Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Mathematical modelling of tumour-induced angiogenesis

The growth of solid tumours beyond a critical size is dependent upon angiogenesis, the formation of new blood vessels from an existing vasculature. Tumours may remain dormant at microscopic sizes for some years before switching to a mode in which growth of a supportive vasculature is initiated. The new blood vessels supply nutrients, oxygen, and access to routes by which tumour cells may travel to other sites within the host (metastasize). In recent decades an abundance of biological research has focused on tumour-induced angiogenesis in the hope that treatments targeted at the vasculature may result in a stabilisation or regression of the disease: a tantalizing prospect. The complex and fascinating process of angiogenesis has also attracted the interest of researchers in the field of mathematical biology, a discipline that is, for mathematics, relatively new. The challenge in mathematical biology is to produce a model that captures the essential elements and critical dependencies of a biological system. Such a model may ultimately be used as a predictive tool. In this thesis we examine a number of aspects of tumour-induced angiogenesis, focusing on growth of the neovasculature external to the tumour. Firstly we present a one-dimensional continuum model of tumour-induced angiogenesis in which elements of the immune system or other tumour-cytotoxins are delivered via the newly formed vessels. This model, based on observations from experiments by Judah Folkman et al., is able to show regression of the tumour for some parameter regimes. The modelling highlights a number of interesting aspects of the process that may be characterised further in the laboratory. The next model we present examines the initiation positions of blood vessel sprouts on an existing vessel, in a two-dimensional domain. This model hypothesises that a simple feedback inhibition mechanism may be used to describe the spacing of these sprouts with the inhibitor being produced by breakdown of the existing vessel's basement membrane. Finally, we have developed a stochastic model of blood vessel growth and anastomosis in three dimensions. The model has been implemented in C++, includes an openGL interface, and uses a novel algorithm for calculating proximity of the line segments representing a growing vessel. This choice of programming language and graphics interface allows for near-simultaneous calculation and visualisation of blood vessel networks using a contemporary personal computer. In addition the visualised results may be transformed interactively, and drop-down menus facilitate changes in the parameter values. Visualisation of results is of vital importance in the communication of mathematical information to a wide audience, and we aim to incorporate this philosophy in the thesis. As biological research further uncovers the intriguing processes involved in tumourinduced angiogenesis, we conclude with a comment from mathematical biologist Jim Murray, Mathematical biology is : : : the most exciting modern application of mathematics.
Complete mitochondrial genome sequence of Chenghua pig (Sus Scrofa) and its phylogenetic analysis

Abstract Chenghua pig is one of the famous indigenous breeds of Sichuan province in China. In the study, the complete mitochondrial genome of Chenghua pig was first determined. The total mitochondrial genome is 16,760 bp in length and its overall base composition of the circle genome is A (34.71%), T (25.79%), C (26.20%) and G (13.30%), respectively, indicating an A–T (60.50%)-rich feature. It contains the typical structure, including 22 transfer RNA genes, 13 protein-coding genes, 2 ribosomal RNA genes and a major non-coding control region (D-Loop region). The D-loop region contains two different repeat motifs. According to the phylogenetic tree, we can infer that it is reasonable to divide Chenghua pig into the genus Sus Scrofa in southwest China. The mitochondrial genome would play an important role in population genetics and phylogenetic analysis of Sus Scrofa.
QUALITY OF HIGHER EDUCATION ESTABLISHMENTS: DETERMINANTS OF THE SATISFACTION OF FOREIGN STUDENTS IN MOROCCO

The higher education is a field which has its own specific features. The concept of "quality" in the matter gives rise to rich debates when integrated in its evaluation. Indeed, few researchers have shared interest in the quality of higher education institutions on which this research will focus. It is well known that any quality evaluation process begins with defining the institution’s costumer. Satisfying costumers is usually based on the knowledge of their requirements and expectations. This moreover is a subject which led to the origin of several strong debates (Becket, 2006)) and studies which have concluded that the main client of the higher education of any institution is "the student"(Owlia and Aspinwall, 1996; Thonhauser and Passmore, 2006). The purpose of this paper is to shed light on the determinants of the satisfaction of foreign students, enrolled in the college of medicine at the Moroccan University. For this purpose, direct interviews method was used on a sample made of 17 randomly selected students. They were asked to evaluate in their own way the quality of the training they are having. They were asked to evaluate their satisfaction concerning the quality of their institution, using qualitative approach through an interview questionnaire. With such small sample (17 students), this is not an evaluative study of the quality that we would like to conduct, but it is rather a study aimed at getting the most important variables that are likely to make these students satisfied or not. Our study shed light on 35 determinants of satisfaction mainly associated with the educational dimension. Indeed, we wanted to classify them according to the dimensions of the SERVQUAL model, but our determinants did not all belong to the dimensions of the model, this led us to develop our own dimensions.
Soil and canopy Pseudoscorpiones (Arthropoda, Arachnida) in a monodominant forest of Attalea phalerata Mart. (Arecaceae) in the Brazilian Pantanal

ABSTRACT We studied the occurrence of Pseudoscorpiones in the soil, leaf litter, and in canopies of a monodominant forest of Attalea phalerata at different seasons in the northern region of the Brazilian Pantanal. A total of 1197 pseudoscorpions from nine families and 16 species were sampled. Olpiidae, Chernetidae, and Geogarypidae predominated in soil and leaf litter. Chernetidae was the most abundant family in canopies. Soil and canopy corresponded to distinct habitats in relation to pseudoscorpion abundance and richness, with the canopies being the most diversified environment. These habitats are occupied in different ways by pseudoscorpion populations. Geogarypus sp. occurs in the edaphic environment during receding water and dry season, but can be found in canopies of A. phalerata exclusively during high water. This alternation in the use of the edaphic environments and canopies in the same area by pseudoscorpion species probably happens due to the strong seasonality of the Brazilian Pantanal.
Intraspecific Relationships and Variation of Two Lefua Species (Balitoridae, Cypriniformes) in the Tokai Region, Honshu, Japan

Two species Lefua echigonia and Lefua sp. 2 of the eight-barbel loach inhabit the Tokai region of Honshu, Japan. We determined sequences of the mitochondrial D-loop region to elucidate intraspecific phylogenetic relationships and variation in these two species. Lefua sp. 2 represented high intraspecific genetic similarity and complicated haplotype network, but three assemblages were recognized, including specimens mainly from Yahagi, Toyo, and Tenryu River systems, respectively, and named Groups 1 to 3. Divergence of Group 1 from the others was marginally supported, but Group 2 was paraphyletic to Group 3, suggesting the existence of two populations, i.e. Yahagi River population and Toyo-Tenryu River population. Lefua echigonia also represented high intraspecific genetic similarity, and two assemblages with slight genetic differentiation were discernible, including specimens from Shizuoka and southeastern Aichi prefectures and those from northwestern Aichi, Gifu, and Mie prefectures, respectively, and named Groups A and B. Star-like relationships of haplotypes suggested the dispersal origin located in eastern Aichi prefecture. The two species are threatened to extinction and thus we proposed evolutionary significant units for conservation.
SURVEY AND IDENTIFICATION OF GENUS NOSTOC AND ANABAENA IN THE RICE FIELDSOF JORHAT DISTRICT, ASSAM.

The present study deals with the investigation of the genus Anabaena and Nostoc of the rice field of Jorhat district. Cyanobacteria are one of the major components of the nitrogen fixing biomass in paddy fields which provides a potential source of nitrogen fixation at no cost. Due to the important characteristic of nitrogen fixation, cyanobacteria have a unique potential to contribute to enhance productivity in a variety of agricultural and ecological situations. The present work 14 species of Anabaena and 8 species of Nostoc had been isolated from Jorhat district of Assam.
biomass: an r package for estimating above‐ground biomass and its uncertainty in tropical forests

Estimating forest above‐ground biomass (AGB), or carbon (AGC), in tropical forests has become a major concern for scientists and stakeholders. However, AGB assessment procedures are not fully standardized and even more importantly, the uncertainty associated with AGB estimates is seldom assessed. Here, we present an r package designed to compute both AGB/AGC estimate and its associated uncertainty from forest plot datasets, using a Bayesian inference procedure. The package builds upon previous work on pantropical and regional biomass allometric equations and published datasets by default, but it can also integrate unpublished or complementary datasets in many steps. BIOMASS performs a number of standard tasks on input forest tree inventories: (i) tree species identification, if available, is automatically corrected; (ii) wood density is estimated from tree species identity; (iii) if height data are available, a local height–diameter allometry may be built; else height is inferred from pantropical or regional models; (iv) finally, AGB/AGC are estimated by propagating the errors associated with all the calculation steps up to the final estimate. R code is given in the paper and in the appendix for the purpose of illustration. The BIOMASS package should contribute to improved standards for AGB calculation for tropical forest stands, and will encourage users to report the uncertainties associated with stand‐level AGB/AGC estimates in future studies.
Bone transport technique versus induced membrane technique for treatment of infected bone nonunion

Objective To compare the clinical outcomes of bone transport technique versus induced membrane technique for treatment of infected bone nonunion. Methods A retrospective study was made on 46 cases of infected bone nonunion admitted from April 2011 to December 2014. They were 33 males and 13 females, aged from 12 to 68 years (mean, 45.3 years), involving 40 tibial and 6 femoral fractures. Bone transport technique was used in 37 cases while 9 cases were treated with induced membrane technique. Fracture union and complications were recorded. The function of the affected limb was evaluated at the final follow-up using Johner-Wruhs criteria. Results The 46 cases were followed up for 9 to 18 months (mean, 14 months). In the bone transport group, bone union was achieved after a mean duration of 6.5 months (range, from 4 to 11 months) without complications like wound infection or neurovascular lesions. In the induced membrane group, bone union was achieved after a mean duration of 5.8 months (range, from 4 to 11 months) and there was one case of reinfection. According to the Johner-Wruhs score system, 34 cases were rated as excellent, 9 as good and 3 as fair, with a total excellent and good rate of 93.5%. Bone transport technique led to 28 excellent, 4 good and one fair cases in the patients with tibial nonunion,and one excellent, 2 good and one fair cases in the patients with femoral nonunion. Induced membrane technique led to 3 excellent, 3 good and one fair cases in the patients with tibial nonunion,and 2 excellent cases in the patients with femoral nonunion. Conclusions Both bone transport technique and induced membrane technique are effective for infected bone nonunion. Bone transport technique may be preferred for tibial infected nonunion while induced membrane technique preferred for femoral infected nonunion. Key words: Tibia; Femur; Fractures, nonuion; Bone grafting
Evaluation of biomass yield of selected fodder species in relation to frequency of harvest alongside defoliation heights in Western Kenya

Napier grass (Pennisetum purpureum Schumach), the most preferred fodder species for dairy production in East and Central Africa, is under threat from stunt disease caused by Candidatus Phytoplasma oryzae (Ns-phytoplasma). The disease reduces forage yield by 40 to 90%. Two alternative fodder grasses, Guinea grass (Panicum maximum Jacq) and Guatemala grass (Tripsacum laxum Scrib and Merr) and a new stunt disease tolerant Napier cv Ouma 3 were studied to determine their biomass production potential when subjected to three intervals harvest (4, 8, 12 weeks) alongside three basal heights of defoliations (5, 10 and 15 cm). The study was conducted at KARI, Kakamega (high rainfall zone) and KARI, Alupe (low rainfall zone) in Kenya. A split-split plot design with 3×3×3 factorial treatment arrangements was used. A 4-weekly interval of harvesting alongside defoliation heights of 10 and 15 cm significantly increased biomass yield in Napier cv Ouma (38.47 and 33.90 T/ha/year respectively) compared to Guatemala grass and Panicum maximum which yielded 23.3 and 27.4 T/ha/year respectively. There is appositive correlation between yield and morphological parameters with canopy diameter, plant height and number of leaves highly correlating in biomass yield. Key words: Frequency of harvest, alternative species, defoliation height, biomass yield, fodder species.
DYNAMICS OF SUPPLY CHAIN MANAGEMENT IN THE KENYAN CONSTRUCTION INDUSTRY A CASE STUDY OF NATIONAL IRRIGATION BOARD

Construction project failures in Kenya are evident throughout the country and continue to draw great concern to all stakeholders as a result of consequent economic and social impacts. Supply chain management (SCM) practices have been used successfully in the manufacturing industry and have particularly been recognized as having made most manufacturing companies’ successful. Achievements offered by SCM practices are therefore capable of reducing construction project failures . This study sought to establish the current global supply chain management practices and determine how supply chain management visibility is affecting project performance in the construction industry in Kenya. The research study adopts cross-sectional survey research design to establish the causal relationship among Supply Chain management practices and project performance. The population of the study was 199 construction firms. The study use stratified sampling to select a sample size of 65. On average, 1.54% of the respondents indicated that they implemented the SCM best practices frequently, 81.54% of respondents indicated that they implemented the SCM best practices sometimes while 16.92% of respondents indicated that they never implemented the SCM practices. The study established that there existed a positive relationship between physical flow integration, financial flow integration, information flow integration, trust and Project Performance in construction industry. The study concluded that SCM best practices have a positive contribution on construction project performance and that improved implementation of SCM best practices by Kenyan construction firms can lead to improved construction project performance and reduce construction project failures in the industry. The study recommends that construction firms should focus significantly on improving their degree of SCM best practices implementation to boost project success. This study provides the stakeholders with a point of reference in establishing a value-sequenced transformational roadmap for mitigating actions against construction project failures in Kenya.
Quanti¢cation of plasmid loss in Escherichia coli cells by use of £ow cytometry

A method was developed to study plasmid stability in Escherichia coli cells, which utilised the high speed analysis properties of flow cytometry. To discriminate between plasmid-harbouring cells and plasmid-free cells a plasmid-encoded Lac repressor protein was used to regulate the expression of a chromosomally inserted green fluorescent protein gene in the host cells. Flow cytometric analysis enabled detection and quantification of plasmid-free cells due to their green fluorescent phenotype. The reported system offers real-time analysis in combination with a very low detection level of plasmid loss in bacterial populations. This could be useful in future investigations of plasmid stability and population selection in bacterial communities.
Second‐order variability of inherent optical properties of particles in Bohai Sea and Yellow Sea: Driving factor analysis and modeling

This study explores second‐order variability of inherent optical properties (IOPs) of particles caused by particle intrinsic attributes, including the mean particle size (DA) calculated by a LISST measurement restricted to a size range of 2.5–500 μm, mean apparent density (ρa), bulk refractive index (ñp), and composition (using a ratio of chlorophyll a to total suspended matter concentrations, Chl a/TSM, as the delegate), obtained from five field cruise observations collected from 2013 to 2015 in Bohai Sea (BS) and Yellow Sea (YS). Large variations in magnitude were observed in terms of mass‐specific beam attenuation ( cp∗ ), scattering ( bp∗ ), and backscattering ( bbp∗ ), indicative of optically complex water conditions. cp∗ and bp∗ showed similarities in their change and driving mechanisms, in which DA explained the majority (35%), both ñp and ρa separately contributed variability levels of approximately 25%, and Chl a/TSM accounted for the lowest proportion (15%). Most (approximately 38%) of the variability in bbp∗ was found to be attributed to ñp when the other factors were responsible for the rest of the variation to different degrees of 9–29%. We also model cp∗ , bp∗ , and bbp∗ with direct linkages to DA, ρa, ñp, and Chl a/TSM using a multivariate linear regression method. The established cp∗ , bp∗ , and bbp∗ models generated very high goodness of fit results, with determination coefficients (R2) of above 0.970 (p < 0.001) and with favorable predictive errors (a mean absolute percentage error, MAPE, of approximately 30% for the cp∗ and bp∗ models and of approximately 40% for the bbp∗ model). Overall, the findings of this study further knowledge on the nature of the inherent optical properties in BS and YS, and are very helpful for understanding many marine biogeochemical processes.
Genetic structure of the old black poplar population along the bank of the Vistula River in Poland

Black poplar ( Populus nigra L.) is one of the main woody riparian species in Europe. Because of extensive habitat loss due to river regulations, this species is considered rare and threatened. To analyze genetic diversity and spatial genetic structure, we examined ten nuclear microsatellite loci in a population of very old P. nigra trees growing along the Vistula River in Poland. We found a high level of genetic diversity ( H E = 0.792, H O = 0.731, A = 14.7) that was within the range of other natural European P. nigra populations, and our results showed that sexual propagation is the dominant way of reproduction in the studied population, leading to high clonal diversity ( R = 0.91). Additionally, we did not detect a spatial genetic structure resulting in a random spatial distribution of genotypes. Individuals from such old and diverse populations have the potential to provide valuable reproductive material for both restoration programs and breeding purposes.
Pollen Morphology of the Poaceae: Implications of the Palynological and Paleoecological Records of the Southeastern Amazon in Brazil

ABSTRACT A detailed assessment of Poaceae pollen morphology was performed using light and scanning electron microscopy (LM and SEM, respectively), digital image processing and multivariate data analysis of species from the montane savanna (canga vegetation) of the Serra dos Carajas region in the southeastern Amazon to discriminate the lower taxonomic levels and, accordingly, the habitat types of Poaceae. Poaceae pollen are generally stenopalynous monoporate grains with annulate and operculate pores, and distinguishing species by ornamentation using LM is impossible. Under SEM, Poaceae have mainly areolate microechinate/ granulose ornamentation, except for Eragrostis maypurensis (rugulate-microechinate), Andropogon bicornis, Trichanthecium parvifolium and T. polycomum (rugulate granulose), and Rhytachne gonzalezii (microechinate). Digital image processing of ornamentation under SEM coupled with multivariate data analysis allowed for differentiation between the E. maypurensis, R. gonzalezii, A. capillaris, Otachyrium versicolor, Paspalum carinatum and T. polycomum. Distinguishing species of the wet savanna, such as Isachne polygonoides, R. gonzalezii, O. versicolor, P. virgatum, and T. polycomum, from species of the dry savanna can improve paleoecological and paleoclimatic interpretations.
Preferred Temperature, Critical Thermal Maximum, and Metabolic Response of the Black Sea Urchin Arbacia stellata (Blainville, 1825; Gmelin, 1791)

ABSTRACT Populations of the black sea urchin Arbacia stellata present in the Gulf of California and outer Pacific Coast area are probably the result of colonization from the Panamic region. In the Pacific Coast of Baja California, this species experiences seasonal fluctuations of temperature. It was determined the preferred temperature (PT), critical threshold limits represented for Critical Thermal Maximum (CTMax) and oxygen consumption rate in organisms acclimated to 16°C, 19°C, 22°C, and 25°C in controlled conditions. The PT of A. stellata was determined in organisms using the acute method. As the acclimation temperature increases, the PT also increases significantly (P < 0.05) and decreases to 22.8°C. In the acclimation temperature of 25°C, PT for black sea urchins was 23.3°C ± 0.3°C. A direct relation was determined between the CTMax and acclimation temperatures being of 36.48°C ± 0.6°C, 37.64°C ± 0.76°C, 38.08°C ± 0.94°C, 38.42°C ± 0.71°C. The end point of CTMax was stage E4, where the sea urchins stop moving, relax the large spines but activity continues with light movements of small spines and when the organisms lose the ability to remain attached to the substrate. The oxygen consumption rates increased significantly (P < 0.05) from 5.59 to 11.5 mg O2 kg/h wet weight (w.w.) as the acclimation temperature increased from 16°C to 25°C. The range of temperature coefficient (Q10) between 16°C and 25°C (lowest) was 1.90, indicating that within that range of acclimation temperature, organisms are adapted to maintain homeostasis. This corresponded with the interval of PT of the species. These results may partially explain their distribution pattern in Baja California Coast.