. As demonstrated in extensive experimental results, the designed adaptive SRUKF combined with RLS-based model identification is a promising SOC estimation approach. Compared with other commonly used Kalman filter-based methods, the proposed algorithm has higher precision in the SOC estimation.
Return predictability and valuation ratios: sector-level evidence on the Johannesburg stock exchange

Abstract The efficient market hypothesis describes an efficient market as one in which investors cannot consistently predict stock returns because prices instantly reflect all the information flowing into the market. However, return predictability has been documented in many markets. This study tests the predictability of returns using two valuation ratios—the dividend and earnings yields—on the South African market, at both aggregated and sectoral level. Unlike most studies in South Africa, this study employs an apposite present value model, accounts for structural breaks and investigates the non-linearity of the relationship between stock returns and valuation ratios. The results show that returns are predictable at both aggregated and sectoral levels. This finding has implications for market efficiency through enhanced price discovery which, in turn, has implications for investment and portfolio management. However, it should be noted that statistical significance may not translate to economic significance, so there is a need to determine the latter if one intends to use any strategy that relies on this evidence.
Influência de doses reduzidas e épocas de aplicação sobre o efeito hormético de glyphosate em feijoeiro

Com o objetivo de avaliar se os resultados do efeito hormetico de glyphosate em feijoeiro sao influenciados pela dose empregada e o estadio fenologico da cultura no momento da aplicacao, foi conduzido um estudo no municipio de Selviria, Mato Grosso do Sul, Brasil, utilizando-se o herbicida glyphosate (Roundup Original®) aplicado em baixas doses (zero, 3, 6, 9, 12 e 15 g ha-1 do equivalente acido) e em diferentes estadios fenologicos do feijoeiro (V4-4; V4-7; ½ V4-4 + ½ V4-7). O delineamento experimental utilizado foi em blocos casualizados com 18 tratamentos dispostos em esquema fatorial 6 x 3, com quatro repeticoes. De maneira geral, a aplicacao de subdoses de glyphosate inferiores a 15 g ha-1 proporcionou reducao da massa vegetativa do feijoeiro e incrementos na produtividade de ate 375 kg ha-1 quando feita a aplicacao de 12 g ha-1 em dois estadios fenologicos, ou seja, 6 g ha-1 em V4-4 e 6 g ha-1 em V4-7. Portanto, neste estudo foi possivel verificar a influencia da epoca de aplicacao do herbicida glyphosate sobre o efeito hormetico e confirmar a hipotese de hormese gerando aumentos de produtividade na cultura do feijao.
Elimination of high-refined-sugar diet as treatment strategy for autistic features induced in a rodent model

Purpose: To investigate the potency of ampicillin in altering gut flora in the presence of a high-sucrose diet in rat pups, and to determine its effect on selected neurotransmitters and a cytokine as markers of the persistent autistic features repeatedly induced in orally administered propionic acid rat pups. Methods: Twenty-eight young male Wistar albino rats were divided into four equal groups. The first group served as a control. The second group received an oral neurotoxic dose of propionic acid (PPA, 250 mg/kg body weight/day) for 3 days. The third group was treated with ampicillin (50 mg/kg for 3 weeks) with a standard diet. The fourth group was given the same dose of ampicillin with a high-sucrose diet for 10 weeks. Results: The results showed a significant ( p < 0.001) decrease in the investigated neurotransmitters in PPA- and ampicillin-treated rat pups (norepinephrine by 32.49 and 14.58 %, dopamine by 31.45 and 20.22 %, serotonin by 35.99 and 29.09 %), as well as a remarkable increase ( p < 0.001) in the proinflammatory cytokine, IL-6 (30.07and 6.07 %). The high-sucrose diet also significantly ( p < 0.001) enhanced the neurotoxic effect of ampicillin. Conclusion: The observed dietary modulation of the gut microbiota, coupled with the subsequent modulation of brain neurochemistry and inflammation, demonstrates the considerable potential of dietary intervention through the elimination of highly refined sugar as a treatment strategy to prevent and treat autism. Keywords: Neurotoxicity, Ampicillin, Propionic acid, Neurotransmitters, Cytokines, High-sucrose diet
Characterisation of Seasonal Mytilus edulis By-Products and Generation of Bioactive Hydrolysates

Mussel cultivation results in tons of by-product, with 27% of the harvest considered as reject material. In this study, mussel by-products considered to be undersized (mussels with a cooked meat yield <30%), mussels with broken shells and barnacle-fouled mussels were collected from three different locations in the west, north-west and south-west of Ireland. Samples were hydrolysed using controlled temperatures and agitation, and the proteolytic enzyme Protamex® was added at an enzyme:substrate ratio of 1:50 (w:v). The hydrolysates were freeze-dried and analysed for protein content and amino acid composition, lipid content and fatty acid methyl ester (FAME) composition, ash and techno-functional and bioactive activities. The degree of hydrolysis was determined using the Adler-Nissen pH stat method and was found to be between 2.41% ± 0% and 7.55% ± 0.6%. Mussel by-products harvested between February and May 2019 had protein contents ranging from 36.76% ± 0.41% to 52.19% ± 1.78%. The protein content of mussels collected from July to October (the spawning season) ranged from 59.07% ± 1.375% to 68.31% ± 3.42%. The ratio of essential to nonessential amino acids varied from 0.68–0.96 and it was highest for a sample collected in November from the west of Ireland. All the hydrolysate samples contained omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA), especially eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), which are known anti-inflammatory agents. Selected hydrolysates which had angiotensin-converting enzyme I (ACE-I; EC 3.4.15.1) and dipeptidyl peptidase IV (DPP-IV; EC 3.4.14.5) inhibitory activities were filtered using 3-kDa membrane filtration and the permeate fraction was sequenced using mass spectrometry (MS). Identified peptides were >7 amino acids in length. Following BIOPEP database mining, 91% of the by-product mussel peptides identified were found to be previously identified DPP-IV and ACE-I inhibitory peptides, and this was confirmed using in vitro bioassays. The ACE-I inhibitory activity of the by-product mussel hydrolysates ranged from 22.23% ± 1.79% to 86.08% ± 1.59% and the most active hydrolysate had an ACE-I inhibitory concentration (IC50) value of 0.2944 mg/mL compared to the positive control, captopril. This work demonstrates that by-product mussel hydrolysates have potential for use as health-promoting ingredients.
Squeeze-Out and Business Valuation in Germany – A Law and Economics Analysis of Judicial Decision-Making

Abstract As an outcome of the scientific conflict within business valuation theory in the German-speaking area, New Political Economy of Business Valuation has developed a possible approach to explain the dissemination of neoclassical valuation concepts in theory and practice. This explanatory model, designed by Quill (2016), is extended by Follert (2020) to include the share valuation in squeeze-out cases for the compensation of minority shareholders. For this purpose, the different actors in the legal mediation procedure (“Spruchverfahren”)—the judge, the auditor as expert, and the conflicting parties—are modeled based on their stereotypical interests. The aim of the present paper is to introduce international scientific community to the scientific conflict between the proponents of investment-theoretical and those of the finance-theoretical conception, and to discuss the role of judicial decision-making from a legal-economic perspective. We would like to illustrate why a judge could benefit from the use of finance-theoretical valuation methods based on the neoclassical capital asset pricing model recommended by the relevant standard (so-called standard 1) of the “Institut der Wirtschaftsprüfer in Deutschland IDW” (Institute of Public Auditors in Germany) (“IDW S 1”). The analysis takes a socioeconomic perspective and argues that judicial valuation is primarily influenced by the judges’ tendency to promote their own reputation and by social pressure from their professional environment and different interest groups. This paper adds a further perspective to New Political Economy of Business Valuation. Moreover, the close link between jurisprudence, economics and business economics theory is pointed out. Although the approach presented deals with the squeeze-out under German law, it may be applicable to squeeze-out arrangements in other countries as well, as long as the basic assumptions apply in their legal systems.
INVESTIGATING THE MECHANISM OF INTRACELLULAR SIGNALING OF MAGNESIUM IN HUMAN BONE MARROW STROMAL CELLS (hBMSCs): POTENTIAL ROLE IN OSTEOGENESIS

Magnesium metal and its alloys have been investigated as promising biomaterials for internal bone fixation devices. Previous reports have shown that magnesium fixation devices enhance fracture healing in animal models while exhibiting biocompatibility and biodegradability. Moreover, mechanistic studies have indicated that mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) display an osteogenic response to increased magnesium (Mg2+) concentrations in culture medium. We sought to study the signaling pathways underlying Mg-mediated osteogenesis in human bone marrow stromal cells (hBMSCs). We hypothesized that Mg2+ could be inducing the osteogenic response of hBMSCs in a calcium sensing receptor (CaSR) dependent manner. In the present study, hBMSCs were stimulated with basal medium (BM) supplemented with 10 mM MgSO4 (10-Mg), 4 mM CaCl2 (4-Ca) or 10 mM CaCl2 (10-Ca) at different time points. Western blot results showed a similar trend of CaSR phosphorylation in response to 10-Mg and 4-Ca media. Although this phosphorylation peaked at 15 minutes with both 10-Mg and 4-Ca media, it was not significantly higher than with BM alone. PKC-δ and Erk 1/2 are two downstream kinases of the CaSR. Both kinases have been reported to play a pivotal role in the differentiation of osteoprogenitors by regulating the expression of key osteogenic markers. We showed that hBMSCs exposure to 10-Mg medium resulted in significant phosphorylation of PKC-δ relative to BM. In contrast, Erk1/2 did not exhibit significant changes in its activity with 10-Mg medium. In addition, qPCR data showed upregulation of Cx43, ALPL and Col10A1 following hBMSCs treatment with 10-Mg medium. Similarly, a trend of upregulation of Runx2 mRNA was seen with 10-Mg medium; however, this upregulation was not statistically significant. VEGFA, a key angiogenic marker, was downregulated at the mRNA level by 10-Mg medium at a late time point (3 weeks). Chemical blocking of CaSR by its selective antagonist NPS2143 only potentiated ALPL expression, but did not have any effect on VEGFA or Col10A1. In conclusion, we propose a potential mechanism by which PKC-δ and Cx43 could mediate the osteogenic response of hBMSCs to increased Mg2+ concentrations. The suggested functional activity of PKC-δ might be regulated by a CaSR upstream signaling mechanism.
Relationship among MS4A8 expression, its variants, and the immune response in a porcine model of Salmonella

Abstract: Salmonella colonization often establishes carrier status in infected animals, which decreases their performance. Salmonella-carrying pigs shed large amounts of bacteria in their feces, and thus they have a negative economic impact on the swine industry. The MS4A8 gene (membrane-spanning 4-domains A8) was significantly activated, by up to 119-fold, in peripheral blood after Salmonella inoculation of pigs. The present study analyzed the correlation of peripheral blood expression level and a genetic variant of porcine MS4A8 with Salmonella-infection traits. The result indicated that MS4A8 expression levels correlated significantly with Salmonella shedding counts. Both the expression of MS4A8 and fecal shedding counts correlated with leukocytes, lymphocytes, monocytes, segmented neutrophils, and banded neutrophils. A novel single nucleotide polymorphism of porcine MS4A8 (nonsynonymous, Val > Ala) was associated with Salmonella shedding counts and average daily gain (ADG) of body weight. The TT genotype had higher fecal shedding counts, leukocyte counts, and lymphocyte counts than the TC and CC genotypes. The CC genotype had higher level of ADG than the TC and TT genotype (p < 0.05). Those results indicated that MS4A8 is intriguing and could be used as a prospective genetic marker for Salmonella susceptibility.
The ghost of connections past: A role for mainland vicariance in the isolation of an insular population of the red‐billed chough (Aves: Corvidae)

Oceanic islands have often been colonized by small groups of individuals dispersing from the nearest mainland, giving rise to insular populations characterized by locally adapted phenotypes and low genetic diversity. Alternatively, due to past geo‐climatic changes, the present‐day distribution of the species may not correspond to that found at the time of the original colonization so that the current mainland distribution may not include the original source area, leading to erroneous assumptions regarding colonization history. Here, we use patterns of genetic variation to evaluate alternative colonization scenarios of an insular passerine in the Canary Islands.