Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Importance of soils, topography and geographic distance in structuring central Amazonian tree communities

Abstract Question: What is the relative contribution of geographic distance, soil and topographic variables in determining the community floristic patterns and individual tree species abundances in the nutrient-poor soils of central Amazonia? Location: Central Amazonia near Manaus, Brazil. Methods: Our analysis was based on data for 1105 tree species (≥ 10 cm dbh) within 40 1-ha plots over a ca. 1000-km2 area. Slope and 26 soil-surface parameters were measured for each plot. A main soil-fertility gradient (encompassing soil texture, cation content, nitrogen and carbon) and five other uncorrelated soil and topographic variables were used as potential predictors of plant-community composition. Mantel tests and multiple regressions on distance matrices were used to detect relationships at the community level, and ordinary least square (OLS) and conditional autoregressive (CAR) models were used to detect relationships for individual species abundances. Results: Floristic similarity declined rapidly with distance over small spatial scales (0–5 km), but remained constant (ca. 44%) over distances of 5 to 30 km, which indicates lower beta diversity than in western Amazonian forests. Distance explained 1/3 to 1/2 more variance in floristics measures than environmental variables. Community composition was most strongly related to the main soil-fertility gradient and C:N ratio. The main fertility gradient and pH had the greatest impact of species abundances. About 30% of individual tree species were significantly related to one or more soil/topographic parameters. Conclusions: Geographic distance and the main fertility gradient are the best predictors of community floristic composition, but other soil variables, particularly C:N ratio, pH, and slope, have strong relationships with a significant portion of the tree community.
A Genome-Wide Survey over the ChIP-On-Chip Identi fi ed Androgen Receptor-Binding Genomic Regions Identi fi es a Novel Prostate Cancer Susceptibility Locus at 12 q 13 . 13

Background: The molecular mechanisms for the genome-wide association studies (GWAS)-identified prostate cancer (PCa) risk-associated single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP) remain largely unexplained. One recent finding that the PCa risk SNPs are enriched in genomic regions containing androgen receptor (AR)binding sites has suggested altered AR signaling as a potentially important mechanism. Methods:Toexplorenovelassociationsby leveraging thisknowledge,weutilizedameta-analysispreviously done over SNPs harbored in ChIP-on-chip identified AR-binding genomic regions using the GWAS data from the Johns Hopkins Hospital (JHH) and the Cancer Genetic Markers of Susceptibility (CGEMS) study, and subsequently evaluated the top associations in a third population from the CAncer of the Prostate in Sweden
An Investigation of Fish Catch Data and Its Implications for Management of Small-scale Fisheries of Ghana

Most statistical information on fish catch in Ghana and that of many other African countries are deficient in supporting effective fisheries management. Fish catches were examined between January 2009 and December 2010, to enhance the management of small-scale fisheries of Ghana. The methods employed were: Fish Catch Assessment (FCA) and documents analyses. The case study focused on four important fishing communities, namely: Elmina and Ahwiam (coastal communities); and Kpong and Small London (inland communities). The results provide evidence from empirical data to confirm observed declining Catch Per Unit Effort (CPUE) and therefore declining fish abundance in Ghanaian water, both freshwater and marine. The average CPUE (kg/canoe/day) for 2009/2010 were: 22.72, 10.57, 44.28 and 133.81 for Small London, Kpong, Ahwiam and Elmina, respectively. There were significant differences in CPUE among habitats and sites (p<0.05). Annual fish catch estimated from CPUE data were as follows: freshwater habitats Small London (716.04 tons) and Kpong (186.68 tons); marine habitats Elmina (4716.80 tons) and Ahwiam (630.99 tons). A total of 21 and 18 fish species were identified at Kpong and Small London, respectively. Furthermore, a total of 71 and 79 fish species were identified at Ahwiam and Elmina, respectively. For management and sustainability of fishery resources in relation to the small-scale fisheries of Ghana and the sub-region as a whole, it is recommended that fishery managers, policy makers and all relevant stakeholders assiduously work together to reverse declining CPUE by reducing fishing effort and encourage income diversification and wealth creation.
Genomic Foundation of Starch-to-Lipid Switch in Oleaginous Chlorella spp.1

The versatile chlorophyta Chlorella pyrenoidosa provides genomic insights into the trophic diversity and metabolic dynamics. The ability to rapidly switch the intracellular energy storage form from starch to lipids is an advantageous trait for microalgae feedstock. To probe this mechanism, we sequenced the 56.8-Mbp genome of Chlorella pyrenoidosa FACHB-9, an industrial production strain for protein, starch, and lipids. The genome exhibits positive selection and gene family expansion in lipid and carbohydrate metabolism and genes related to cell cycle and stress response. Moreover, 10 lipid metabolism genes might be originated from bacteria via horizontal gene transfer. Transcriptomic dynamics tracked via messenger RNA sequencing over six time points during metabolic switch from starch-rich heterotrophy to lipid-rich photoautotrophy revealed that under heterotrophy, genes most strongly expressed were from the tricarboxylic acid cycle, respiratory chain, oxidative phosphorylation, gluconeogenesis, glyoxylate cycle, and amino acid metabolisms, whereas those most down-regulated were from fatty acid and oxidative pentose phosphate metabolism. The shift from heterotrophy into photoautotrophy highlights up-regulation of genes from carbon fixation, photosynthesis, fatty acid biosynthesis, the oxidative pentose phosphate pathway, and starch catabolism, which resulted in a marked redirection of metabolism, where the primary carbon source of glycine is no longer supplied to cell building blocks by the tricarboxylic acid cycle and gluconeogenesis, whereas carbon skeletons from photosynthesis and starch degradation may be directly channeled into fatty acid and protein biosynthesis. By establishing the first genetic transformation in industrial oleaginous C. pyrenoidosa, we further showed that overexpression of an NAD(H) kinase from Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) increased cellular lipid content by 110.4%, yet without reducing growth rate. These findings provide a foundation for exploiting the metabolic switch in microalgae for improved photosynthetic production of food and fuels.
Direct fuzzy adaptive control and nonparametric identification of robot manipulator with elastic joints

In this paper an advanced control system for an elastic joint two-link flexible link robot manipulator is considered. The system uses controller with an adaptive fuzzy logic. Nonlinear friction in the joints is modeled by the Hammerstein system. It is identified by the algorithm based on nonparametric nearest neighbor regression estimation. The asymptotically optimal choice of the parameters of the algorithm are investigated.
Gradient-based algorithms for block-oriented MAP estimation of motion and application to motion-compensated temporal interpolation

A study of block-oriented motion estimation algorithms is presented, and their application to motion-compensated temporal interpolation is described. In the proposed approach, the motion field within each block is described by a function of a few parameters that can represent typical local motion vector fields. A probabilistic formulation is then used to develop maximum-likelihood (ML) and maximum a posteriori probability (MAP) estimation criteria. The MAP criterion takes into account the dependence of the motion fields in adjacent blocks. A procedure for minimizing the resulting objective function based on the Gauss-Newton algorithm is presented. The use of multiresolution techniques, essential for satisfactory performance, is discussed. Experimental results evaluating the algorithms for the task of motion-compensated temporal interpolation are presented. The relative complexity of the algorithms is also discussed. >
Influence of age of onset on clinical features in obsessive–compulsive disorder

We compared early‐onset and late‐onset obsessive–compulsive disorder (OCD) patients in terms of demographic and clinical features. One hundred sixteen outpatients whose primary diagnosis was OCD according to DSM‐IV diagnostic criteria were recruited. Early‐onset (n=50) and late‐onset (n=66) OCD groups were compared with respect to demographic variables and scores obtained on various scales. A male gender predominance was found in early‐onset OCD group. Symmetry/exactness obsessions, religious obsessions, hoarding/saving obsessions, and hoarding/collecting compulsions also were significantly more frequent in the early‐onset group than in the late‐onset group. The results may suggest a phenotypic difference between the two groups. Further studies are needed to investigate the differences between early‐onset and late‐onset OCD groups to examine the hypothesis that early‐onset OCD is a distinct subtype of the disorder. © 2005 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Investigating “Problem-Solving With Datasets” as an Implementation of Computational Thinking: A Literature Review

This study aims to investigate problem-solving with dataset (PSWD) as a computational thinking learning implementation as reflected in academic publications. Specifically, the purpose is to specify the scope of PSWD, which overlaps with the data literacy, thinking with data, big data literacy, and data-based thinking concepts in the literature. Subaims of the study are to identify the conceptual structure of PSWD based on definitions in academic publications and to classify the reasons given in the literature to show the need for PSWD. For the purposes to investigate PSWD conceptually, to classify the reasons given for the need for PSWD, the obtained 54 publications were analyzed via content analysis. Moreover, this study investigates the most frequently suggested or used teaching strategies (in terms of instructional methods, instructional tools, and grade level) for PSWD in the literature. The frequencies of used words in selected publications referring instructional methods, instructional tools, and grade levels were shown in the findings of study. The importance of the study stems from its focus on a new approach to computational thinking instructional implementation.
Using Bivariate Models to Understand between‐ and within‐Cluster Regression Coefficients, with Application to Twin Data

Summary In the regression analysis of clustered data it is important to allow for the possibility of distinct between‐ and within‐cluster exposure effects on the outcome measure, represented, respectively, by regression coefficients for the cluster mean and the deviation of the individual‐level exposure value from this mean. In twin data, the within‐pair regression effect represents association conditional on exposures shared within pairs, including any common genetic or environmental influences on the outcome measure. It has therefore been proposed that a comparison of the within‐pair regression effects between monozygous (MZ) and dizygous (DZ) twins can be used to examine whether the association between exposure and outcome has a genetic origin. We address this issue by proposing a bivariate model for exposure and outcome measurements in twin‐pair data. The between‐ and within‐pair regression coefficients are shown to be weighted averages of ratios of the exposure and outcome variances and covariances, from which it is straightforward to determine the conditions under which the within‐pair regression effect in MZ pairs will be different from that in DZ pairs. In particular, we show that a correlation structure in twin pairs for exposure and outcome that appears to be due to genetic factors will not necessarily be reflected in distinct MZ and DZ values for the within‐pair regression coefficients. We illustrate these results in a study of female twin pairs from Australia and North America relating mammographic breast density to weight and body mass index.
Modified radical neck dissection in cancer of the mouth, pharynx, and larynx

A retrospective analysis of 390 determinate radical neck dissections (RND) performed for cancers of the mouth, pharynx, and larynx was carried out. There were 75 patients (19%) who had a modified RND. These were separately analyzed and the outcome was compared to those who had a standard total RND. Our goal was to assess the effectiveness of modified RND in controlling disease in the neck, and to identify its impact on survival and quality of life. Overall neck recurrence rate in the entire modified RND group was 28%, 35% in the partial RND, and 25% in the comprehensive modified RND. Neck recurrence rate was no worse in the comprehensive modified RND for NO and N1 cases, but increased significantly (as compared to the group of patients with standard RND) in the N2 and N3 cases (52% vs. 33%) Treatment of neck recurrences following modified RND was primarily by surgery, with a 48% 3‐year disease‐free survival. Overall survival was the same for modified RND (68%) and for standard total RND (63%). This was true for all N stages individually. The morbidity of standard total RND is discussed and the goals of modified RND are analyzed. Definitions and a standardized nomenclature for the various types of modified RND are suggested for uniformity of reporting. From the Department of Surgery, Divison of Head and Neck Surgery, Maimonides Medical Center, Brooklyn, New York.
Shoulder dystocia and brachial plexus injury: a case–control study

Objective and background. To evaluate risk factors for shoulder dystocia and brachial plexus injury using a case–control study at the departments of obstetrics and gynecology at the four largest hospitals in southern Sweden. All cases of shoulder dystocia between 1987 and 1993 inclusive were identified. For each case, two control infants with similar birthweight (± 100 g) and identical year of birth were randomly selected.
Activity-based costing for logistics and marketing

Activity‐based costing (ABC) is gradually being utilized as more of a decision‐making tool than an accounting tool. This paper investigates how, after almost a decade of slow growth, ABC is gaining acceptance as a tool to determine the true costs of marketing and logistics activities. How ABC provides managers with considerable insights into how various products, territories, and customers play major roles in logistic and marketing activities and, consequently, drive total costs is discussed. The advantages of the ABC model in terms of providing the right information to marketing managers with regard to which products, customers, or territories are more important and which could be eliminated without affecting the overall objectives of the firm are presented. The paper concludes by identifying ABC's shortcomings and the promise it holds for the modern enterprise.
Mechanisms and functions of lysosome positioning

ABSTRACT Lysosomes have been classically considered terminal degradative organelles, but in recent years they have been found to participate in many other cellular processes, including killing of intracellular pathogens, antigen presentation, plasma membrane repair, cell adhesion and migration, tumor invasion and metastasis, apoptotic cell death, metabolic signaling and gene regulation. In addition, lysosome dysfunction has been shown to underlie not only rare lysosome storage disorders but also more common diseases, such as cancer and neurodegeneration. The involvement of lysosomes in most of these processes is now known to depend on the ability of lysosomes to move throughout the cytoplasm. Here, we review recent findings on the mechanisms that mediate the motility and positioning of lysosomes, and the importance of lysosome dynamics for cell physiology and pathology. Summary: We review recent findings on the mechanisms that mediate the motility and positioning of lysosomes, and the importance of lysosome dynamics for cell physiology and pathology.
A nematode in the mist: Scottnema lindsayae is the only soil metazoan in remote Antarctic deserts, at greater densities with altitude

A decrease in biodiversity and density of terrestrial organisms with increasing altitude and latitude is a well-known ecogeographical pattern. However, studies of these trends are often taxonomically-biased toward well-known organisms and especially those with relatively large bodies, and environmental variability at the local scale may perturb these general effects. Here, we focus on understudied organisms—soil invertebrates—in Antarctic deserts, which are among the driest and coldest places on Earth. We sampled two remote Antarctic sites in the Darwin Glacier area and established an altitudinal gradient running from 210 to 836 m a.s. l. We measured soil geochemistry and organic matter content and linked these parameters with the presence of soil invertebrates. We found three general outcomes, two of which are consistent with general assumptions: (a) the hostile climatic condition of the Darwin Glacier region supports an extremely low diversity of soil metazoans represented by a single nematode species—Scottnema lindsayae; (b) soil geochemistry is the main factor influencing distribution of nematodes at the local scale. Contrary to our expectations, a positive correlation was found between nematode density and altitude. This last observation could be explained by an additional effect of soil moisture as we found this increased with altitude and may be caused by orographic clouds, which are present in this region. To the best of our knowledge such effects have been described in tropical and temperate regions. Potential effect of orographic clouds on soil properties in polar deserts may be a fruitful area of ecological research on soil fauna.
Theme Groups at Thirty

Abstract This article is a 30-year retrospective of the emergence of the theme group movement in college counseling centers and in psychotherapy in general. It describes the evolution of interventions in this modality, defines and describes their unique features and approaches, and illustrates, via comparison of two theme groups on grief, the maturation and incorporation of more evidence-based and apt formats and dynamics over that period of development.
Impact of homocysteine on cortical perfusion and cognitive decline in mild Alzheimer's dementia

Elevated plasma total homocysteine level (tHcy) is associated with increased risk of dementia via increased white matter changes or reduction in cortical volume. Whether tHcy has an independent impact on regional perfusion and if it can predict a more rapid cognitive decline in mild Alzheimer dementia (AD) warrants investigation.
Thermal Management of Mobile Phone using Phase Change Material

The power of the handheld electronics devices continues to increase because packaging advances reduce their size even as more features are added and enhanced. The computational fluid dynamics (CFD) numerical simulation is performed on thermal management of the mobile phone using a heat storage unit (HSU) filled with the phase change material (PCM). The chips and HSU are embedded in an epoxy polymer casing. The PCM absorbs the heat dissipation from the chips and stores as latent heat to maintain the chip temperature below the allowable service temperature. Eight cases of simulations are carried out with or without PCM at several power dissipations. The use of PCM in mobile phone has shown to be effective in keeping the chip temperature down to acceptable level for certain duration.
LNK1 and LNK2 Are Transcriptional Coactivators in the Arabidopsis Circadian Oscillator[W][OPEN]

The plant circadian clock consists of multiple interlocked transcriptional feedback loops. This work shows that LNK1 and LNK2, two NIGHT LIGHT–INDUCIBLE AND CLOCK-REGULATED genes, encode transcriptional coactivators that physically interact in the nucleus with multiple Myb transcription factors (CCA1, LHY, RVE4, and RVE8) and are necessary for full transcriptional induction of PRR5 and TOC1 by RVE8. Transcriptional feedback loops are central to the architecture of eukaryotic circadian clocks. Models of the Arabidopsis thaliana circadian clock have emphasized transcriptional repressors, but recently, Myb-like REVEILLE (RVE) transcription factors have been established as transcriptional activators of central clock components, including PSEUDO-RESPONSE REGULATOR5 (PRR5) and TIMING OF CAB EXPRESSION1 (TOC1). We show here that NIGHT LIGHT–INDUCIBLE AND CLOCK-REGULATED1 (LNK1) and LNK2, members of a small family of four LNK proteins, dynamically interact with morning-expressed oscillator components, including RVE4 and RVE8. Mutational disruption of LNK1 and LNK2 function prevents transcriptional activation of PRR5 by RVE8. The LNKs lack known DNA binding domains, yet LNK1 acts as a transcriptional activator in yeast and in planta. Chromatin immunoprecipitation shows that LNK1 is recruited to the PRR5 and TOC1 promoters in planta. We conclude that LNK1 is a transcriptional coactivator necessary for expression of the clock genes PRR5 and TOC1 through recruitment to their promoters via interaction with bona fide DNA binding proteins such as RVE4 and RVE8.
Influenza virological surveillance in children: The use of the Quickvue rapid diagnostic test

New rapid diagnostic methods are needed to identify influenza infections to improve virological surveillance usually undertaken with conventional time‐consuming, complex, and even expensive laboratory methods. Another reason for using a rapid test is to avoid inappropriate therapy, particularly in children, where use of antibiotics inappropriately and high influenza‐related rates of hospitalisation are described. During two winter seasons, the performance of the QuickVue® Influenza test (QV) was evaluated in children under 14 presenting with influenza like illness, and compared the results with those obtained from sentinel network surveillance using standard protocols for the sample collection and the laboratory analysis by virus culture and reverse transcription‐polymerase chain reaction (RT‐PCR). During the first influenza season (2000/2001), 22 paediatricians collected one nose‐ and one throat‐swab from each of the 586 children 0–6 years old recruited in the study. The QV test was carried out in the physician's office by primary care staff on the nose swab material. When compared with virus culture of the throat swab, the QV test had a sensitivity of 36.5%. In the following 2001/2002‐influenza season, the performance of the QV test as a rapid laboratory screening assay was assessed. 342 children aged 0–14 years were enrolled with only one throat swab collected from each patient and sent to the laboratory where the QV, virus culture, and RT‐PCR tests were performed. The results showed a better sensitivity (54.5%) of the test in comparison with virus culture and RT‐PCR assays. The data indicate that rapid QV testing in the physician office setting, using these easily obtained samples, may be too insensitive to be useful for surveillance and for immediate clinical management of children presenting with influenza‐like illness. Nevertheless, the QV test may be a valuable diagnostic tool if used in laboratory, as a rapid screening test. J. Med. Virol. 73:269–273, 2004. © 2004 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.