Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Comparison of historical bottleneck effects and genetic consequences of re‐introduction in a critically endangered island passerine

Re‐introduction is an important tool for recovering endangered species; however, the magnitude of genetic consequences for re‐introduced populations remains largely unknown, in particular the relative impacts of historical population bottlenecks compared to those induced by conservation management. We characterize 14 microsatellite loci developed for the Seychelles paradise flycatcher and use them to quantify temporal and spatial measures of genetic variation across a 134‐year time frame encompassing a historical bottleneck that reduced the species to ~28 individuals in the 1960s, through the initial stages of recovery and across a second contemporary conservation‐introduction‐induced bottleneck. We then evaluate the relative impacts of the two bottlenecks, and finally apply our findings to inform broader re‐introduction strategy. We find a temporal trend of significant decrease in standard measures of genetic diversity across the historical bottleneck, but only a nonsignificant downward trend in number of alleles across the contemporary bottleneck. However, accounting for the different timescales of the two bottlenecks (~40 historical generations versus <1 contemporary generation), the loss of genetic diversity per generation is greater across the contemporary bottleneck. Historically, the flycatcher population was genetically structured; however, extinction on four of five islands has resulted in a homogeneous contemporary population. We conclude that severe historical bottlenecks can leave a large footprint in terms of sheer quantity of genetic diversity lost. However, severely depleted genetic diversity does not render a species immune to further genetic erosion upon re‐introduction. In some cases, the loss of genetic diversity per generation can, initially at least, be greater across re‐introduction‐induced bottlenecks.
The evolving landscape of data management in the cloud

Scalable database management systems (DBMSs) are a critical part of the cloud infrastructure and play an important role in ensuring the smooth transition of applications from the classical enterprise infrastructures to next generation cloud infrastructures. Though scalable data management on distributed platforms has been a vision for more than three decades and much research has focused on large scale data management in traditional enterprise setting, cloud computing brings its own set of novel challenges that must be addressed to ensure the success of data management solutions in the cloud environment that is inherently distributed. This article presents an organised picture of the challenges faced by application developers and DBMS designers in developing and deploying internet scale applications. Our background study encompasses systems for supporting update heavy applications and focuses on providing an in-depth analysis of such systems. We crystallise the design choices made by some successful large scale database management systems, analyse the application demands and access patterns and how the scalable database management systems have evolved to meet such requirements.
Stochastic bifurcation of an Asymmetric Single-Well Potential Duffing oscillator under Bounded Noise Excitation

The stochastic bifurcation, defined as the collision of a stochastic attractor with a stochastic saddle, of an asymmetric single-well potential Duffing oscillator subject to bounded noise excitation is studied by means of the modified digraph cell mapping method. The vivid evolution of stochastic bifurcation is described in detail. Meanwhile, the invariant manifolds of the system accompanied by the stochastic bifurcation are also obtained by this method. Furthermore, the relationship between unstable manifold and the growth direction in the shape and size of the stochastic attractor and stochastic saddle as the system parameter is varied, is given through our analysis.
Active Harmonic Mitigation: What the Manufacturers Don't Tell You

Despite their high costs, active harmonic mitigation solutions such as parallel active power filters (APFs) and active front end (AFE) drives are growing in popularity. As the newest technology, they are being touted as a better choice than the various forms of passive harmonic mitigation solutions that are presently available. Is this actually the case? Active solutions incorporate switching strategies using insulated-gate bipolar transistors (IGBTs) to make the current drawn by the adjustable-speed drive (ASD), or another nonlinear load, more sinusoidal. You will rarely hear from manufacturers that this switching introduces higherfrequency harmonics, normally above the 50th. When measurements are taken up to the 50th harmonic, the current total harmonic distortion (ITHD) is often quite low. However, when measured up to the 100th harmonic or higher, the ITHDs almost always exceed their claimed performance levels, which consider only harmonics up to the 50th. This is certainly a concern because higher-frequency harmonics are more likely to cause power system problems and issues with other connected loads than the lower-frequency harmonics that they are designed to reduce.
Helicobacter pylori infection in young patients with gastric carcinoma.

BACKGROUND Helicobacter pylori infection has been linked with chronic atrophic gastritis and gastric cancer. This case-control study was performed to investigate a possible relationship between H. pylori infection and gastric cancer in young age groups. METHODS Gastrectomy and/or biopsy samples were collected from 50 consecutive patients 45 years old or younger treated between 1980 and 1994 for noncardiac gastric cancer. The control group consisted of age- and sex-matched dyspeptic patients. The presence of H. pylori infection was assessed by modified Giemsa staining and immunostaining, using antibody against H. pylori. RESULTS H. pylori was found in 36 (72%; 95% confidence interval 60-84%) cancer patients and in 22 (43%; 30-58%) control patients (p = 0.0023, chi-square test). The odds ratio was 3.27 (1.42-7.52). Nonatrophic (superficial) gastritis was present in 30 (60%) cancer patients and in 19 (38%) (p = 0.028, chi-square test) control cases. CONCLUSIONS The results of the present study support the hypothesis that H. pylori is a risk factor for gastric cancer also in young age groups and in patients with a diffuse type of gastric cancer.
Effect of p75 neurotrophin receptor antagonist on disease progression in transgenic amyotrophic lateral sclerosis mice

Neurotrophin level imbalances and altered p75 neurotrophin receptor (p75NTR) expression are implicated in spinal motor neuron degeneration in human and mouse models of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). Recently, elevated reactive astrocyte‐derived nerve growth factor (NGF) was linked to p75NTR‐expressing motor neuron death in adult transgenic ALS mice. To test the role of NGF‐dependent p75NTR‐mediated signalling in ALS, we examined the effects of a cyclic decapeptide antagonist of p75NTR ligand binding by using neurotrophin‐stimulated cell death assays and transgenic ALS mice. Murine motor neuron‐like (NSC‐34) cell cultures expressed full‐length and truncated p75NTR, tyrosine receptor kinase B (TrkB), and the novel neurotrophin receptor homolog‐2 (NHR2) but were TrkA deficient. Accordingly, treatment of cells with NGF induced dose‐dependent cell death, which was significantly blocked by the cyclic decapeptide p75NTR antagonist. Application of brain‐derived neurotrophic factor, neurotrophin‐3, or neurotrophin‐4 to cultures increased cell proliferation, and such trophic effects were abolished by pretreatment with the tyrosine kinase inhibitor K‐252a. Systemic administration of a modified cyclic decapeptide p75NTR antagonist conjugated to the TAT4 cell permeabilization sequence to presymptomatic transgenic SOD1G93A mice affected neither disease onset nor disease progression, as determined by hindlimb locomotor, grip strength, and survival analyses. These studies suggest that disrupting NGF‐p75NTR interactions by using this approach is insufficient to alter the disease course in transgenic ALS mice. Thus, alternate ligand‐independent pathways of p75NTR activation or additional NGF receptor targets may contribute to motor neuron degeneration in ALS mice. © 2004 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
The role of CD28-B7 costimulation in allergen-induced cytokine release by bronchial mucosa from patients with moderately severe asthma.

BACKGROUND T cells play an important role in airway inflammation in asthma through the release of T(H)2 cytokines. Optimal T-cell activation by antigen-presenting cells requires co-stimulatory signaling, such as the interaction of CD80, CD86, or both with CD28. In patients with mild allergic asthma, the fusion protein cytotoxic T-lymphocyte antigen 4Ig (CTLA-4Ig), which inhibits CD28-mediated signaling, blocks the release of IL-5 and IL-13 from bronchial explant cultures exposed to the allergen Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus. OBJECTIVES To assess costimulation in more severe forms of atopic asthma, we have compared the ability of CTLA-4Ig to block allergen-induced cytokine responses of bronchial explants and PBMCs from patients with moderately severe asthma. METHODS Bronchial explants and PBMCs were cultured in vitro, and cytokine expression was measured by means of quantitative RT-PCR and ELISA. RESULTS Constitutive mRNA transcripts for IL-5, IL-13, and GM-CSF were detected in the tissue explants, but only IL-5 mRNA increased significantly with allergen stimulation. Consistent with increased transcription, allergen-stimulated IL-5 protein release into explant supernatants, but this was not blocked by CTLA-4Ig. Allergen did not induce GM-CSF release, and IL-13 protein could not be detected in the explant supernatants under any condition. In contrast, allergen enhanced production of IL-5 and IL-13 by PBMC cultures from the same subjects, and this was inhibited effectively by CTLA-4Ig. CONCLUSIONS These data suggest that IL-5 production in the airways of subjects with moderately severe asthma is largely independent of CD28-mediated costimulation. The different requirements for CD28-mediated costimulation in PBMC cultures and bronchial tissue cultures emphasizes the importance of the tissue microenvironment in pulmonary inflammatory responses in severe asthma.
Detection of a Soluble form of the Receptor for Interleukin 2 in the Serum of Patients with Hairy Cell Leukaemia

The sera of patients with hairy cell leukaemia (HCL) contain a factor which inhibits the binding of anti-IL-2R antibody to its target (activated T lymphocytes). The presence of this factor, which probably corresponds to the soluble form of IL-2R (sIL-2R), can be easily detected using a simple immunocytochemical inhibition assay. In a series of patients with chronic lymphoproliferative diseases the presence of sIL-2R appeared to be specific for HCL, using the sensitivity of our test, since it could not be detected in sera from normal subjects and patients with B-cell lymphocytic leukaemia or Hodgkin's disease. Thus it might be used as an additional tool for characterizing HCL patients.
d-Refinable (dual) pseudo-splines and their regularities

In this paper, we introduce the concept of d-dilation (dual) pseudo-splines in L2(ℝ) with dilation d ≥ 2, characterize the linear independence of the integer shifts, the subdivision schemes of polynomial reproduction and Holder regularity for (dual) pseudo-splines with general dilation. We present a new method to determine the Holder regularity of refinable functions with general dialtion d ≥ 2. Furthermore, we compare the regularities between pseudo-splines and dual ones.
Mitochondrial Protein Sorting

The mitochondrial outer membrane contains two distinct machineries for protein import and protein sorting that function in a sequential manner: the general translocase of the outer membrane (TOM complex) and the sorting and assembly machinery (SAM complex), which is dedicated to β-barrel proteins. The SAMcore complex consists of three subunits, Sam35, Sam37, and Sam50, that can associate with a fourth subunit, the morphology component Mdm10, to form the SAMholo complex. Whereas the SAMcore complex is required for the biogenesis of all β-barrel proteins, Mdm10 and the SAMholo complex play a selective role in β-barrel biogenesis by promoting assembly of Tom40 but not of porin. We report that Tom7, a conserved subunit of the TOM complex, functions in an antagonistic manner to Mdm10 in biogenesis of Tom40 and porin. We show that Tom7 promotes segregation of Mdm10 from the SAMholo complex into a low molecular mass form. Upon deletion of Tom7, the fraction of Mdm10 in the SAMholo complex is significantly increased, explaining the opposing functions of Tom7 and Mdm10 in β-barrel sorting. Thus the role of Tom7 is not limited to the TOM complex. Tom7 functions in mitochondrial protein biogenesis by a new mechanism, segregation of a sorting component, leading to a differentiation of β-barrel assembly.
Low-Complexity Full-Diversity Detection in Two-User MIMO X Channels

Several interference cancellation (IC) schemes have been recently proposed to suppress multi-user interference for various network configurations (e.g., multiple access and X channels). However, most of these schemes trade-off diversity for implementation complexity or vice-versa. In this paper, we propose a full-diversity interference cancellation scheme in a multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) X channel with two sources and two destinations while maintaining low decoding complexity. We provide sufficient conditions for a wide range of space-time block codes (STBCs) to achieve full-diversity gain under the so-called partial interference cancellation group decoding (PICGD) in the configuration of interest. A systematic construction is then proposed to achieve full-diversity. The constructed scheme is compared to recently proposed IC scheme in terms of performance and decoding complexity. Our IC scheme outperforms the recently proposed scheme in the case it provides higher transmission rate, while it loses slightly in the case of equal rates. In terms of decoding complexity, both schemes are equivalent.
Reliability of bleeding and non-bleeding on probing to gingival histological features.

Given the extensive use in periodontal diagnosis of the clinical sign of bleeding on probing, the reliability of the technique in relation to gingival histological features and the need for a better understanding of its significance was investigated. Bleeding (B) and non-bleeding (NB) buccal gingival tissues, were measured through manual probing during gingivectomy procedures. The histological evidence of inflammation was used as the gold standard. The established histological descriptive patterns showed statistically significant differences between B and NB sites (chi2 = 20.842, p < 0.05). The reliability scores were found to be of high sensitivity (90.9%) and negative predictive value (89.5%) as well as of fair specificity (77.3%) and positive predictive value (80%). The accuracy was found to be 84.1%. The histological quantitative analysis showed no statistically significant difference for any HGI (Histological Gingival Index). B sites presented HGI = 1 in 72.8%, close to the NB sites, which showed 63.4% for the same histological score. Furthermore, Pearson's analysis showed a low correlation between the studied clinical signs and the histological quantitative analysis (r = 0.265, p > 0.05). We conclude that the clinical parameter of bleeding on probing is a reliable tool for diagnosing gingival inflammation, whereas the clinical sign of non-bleeding on probing is not a safe criteria for evaluating gingival health.
Culture-Proven Herpetic Keratitis After Penetrating Keratoplasty in Patients With No Previous History of Herpes Disease

Objective To report three cases of herpetic infection in recipients of organ-cultured donor corneas among 586 consecutive corneal transplantation procedures. Methods Three patients with no history of symptomatic herpes infection underwent corneal transplantation for keratoconus (2 patients) and Fuchs dystrophy (1 patient). Two patients developed keratouveitis and primary graft failure. The third patient developed dendritic keratitis in the graft. Culture of corneal scrapings and the patient's bandage contact lens were positive for herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1). Donor and recipient sera were tested for HSV serology by EIA. Recipient corneal buttons were studied by means of transmission electron microscopy and immunohistochemistry. The three HSV-1 strains were genotyped by sequencing part of a variable antigenic domain of glycoprotein B (gB). Results None of the donor corneas showed endothelial cell necrosis after organ culture. All keratoplasties performed with the three mate donor corneas had an uncomplicated course. All three donor sera were positive for HSV. Preoperative recipient sera were positive for HSV. Analysis of the recipient corneal buttons showed no evidence of herpetic infection. Sequence analysis revealed three different gB genotypes. Conclusion Ascertaining that a postoperative herpetic infection in a corneal transplant originates from the donor tissue is still difficult. Although some features of the reported cases suggest donor-to-host transmission of herpes simplex virus, the recipients could have been the source of the virus.
Flicker Free Optical Camera Communication for Cameras Capturing 30 Frames per Second

LEDs tend to become the conventional lighting solutions. Their property of being able to be quickly switched on and off inspired scientists to develop new communication systems, like Visible Light Communication (VLC), in which the transmitter is usually represented by LEDs and the receiver by photodetectors. Optical Camera Communications (OCC) is similar to VLC, but the receiver is an image sensor. A great challenge in OCC is to design a communication system that can use low frame rate cameras while avoiding the occurrence of light flickering at the transmitter. This paper proposes and experimentally validates an OCC solution that uses a camera capturing 30 frames per second as receiver, does not produce flickering at the transmitter, and, moreover, does not require a transmitter-receiver synchronization.
IFRS Converges to U.S. GAAP on Segment Reporting

As part of the convergence effort between IFRS and U.S. GAAP, the International Accounting Standards Board published IFRS 8, Operating Segments, which became effective Jan 1. IFRS 8 supersedes IAS 14, Reporting Financial Information by Segment, and closely resembles the "through the eyes of management" approach of FASB Statement no. 131, Disclosures about Segments of an Enterprise and Related Information. IFRS 8 applies to the individual financial statements of an entity and the consolidated financial statements of a group with a parent (a) whose debt or equity instruments are traded in a public market or (b) that files, or is in the process of filing, its financial statements with a securities commission or other regulatory organization for the purpose of issuing any class of instruments in a public market. Reportable segments are operating segments, or aggregations of operating segments, that meet or exceed one of several quantitative thresholds; smaller segments may be optionally disclosed. Under IAS 14, dual segment classifications were required--by both business and geographic area--with the primary typology determined by the predominant driver of the reporting entity's risks and returns. Under IFRS 8, operating segments may be defined by product, geography or other attributes--consistent with management's decision-making processes. IFRS 8 allows for the discrete reporting of a component of an entity that sells primarily or exclusively to other operating segments of the entity so long as the entity is actually being managed consistent with that strategy. This means that vertically integrated operations may be composed of several segments for the purpose of IFRS 8. The principal mode of disclosure is governed by the concept of operating segments (a) that engage in business activities from which they may earn revenues and incur expenses (including revenues and expenses relating to transactions with other components of the same entity), (b) whose operating results are regularly reviewed by the entity's chief operating decision maker to make decisions about resources to be allocated to the segment and to assess its performance, and (c) for which discrete financial information is available. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] This so-called "management approach" is so strictly interpreted under IFRS 8 that the amounts of each reportable operating segment item must be the same measure reported to the chief operating decision maker for the purposes of allocating resources to the segment and assessing its performance. …
Quantitation of heteroplasmy of mitochondrial trnaLeu(UUR) gene using PCR‐SSCP

We have devised a novel method for quantitative analysis of the MELAS (mitochondrial myopathy, encephalopathy, lactic acidosis, and strokelike episodes) tRNALeu(UUR) mutation of mitochondrial DNA using a PCR‐SSCP (polymerase chain reaction–single‐strand conformation polymorphism) method, and compared the results obtained using the PCR‐SSCP method with those obtained using other methods including Southern blotting, last one cycle hot PCR, and conventional PCR‐RFLP (restriction fragment length polymorphism). The standard curve obtained using the PCR‐SSCP method is linear, with a correlation coefficient of 0.999; it was determined that this method is more accurate than other methods for quantitative analysis. The PCR‐SSCP method does not require restriction digestions, thereby avoiding potential problems of partial digestions or heteroduplex formation during PCR. The method is quite simple and should have a broad range of application for quantitation of mutant mtDNAs in various mitochondrial encephalo‐myopathies. We applied the method for quantitation of mutant mitochondrial DNA carrying a single base substitution in the tRNALeu(UUR) gene in two autopsied cases of MELAS. In both cases, the mutant mtDNA is abundantly present (82–95%) with little variation among tissues. © 1995 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Prognostics and health management of light emitting diodes

Prognostics is an engineering process of diagnosing, predicting the remaining useful life and estimating the reliability of systems and products. Prognostics and Health Management (PHM) has emerged in the last decade as one of the most efficient approaches in failure prevention, reliability estimation and remaining useful life predictions of various engineering systems and products. Light Emitting Diodes (LEDs) are optoelectronic micro-devices that are now replacing traditional incandescent and fluorescent lighting, as they have many advantages including higher reliability, greater energy efficiency, long life time and faster switching speed. Even though LEDs have high reliability and long life time, manufacturers and lighting systems designers still need to assess the reliability of LED lighting systems and the failures in the LED. This research provides both experimental and theoretical results that demonstrate the use of prognostics and health monitoring techniques for high power LEDs subjected to harsh operating conditions. Data driven, model driven and fusion prognostics approaches are developed to monitor and identify LED failures, based on the requirement for the light output power. The approaches adopted in this work are validated and can be used to assess the life of an LED lighting system after their deployment based on the power of the light output emitted. The data driven techniques are only based on monitoring selected operational and performance indicators using sensors whereas the model driven technique is based on sensor data as well as on a developed empirical model. Fusion approach is also developed using the data driven and the model driven approaches to the LED. Real-time implementation of developed approaches are also investigated and discussed.