Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Female and male pigs’ performance in a spatial holeboard and judgment bias task (cid:2)

Studies of the cognitive abilities of pigs are increasing in number, due to their relevance for the ﬁelds of animal welfare and biomedical research. While both female and male pigs have been used in cognitive tasks, possible sex differences in performance have not yet received extensive attention. This is of interest, as sexual dimorphism in cognitive abilities has been documented for a variety of species. The aim of this study was to assess the effects of sex on pigs’ performance in two cognitive tasks. Spatial learning and memory of ten female and ten male pigs was compared in a spatial holeboard task. Working and reference memory, as well as measures of motivation and exploration were assessed. Both females and males acquired the task and no differences were found between sexes for any measures of spatial memory. However, female pigs performed more successfully during reversal trials (shorter latency to ﬁrst reward, higher number of rewards found), indicating greater response ﬂexibility. This difference between sexes was transient, with males eventually reaching the same level of performance as the females. Judgment bias, a cognitive measure of affective state, was subsequently assessed using an active choice judgment bias task. Pigs were trained to respond differently to a negative and a positive stimulus, signaling either a small or a large reward. During judgment bias testing, pigs were presented with ambiguous cues and their trained ‘positive’ and ‘negative’ responses were recorded as optimistic or pessimistic choices, respectively. Both females and males displayed a slightly optimistic judgment bias. Optimistic choosing decreased with repeated testing for both groups. It is likely the pigs learned about the unrewarded outcome of ambiguous cues, rendering them no longer ambiguous. Further improvement of the judgment bias task as a cognitive measure of affective state is deemed necessary. Overall, our results indicate that sex is not a confounding factor when measuring baseline performance of pigs in the spatial holeboard or judgment bias task. Sex effects were only found when subjecting the pigs to a reversal task, warranting further study of sex differences in response ﬂexibility. Such a difference would have implications for pig welfare, as it suggests that males are slower to cope with changes in their environment.
The Effects of the European Central Bank’s Public Sector The Effects of the European Central Bank’s Public Sector Purchase Program on Eurozone Unemployment Rates Purchase Program on Eurozone Unemployment Rates

This paper assesses the impact of the European Central Bank’s (ECB’s) Public Sector Purchase Program (PSPP) on Eurozone unemployment rates. Using a panel dataset, I construct a series of OLS models to test the relationship in 18 Eurozone countries. Results suggest that PSPP purchases do not significantly influence Eurozone unemployment rates. However, the strength of the relationship changes depending on monetary policy lag time and the sub-regions examined. The findings contribute to the debate surrounding how the ECB conducts the PSPP as well as to the literature studying monetary policy’s effect on the real economy. the
ETO/MTG8 Is an Inhibitor of C/EBP (cid:2) Activity and a Regulator of Early Adipogenesis

The putative transcriptional corepressor ETO/MTG8 has been extensively studied due to its involvement in a chromosomal translocation causing the t(8;21) form of acute myeloid leukemia. Despite this, the role of ETO in normal physiology has remained obscure. Here we show that ETO is highly expressed in preadipocytes and acts as an inhibitor of C/EBP (cid:1) during early adipogenesis, contributing to its characteristically delayed activation. ETO prevents both the transcriptional activation of the C/EBP (cid:2) promoter by C/EBP (cid:1) and its concurrent accumulation in centromeric sites during early adipogenesis. ETO expression rapidly reduces after the initiation of adipogenesis, and this is essential to the normal induction of adipogenic gene expression. These ﬁndings deﬁne, for the ﬁrst time, a molecular role for ETO in normal physiology as an inhibitor of C/EBP (cid:1) and a novel regulator of early adipogenesis.
Instantaneous Wave-Free Ratio Fractional Flow Reserve

When looking carefully at the Bland-Altman plot (Fig. 10B in Sen et al. [1]) we notice that: 1) the difference between FFR and iFR exceeds the clinically tolerable threshold of 5% in more than half of the measurements; and 2) the agreement between the 2 methods is better for very high, nonsignificant FFR values ( 0.85) than for values that indicate hemodynamically significant stenoses. Therefore, it would be very interesting to see in what percentage of individual cases disagreement between iFR and FFR would result in reclassification of stenosis from nonsignificant to significant and vice versa. In summary: the investigators should be congratulated for an excellent innovation and a very elegant study. However, we feel that based on the data presented, the satisfactory statistical correlation may not translate into clinical usefulness.
A Review of Predictive and Prescriptive Offshore Wind Farm Operation and Maintenance

: Offshore wind farms are a rapidly developing source of clean, low-carbon energy and as they continue to grow in scale and capacity, so does the requirement for their efﬁcient and optimised operation and maintenance. Historically, approaches to maintenance have been purely reactive. However, there is a movement in offshore wind, and wider industry in general, towards more proactive, condition-based maintenance approaches which rely on operational data-driven decision making. This paper reviews the current efforts in proactive maintenance strategies, both predictive and prescriptive, of which the latter is an evolution of the former. Both use operational data to determine whether a turbine component will fail in order to provide sufﬁcient warning to carry out necessary maintenance. Prescriptive strategies also provide optimised maintenance actions, incorporating predictions into a wider maintenance plan to address predicted failure modes. Beginning with a summary of common techniques used across both strategies, this review moves on to discuss their respective applications in offshore wind operation and maintenance. This review concludes with suggested areas for future work, underlining the need for models which can be simply incorporated by site operators and integrate live data whilst handling uncertainties. A need for further focus on medium-term planning strategies is also highlighted along with consideration of the question of how to quantify the impact of a proactive maintenance strategy.
ASGR1 and CLEC10A

ASGR1 and CLEC10A are members of a large group of proteins called ‘lectins’ that non-enzymatically bind carbohydrate structures. In plants these proteins usually occur in storage tissues such as seeds. Research over the past four decades identified a vast number of lectin receptors in mammalian tissues, which function as surveillance of the extensive glycome in normal tissues, recognition of environmental danger signals, cell-cell adhesion, ligand-specific endocytosis, glycoprotein turnover, and mediators of inflammation and immune responses. Five major families of lectin-type receptors have been cataloged: the I-type Siglec receptors are specific for glycan ligands that contain terminal sialic acid [1,2,3]; galectins bind ligands that contain β-galactoside moieties [4,5]; F-type lectins bind fucose [6]; and R-type lectins resemble the protein ricin [7]. By far the largest and most diverse family, indeed a superfamily, consists of C-type lectins that in most but not all cases require Ca to bind the ligand within a conserved carbohydrate-recognition domain (CRD) [8,9,10]. Starting from the late 1980s, research on these lectins identified 17 sub-groups based on structure of the CRD and specificity of the sugar ligand [10,11,12].
University of Birmingham Expression of Idh1(R132H) in the Murine Subventricular Zone Stem Cell Niche Recapitulates Features of Early Gliomagenesis

Citation for published version (Harvard): Bardella, C, Al-Dalahmah, O, Krell, D, Brazauskas, P, Al-Qahtani, K, Tomkova, M, Adam, J, Serres, S, Lockstone, H, Freeman-Mills, L, Pfeffer, I, Sibson, N, Goldin, R, Schuster-Böeckler, B, Pollard, PJ, Soga, T, McCullagh, JS, Schofield, CJ, Mulholland, P, Ansorge, O, Kriaucionis, S, Ratcliffe, PJ, Szele, FG, Tomlinson, I & Tomlinson, I 2016, 'Expression of Idh1(R132H) in the Murine Subventricular Zone Stem Cell Niche Recapitulates Features of Early Gliomagenesis', Cancer Cell, vol. 30, no. 4, pp. 578-594. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ccell. 2016.08. 017
DDDT_A_257020 2877..2888

College of Chinese Materia Medica, Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou 51006, Guangdong, People’s Republic of China Objective: The aim of our research was to analyze and compare the pharmacokinetics of paeoniflorin, calycosin, calycosin-7-o-β-d-6-glucoside, and 6-gingerol in the blood and brain tissue of normal and cerebral ischemia-reperfusion injury rats by HPLC-MS/MS method. Methods: The blood and brain tissue samples of normal and middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO) rats were compared. The blood and brain tissue samples were collected by using microdialysis technique. The concentrations of paeoniflorin, calycosin, calycosin7-o-β-d-6-glucoside, and 6-gingerol in blood and brain tissues were determined by the HPLC-MS/MS internal standard method. Results: Compared with the normal group, the model group after the administration of the Huangqi Guizhi Wuwu Decoction showed that Cmax blood, AUC0-t blood, and AUC0-inf blood of paeoniflorin were increased, CLblood, t1/2 brain, and Vbrain of paeoniflorin were decreased; Cmaxblood, AUC0-tblood, AUC0-infblood, and average residence time (MRTbrain) of calycosin7-o-β-d-6-glucoside were decreased and the CLblood and Cmax brain of calycosin-7-o-βd-6-glucoside were increased; Cmax blood of calycosin was decreased, Vblood and Vbrain of calycosin were increased; Cmax blood, AUC0-t blood, AUC0-inf blood, and MRTbrain of 6-gingerol were decreased, CLblood of 6-gingerol was increased. Conclusion: This method is simple, rapid, and sensitive. It is suitable for the pharmacokinetic study of Huangqi Guizhi Wuwu Decoction in the blood and brain tissue of rats. Cerebral ischemia-reperfusion injury increased the content of paeoniflorin, calycosin, calycosin-7-o-β-d-6-glucoside, and 6-gingerol in the blood, affecting the clearance rate of paeoniflorin in the brain, the detention time of calycosin-7-o-β-d-6-glucoside and the 6-gingerol in the brain. In normal and cerebral ischemia-reperfusion rats, the content of paeoniflorin and 6-gingerol in the blood was higher than that in brain tissue, while the content of calycosin, calycosin-7-o-β-d-6-glucoside in the brain tissue was higher than that in blood, suggesting that calycosin and calycosin-7-o-β-d-6-glucoside have brain targeting properties.
Applied Time Series Econometrics: Smooth Transition Regression Modeling

Introduction Nonlinear models have gained a foothold in both macroeconomic and financial modeling. Linear approximations to nonlinear economic phenomena have served macroeconomic modelers well, but in many cases nonlinear specifications have turned out to be useful. Nonlinear econometric models can be divided in two broad categories. The first one contains the models that do not nest a linear model as a special case. Disequilibrium models [e.g., Fair & Jaffee (1972)] are a case in point. The second category embraces several popular models that do nest a linear model. The switching regression model, various Markov-switching models, and the smooth transition regression model are examples of models that belong to this class. Researchers interested in applying them can then choose a linear model as their starting-point and consider nonlinear extensions should they turn out to be necessary. In this chapter, the discussion is centered on modeling of economic time series using the family of smooth transition regression models as a tool. This chapter is organized as follows. The smooth transition regression model is presented in Section 6.2. The modeling cycle, consisting of specification, estimation and evaluation stages, is the topic of Section 6.3. In Section 6.4, the modeling strategy and its application using JMu⌉Ti is illustrated by two empirical examples. Section 6.5 presents some final remarks. The Model The smooth transition regression (STR) model is a nonlinear regression model that may be viewed as a further development of the switching regression model that Quandt (1958) introduced. The univariate version of the switching regression model has long been known as the threshold autoregressive model; for a thorough review, see Tong (1990).
A comparison of head scale microstructure between genera Eristicophis and Pseudocerastes

In the present study, it was hypothesized that micromorphology undergoes a specific evolutionary path at the time of species derivation. Many authors have suggested that the microstructure of the superficial surface of scales has undergone important adaptations and has functional value in snakes. For testing, this hypothesis, the skin microornamentation of the snakes’ genera Pseudocerastes and Eristicophis was studied using a dino-lite digital microscope and scanning electron microscopy. Skin samples from the dorsal part of the head in these related vipers were photographed and compared with each other in terms of divergence time. This study demonstrates that microstructures show a progression from an uneven honeycomb (a plesiomorphy) to a smoother and network-free (an autapomorphy) surface structure.
This is a repository copy of ICT adoption in road freight transport in Nigeria-A case study

This paper advances the ICT adoption discourse to explore ICT mechanism use, adaptation and contextual influences on management strategies in Africa. A polar-type multiple case studies approach is used to guide empirical data collection across 10 individual cases. 21 interviews were conducted with top executives and these were corroborated with over 30 hours of non-participant observations and archival documentation from these cases. Using a tripartite coding frame, thematic and content analyses were performed to identify patterns and themes in the collected data. Findings of this study evidence ICT use at firm level with significant links to local contextual factors. Additionally, whilst affirming relationships between size and adoption, the findings also suggest an inverted parallel between both variables. The paper contributes by empirically highlighting the influence of contextual factors on ICT use in road freight transportation as well as highlighting the potential for ICT developers and OEMs to acquire innovative input from local adaptation practices within the industry.
THE EXAGGERATED INFLAMMATORY RESPONSE IN BEHÇET’S SYNDROME: IDENTIFICATION OF DYSFUNCTIONAL POST-TRANSCRIPTIONAL REGULATION OF THE IFN  /CXCL10 (IP-10) PATHWAY.

The mechanisms underlying the exaggerated inflammatory response in Behçet’s Syndrome (BS) remain poorly understood. Objectives: We investigated the response of CD14+ blood monocytes to IFN  focusing on the chemokine CXCL10. Methods: Chemokine synthesis and release were analysed at a protein and mRNA level following stimulation with IFN  . Findings in BS patients were compared with 25 healthy controls (HC), 15 rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and 15 systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) disease control patients. Results: BS monocytes produced significantly more CXCL10 protein than HC monocytes from two hours following IFNγ stimulation , despite equivalent quantities of mRNA, suggesting more efficient translation. This was significantly more pronounced in BS with high disease activity and in those with ocular and neurological clinical manifestations. The imbalance between CXCL10 protein and mRNA expression was not observed in either RA or SLE patients, and was not seen with other chemokines studied (CXCL9, CXCL11 and CCL2). Furthermore, BS monocytes treated with an alternative stimulant (LPS) did not show abnormal TNF  release  Sucrose density gradients to segregate monocyte CXCL10 mRNA into free RNA or polysome-associated RNA showed equal proportions in BS and HC samples, suggesting that the difference between BS and HC may be due to reduced negative control of CXCL10 translation in BS. Conclusions BS monocytes have dysfunctional post-transcriptional regulation of CXCL10 mRNA, resulting in overexpression of CXCL10 protein upon IFNγ stimulation. As CXCL10 is a chemokine that recruits mononuclear cells, this abnormality may contribute to the exaggerated inflammatory responses that characterises BS. iCycler On completion of the first qRT-PCT for each new the was validated with an agarose gel. Results were expressed as a ratio of the test signal to house-keeper gene HPRT. During set up experiments results were also validated using housekeepers
Application of Internet of Things and Sensors in Healthcare

The Internet of Things (IoT) is an innovative technology with billions of sensors in various IoT applications. Important elements used in the IoT are sensors that collect data for desired analyses. The IoT and sensors are very important in smart cities, smart agriculture, smart education, healthcare systems, and other applications. The healthcare system uses the IoT to meet global health challenges, and the newest example is COVID-19. Demand has increased during COVID-19 for healthcare to reach patients remotely and digitally at their homes. The IoT properly monitors patients using an interconnected network to overcome the issues of healthcare services. The aim of this paper is to discuss different applications, technologies, and challenges related to the healthcare system. Different databases were searched using keywords in Google Scholar, Elsevier, PubMed, ACM, ResearchGate, Scopus, Springer, etc. This paper discusses, highlights, and identifies the applications of IoT healthcare systems to provide research directions to healthcare, academia, and researchers to overcome healthcare system challenges. Hence, the IoT can be beneficial by providing better treatments using the healthcare system efficiently. In this paper, the integration of the IoT with smart technologies not only improves computation, but will also allow the IoT to be pervasive, profitable, and available anytime and anywhere. Finally, some future directions and challenges are discussed, along with useful suggestions that can assist the IoT healthcare system during COVID-19 and in a severe pandemic.
Reply to Comment by John J.G. Reijmer on ‘Understanding carbonate factories through palaeoecological and sedimentological signals – Tribute to Luis Pomar’ by Brandano et al. (2022), Sedimentology, 69, 5–23

MARCO BRANDANO* , GUILLEM MATEU-VICENS† ‡ § and JUAN IGNACIO BACETA¶ *Dipartimento di Scienze della Terra, Universita di Roma “Sapienza”, P.le Aldo Moro, 5, 00185, Rome, Italy (E-mail: marco.brandano@uniroma1.it) †C atedra Guillem Colom Casasnovas, Universitat de les Illes Balears, Ctra. de Valldemossa Km 7.5, 07122, Palma de Mallorca, Spain ‡Interdisciplinary Ecology Group, University of the Balearic Islands, Ctra. Valldemossa km 7.5, E-07122, Palma de Mallorca, Spain §Museu Balear de Ci encies Naturals, Ctra. Palma – Port de Soller km 30, E-07100, Soller, Mallorca, Spain ¶Department of Geology, The University of the Basque Country UPV-EHU, Sarriena s/n E48940, Leioa, Spain
Bilateral Preference-aware Task Assignment in Spatial Crowdsourcing

Task assignment is a crucial issue in spatial crowd-sourcing. In most existing studies, the results of the task assignment cannot satisfy the workers and tasks at the same time. This is because only one-sided preferences are taken into account. Moreover, tasks are always assigned based on the locations of workers instead of the trajectories. Accordingly, they are not appropriate to the specific applications, such as carpool. Inspired by this, we investigate an interesting problem of task assignment, namely bilateral preference-aware task assignment (BPTA), with the goal of maximizing the overall satisfaction of workers and tasks by assigning tasks to suitable workers based on their routine trajectories. To tackle this problem effectively, we first propose greedy algorithms, namely task preference priority greedy and worker preference priority greedy algorithms, which are task-driven and worker-driven, respectively. Although these algorithms can solve the BPTA problem effectively, they cannot ensure the stability of the task assignment results. In other words, there can be better choices for some workers and tasks. Accordingly, we further explore deferred acceptance algorithms to find a stable matching for workers and tasks by simultaneously considering the preferences of workers and tasks. Moreover, two optimizing strategies, including a parallel strategy and a top-$k$ strategy, are introduced to boost the performance in handling the BPTA problem. Extensive experiments on both real and synthetic datasets have validated the efficiency and effectiveness of our proposed algorithms.
The dynamics of early-type galaxies as a tool to understand their hot coronae and their IMF

Dynamical models of galaxies are a powerful tool to study and understand several astrophysical problems related to galaxy formation and evolution. This thesis is focussed on a particular type of dynamical models, that are widely used in literature, and are based on the solution of the Jeans equations. By means of a numerical Jeans solver code, developed on purpose and able to build state-of-the-art advanced axisymmetric galaxy models, two of the main currently investigated issues in the field of research of early-type galaxies (ETGs) are addressed. The first topic concerns the hot and X-ray emitting gaseous coronae that surround ETGs. The main goal is to explain why flat and rotating galaxies generally exhibit haloes with lower gas temperatures and luminosities with respect to rounder and velocity dispersion supported systems. The second astrophysical problem addressed concerns instead the stellar initial mass function (IMF) of ETGs. Nowadays, this is a very controversial issue due to a growing number of works on ETGs, based on different and independent techniques, that show evidences of a systematic variation of the IMF normalization as a function of galaxy velocity dispersion or mass. These studies are changing the previous opinion that the IMF of ETGs was the same as that of spiral galaxies, and hence universal throughout the whole large family of galaxies.
Free-form surface inspection path planning using improved ant colony optimisation algorithm

To improve the inspection efficiency of free-form surfaces using coordinate measuring machines (CMMs), this paper proposes a free-form CMM inspection path optimization method based on an improved ant colony optimisation algorithm. The inspection path composition and its mathematical model are first analysed, and then the improved ant colony optimisation algorithm is applied to minimize the objective function. To address the problem that the ant colony optimisation algorithm has difficulty jumping out of local optimal solutions, this paper introduces a negative feedback mechanism in the pheromone update rule to improve the probability of the ant colony optimisation algorithm jumping out of the local optimal solution, so as to obtain the global optimal solution with a higher probability. Experiments showed that the inspection path length optimised by the improved ant colony optimisation algorithm was at least 5.2% and 8.6% shorter than those of the traditional ant colony optimisation and simulated annealing algorithms, respectively.