Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Species Associations in a Heterogeneous Sri Lankan Dipterocarp Forest

We used point pattern analysis to examine the spatial distribution of 46 common tree species (diameter at breast height >10 cm) in a fully mapped \documentclass{aastex} \usepackage{amsbsy} \usepackage{amsfonts} \usepackage{amssymb} \usepackage{bm} \usepackage{mathrsfs} \usepackage{pifont} \usepackage{stmaryrd} \usepackage{textcomp} \usepackage{portland,xspace} \usepackage{amsmath,amsxtra} \usepackage[OT2,OT1]{fontenc} \newcommand\cyr{ \renewcommand\rmdefault{wncyr} \renewcommand\sfdefault{wncyss} \renewcommand\encodingdefault{OT2} \normalfont \selectfont} \DeclareTextFontCommand{\textcyr}{\cyr} \pagestyle{empty} \DeclareMathSizes{10}{9}{7}{6} \begin{document} \landscape $$500\times 500$$ \end{document} ‐m tropical forest plot in Sinharaja, Sri Lanka. We aimed to disentangle the effect of species interactions (second‐order effects) and environment (first‐order effects) on the species’ spatial distributions. To characterize first‐order associations (segregation, overlap), we developed a classification scheme based on Ripley’s K and nearest‐neighbor statistics. We subsequently used heterogeneous Poisson null models, accounting for possible environmental heterogeneity, to reveal significant uni‐ and bivariate second‐order interactions (regularity, aggregation and repulsion, attraction). First‐order effects were strong; overall, 53% of all species pairs occupied largely disjoint areas (segregation), 40% showed partial overlap, and 6% overlapped. Only 5% of all species pairs showed significant second‐order effects, but about half of the species showed significant intraspecific effects. Significant plant‐plant interactions occurred mostly within 2–4 m and disappeared within 15–20 m of the focal plant. While lack of significant species interactions suggests support for the unified neutral theory, species’ observed spatial segregation does not support the assumptions of the neutral theory. The strong observed tendency of species to segregate may have supplementary effects on other processes promoting species coexistence.
VIOLENCE RISK ASSESSMENT: Getting Specific About Being Dynamic

Substantial strides have been made in the field of violence risk assessment. Numerous robust risk factors have been identified and incorporated into structured violence risk assessment instruments. The concepts of violence prevention, management, and treatment have been infused into contemporary thinking on risk assessment. This conceptual development underscores the necessity of identifying, measuring, and monitoring changeable (dynamic) risk factors--the most promising targets for risk reduction efforts. However, empirical investigation of dynamic risk is virtually absent from the literature. In this article, the authors (a) differentiate risk status (interindividual risk level based largely on static risk factors) from risk state (intraindividual risk level determined largely by current status on dynamic risk factors), (b) analyze the relevance of contemporary risk assessment measures for capturing dynamic risk, and (c) distill potentially important dynamic risk factors from the literature in order to facilitate future research. Suggestions for theory development and research design are provided.
Preliminary evidence of transient fatigue and pacing during interchanges in rugby league.

PURPOSE This study aimed to quantify changes in heart rate (HR) and movement speeds in interchanged and whole-match players during 35 elite rugby league performances. METHODS Performances were separated into whole match, interchange bout 1, and interchange bout 2 and further subdivided into match quartiles. Mean percentages of peak HR (%HR(peak)) and total and high-intensity running (> 14 km/h) meters per minute (m/min) were recorded. RESULTS For whole-match players, a decline in high-intensity m/min and %HR(peak) was observed between successive quartiles (P < .05). High-intensity m/min during interchange 1 also progressively declined, although initial m/min was higher than whole match (24.2 ± 7.9 m/min vs 18.3 ± 4.7 m/min, P = .018), and %HR(peak) did not change over match quartiles (P > .05). During interchange 2, there was a decline in high-intensity m/min from quartile 1 to quartile 3 (18 ± 4.1 vs 13.4 ± 5 m/min, P = .048) before increasing in quartile 4. Quartiles 1 and 2 also showed an increase in %HR(peak) (85.2 ± 6.5 vs 87.3 ± 4.2%, P = .022). CONCLUSIONS Replacement players adopted a high initial intensity in their first match quartile before a severe decline thereafter. However, in a second bout, lower exercise intensity at the outset enabled a higher physiological exertion for later periods. These findings inform interchange strategy and conditioning for coaches while also providing preliminary evidence of pacing in team sport.
Hierarchical Nearest-Neighbor Gaussian Process Models for Large Geostatistical Datasets

Abstract Spatial process models for analyzing geostatistical data entail computations that become prohibitive as the number of spatial locations become large. This article develops a class of highly scalable nearest-neighbor Gaussian process (NNGP) models to provide fully model-based inference for large geostatistical datasets. We establish that the NNGP is a well-defined spatial process providing legitimate finite-dimensional Gaussian densities with sparse precision matrices. We embed the NNGP as a sparsity-inducing prior within a rich hierarchical modeling framework and outline how computationally efficient Markov chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) algorithms can be executed without storing or decomposing large matrices. The floating point operations (flops) per iteration of this algorithm is linear in the number of spatial locations, thereby rendering substantial scalability. We illustrate the computational and inferential benefits of the NNGP over competing methods using simulation studies and also analyze forest biomass from a massive U.S. Forest Inventory dataset at a scale that precludes alternative dimension-reducing methods. Supplementary materials for this article are available online.
Astaxanthin and β-carotene in Helicobacter pylori-induced Gastric Inflammation: A Mini-review on Action Mechanisms

Helicobacter pylori is a dominant bacterium living in the human gastric tissues. In H. pylori-infected tissues, the infiltrated inflammatory cells produce reactive oxygen species (ROS), leading to gastric inflammation with production of various mediators. According to numerous epidemiological studies, dietary carotenoids may prevent gastric inflammation due to their antioxidant properties. Recent studies showed that antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects of astaxanthin and β-carotene may contribute to inhibition of H. pylori-induced gastric inflammation. Astaxanthin changes H. pylori-induced activation of T helper cell type 1 response towards T helper cell type 2 response in the infected tissues. Astaxanthin inhibits the growth of H. pylori. Even though astaxanthin reduces H. pylori-induced gastric inflammation, it does not reduce cytokine levels in the infected tissues. β-Carotene suppresses ROS-mediated inflammatory signaling, including mitogen-activated protein kinases and redox-sensitive transcription factors, and reduces expression of inflammatory mediators, including interleukin-8, inducible nitric oxide synthase, and cyclooxygenase-2 in the infected tissues. Therefore, consumption of astaxanthin- and β-carotene-rich foods may be beneficial to prevent H. pylori-induced gastric inflammation. This review will summarize anti-inflammatory mechanisms of astaxanthin and β-carotene in H. pylori-mediated gastric inflammation.
Why do successful companies fail? A case study of the decline of Dunlop

This article examines the internal and external factors that contributed to the decline of Dunlop. For much of its history Dunlop operated in a protected home market or instigated strategies to restrict competition. This enabled Dunlop to dominate the British tyre industry. The complacency and inertia of management was exposed by a number of external jolts that produced radical environmental changes. Management failed to develop appropriate strategies which led to large losses in an industry suffering from overcapacity. Plant closures and the divestment of the European tyre operations were implemented to reduce company debt. This turnaround strategy proved to be a temporary respite as Dunlop was acquired by BTR.
Tracking changes in social relations throughout late life.

OBJECTIVES This research aimed to chart age-related changes in 11 dimensions of social relations during later life. We also examined interpersonal differences in intra-individual changes. METHODS We used hierarchical linear modeling with data from a nationwide survey of 1,103 elders who were interviewed up to four times over a 10-year period. RESULTS Age-related changes in social relations varied across the different dimensions, and significant interpersonal differences existed in these trajectories. Emotional support was relatively stable with advancing age, whereas other types of received support (i.e., tangible and informational) increased with age and levels of provided support declined. Furthermore, the findings revealed declines in contact with friends, support satisfaction, and anticipated support. These changes were not uniform throughout the sample, as indicated by significant random effects with respect to the intercepts and slopes in virtually each model. Gender and socioeconomic status accounted for some of this variation. DISCUSSION These findings highlight the dynamic nature of social relationships in late life. In addition, the findings both provide evidence of older adults managing their social ties to meet the challenges of aging and suggest the importance of the interplay between giving and receiving support.
LED Lighting – Modification of Growth, Metabolism, Yield and Flour Composition in Wheat by Spectral Quality and Intensity

The use of light-emitting diode (LED) technology for plant cultivation under controlled environmental conditions can result in significant reductions in energy consumption. However, there is still a lack of detailed information on the lighting conditions required for optimal growth of different plant species and the effects of light intensity and spectral composition on plant metabolism and nutritional quality. In the present study, wheat plants were grown under six regimens designed to compare the effects of LED and conventional fluorescent lights on growth and development, leaf photosynthesis, thiol and amino acid metabolism as well as grain yield and flour quality of wheat. Benefits of LED light sources over fluorescent lighting were manifested in both yield and quality of wheat. Elevated light intensities made possible with LEDs increased photosynthetic activity, the number of tillers, biomass and yield. At lower light intensities, blue, green and far-red light operated antagonistically during the stem elongation period. High photosynthetic activity was achieved when at least 50% of red light was applied during cultivation. A high proportion of blue light prolonged the juvenile phase, while the shortest flowering time was achieved when the blue to red ratio was around one. Blue and far-red light affected the glutathione- and proline-dependent redox environment in leaves. LEDs, especially in Blue, Pink and Red Low Light (RedLL) regimens improved flour quality by modifying starch and protein content, dough strength and extensibility as demonstrated by the ratios of high to low molecular weight glutenins, ratios of glutenins to gliadins and gluten spread values. These results clearly show that LEDs are efficient for experimental wheat cultivation, and make it possible to optimize the growth conditions and to manipulate metabolism, yield and quality through modification of light quality and quantity.
Who Benefits from Racism? The Distribution among Whites of Gains and Losses from Racial Inequality

Most neoclassical investigations argue that racial discrimination hurts employers and benefits white workers; however, these distributional hypotheses have not been tested empirically. This article argues that, no matter how racial inequality is produced, and whether or not capitalists individually or collectively practice discrimination, racial inequality benefits capitalists and hurts white workers, by weakening workers' solidarity and bargaining strength. The article presents several tests of this bargaining-power hypothesis. The empirical results support this hypothesis and are inconsistent with prominent neoclassical discrimination models.
An Extended Learner Modeling Method to Assess Students' Learning Behaviors

This paper discusses a novel approach for developing more reﬁned and accurate learner models from student data collected from Open Ended Learning Environments (OELEs). OELEs provide students choice in how they go about constructing solutions to problems, and students exhibit a variety of learning behaviors in such environments. Building accurate models from limited amount of student data is dif-ﬁcult; to address this we develop a methodology that uses Monte Carlo Tree Search methods to boost the initial set of student action sequences in such a way that we can learn more accurate models of students’ learning behaviors. We use a HMM representation to model students’ learning behaviors and demonstrate the eﬀectiveness of our approach by running a case study on data collected from 98 students, who worked with the Betty’s Brain system for four days. The re-sults have interesting implications for learner modeling and its applications to adaptive scaﬀolding of students’ learning behaviors and strategies as they learn from OELEs.
Basal progenitor cells bridge the development, malignant cancers, and multiple diseases of esophagus

The esophagus is a pivotal organ originating from anterior foregut that links the mouth and stomach. Moreover, its development involves precise regulation of multiple signal molecules and signal transduction pathways. After abnormal regulation of these molecules in the basal cells of the esophagus occurs, multiple diseases, including esophageal atresia with or without tracheoesophageal fistula, Barrett esophagus, gastroesophageal reflux, and eosinophilic esophagitis, will take place as a result. Furthermore, expression changes of signal molecules or signal pathways in basal cells and the microenvironment around basal cells both can initiate the switch of malignant transformation. In this review, we highlight the molecular events underlying the transition of normal development to multiple esophageal diseases. Additionally, the animal models of esophageal development and related diseases, challenges, and strategies are extensively discussed.
Release-time aware VM placement

Consolidating virtual machines (VMs) on as few physical machines (PMs) as possible so as to turn into sleep as many PMs as possible can make significant energy savings in cloud centers. Although traditional online bin packing heuristics, such as Best Fit (BF), have been used to reduce the number of active PMs, they share one common limitation; they do not account for VM release times, which can lead to an inefficient usage of energy resources. In this paper, we propose several extensions to the original BF heuristic by accounting for VMs' release times when making VM placement decisions. Our comparative studies conducted on Google traces show that, when compared to existing heuristics, the proposed heuristic reduces energy consumption and enhances utilization of cloud servers.
FIP1 Plays an Important Role in Nitrate Signaling and Regulates CIPK8 and CIPK23 Expression in Arabidopsis

Unraveling the molecular mechanisms of nitrate regulation and deciphering the underlying genetic network is vital for elucidating nitrate uptake and utilization in plants. Such knowledge could lead to the improvement of nitrogen-use efficiency in agriculture. Here, we report that the FIP1 gene (factor interacting with poly(A) polymerase 1) plays an important role in nitrate signaling in Arabidopsis thaliana. FIP1 encodes a putative core component of the polyadenylation factor complex. We found that FIP1 interacts with the cleavage and polyadenylation specificity factor 30-L (CPSF30-L), which is also an essential player in nitrate signaling. The induction of nitrate-responsive genes following nitrate treatment was inhibited in the fip1 mutant. The nitrate content was also reduced in fip1 seedlings due to their decreased nitrate uptake activity. Furthermore, the nitrate content was higher in the roots but lower in the roots of fip1, which may result from the downregulation of NRT1.8 and the upregulation of the nitrate assimilation genes. In addition, qPCR analyses revealed that FIP1 negatively regulated the expression of CIPK8 and CIPK23, two protein kinases involved in nitrate signaling. In the fip1 mutant, the increased expression of CIPK23 may affect nitrate uptake, resulting in its lower nitrate content. Genetic and molecular evidence suggests that FIP1 and CPSF30-L function in the same nitrate-signaling pathway, with FIP1 mediating signaling through its interaction with CPSF30-L and its regulation of CIPK8 and CIPK23. Analysis of the 3′-UTR of NRT1.1 showed that the pattern of polyadenylation sites was altered in the fip1 mutant. These findings add a novel component to the nitrate regulation network and enhance our understanding of the underlying mechanisms for nitrate signaling.
Counting on the Latino Vote: Latinos as a New Electorate

Latinos, along with other new immigrants, are not being incorporated into U.S. politics as rapidly as their predecessors, raising concerns about political fragmentation along ethnic lines. In Counting on the Latino Vote, Louis DeSipio uses the first national studies of Latinos to investigate whether they engage in bloc voting or are likely to do so in the future.To understand American racial and ethnic minority group politics, social scientists have largely relied on a black-white paradigm. DeSipio gives a more complex picture by drawing both on the histories of other ethnic groups and on up-to-date but underutilized studies of Hispanics' political attitudes, values, and behaviors. In order to explore the potential impact of Hispanics as an electorate, he analyzes the current Latino body politic and projects the possible voting patterns of those who reside in the United States but do not now vote.
Cutaneous melanoma: ESMO Clinical Practice Guidelines for diagnosis, treatment and follow-up†.

there was no difference in PFS between anti-PD1 antibody therapy versus a ipilimumab/nivolumab combination, in the PDL-1 positive population. The study was not powered to distinguish between the ef ﬁ cacy of nivolumab and the ipilimumab/nivolumab combo. The ﬁ nal clinical implications of this study, including the question about the superiority of combined anti-PD1/CTLA-4 therapy versus sequential anti-PD1/CTLA-4 therapy, remain open until the survival data are mature [41].
Poor glycaemic control in Brazilian patients with type 2 diabetes attending the public healthcare system: a cross-sectional study

Objectives To describe the clinical profile of Brazilian patients with type 2 diabetes attending the public healthcare system and identify factors associated with poor glycaemic control. Design Cross-sectional study. Setting 14 centres in five regions of Brazil, including primary care units and outpatient clinics of University Hospitals. Participants Patients with type 2 diabetes attending outpatient clinics of public healthcare system. Main outcome measured Glycated haemoglobin (HbA1c), centrally measured by high-performance liquid chromatography (National Glycohemoglobin Standardization Program certified). Results A total of 5750 patients aged 61±10 years, with 11±8 years of diabetes duration (66% women, 56% non-white, body mass index: 28.0±5.3 kg/m2) were analysed. Mean HbA1c was 8.6±2.2%, and median HbA1c was 8.1% (6.9% to 9.9%). HbA1c <7% was observed in only 26% of patients. Mean HbA1c was higher (p < 0.01) in the North (9.0±2.6%) and Northeast (8.9±2.4%) than in the Midwest (8.1±2%), Southeast (8.4±2.1%) and South regions (8.3±1.9%). Using the cut-off value of HbA1c above the median, age (0.986 (0.983 to 0.989)), white ethnicity (0.931 (0.883 to 0.981)) and being from Midwest region (0.858 (0.745 to 0.989)) were protective factors, while diabetes duration (1.015 (1.012 to 1.018)), use of insulin (1.710 (1.624 to 1.802)) and living in the Northeast region (1.197 (1.085 to 1.321)) were associated with HbA1c >8%. Conclusions The majority of Brazilian patients with type 2 diabetes attending the public healthcare system had HbA1c levels above recommended targets. The recognition of Northeast residents and non-white patients as vulnerable populations should guide future policies and actions to prevent and control diabetes.
Can Visitor Satisfaction and Knowledge About Tropical Rainforests be Enhanced Through Biodiversity Interpretation, and Does this Promote a Positive Attitude Towards Ecosystem Conservation?

This research note examines whether educating visitors about biological diversity during a visit to tropical rainforest can raise their levels of satisfaction and knowledge above those achieved from the experiential encounter alone. It thereby interrogates both the affective domain (subjective emotions and feelings) and the cognitive domain (objective knowledge acquisition) of visitors to rainforest. Selected aspects of biological diversity were interpreted in order to elucidate which were most conducive to enhanced satisfaction and knowledge. Visitor attitudes post-visit were ascertained to test whether increasing satisfaction and/or knowledge can encourage a more positive attitude towards ecosystem conservation and sustainable tourism. There is evidence that rainforest interpretation contributes substantially to tourist satisfaction at the Skyrail Rainforest Cableway in Queensland, Australia (Moscardo & Woods, 1998; Pearce & Moscardo, 1998). Skyrail visitors who used interpretive facilities were significantly more satisfied with their visit than those who did not. Additionally, comparison of visitors with different levels of exposure to the interpretation demonstrated that the more interpretation experienced by visitors, the more they learnt. Similarly, an examination of the impact of interpretive signs on visitor knowledge at the Valley of the Giants Tree Top Walk in Western Australia found significant increases in visitor knowledge and satisfaction as a result of their reading trail-side signs (Hughes & Morrison-Saunders, 2002). There has been much rhetoric that interpretation is an important element in the promotion of environmental conservation and sustainable tourism, largely by increasing visitor knowledge and environmental awareness, and by
C.I. Pigment red 266.

C.I. Pigment Red 266, or 4-[[4-(aminocarbonyl)phenyl]hydrazono]-N-(2-methoxyphenyl)-3-oxo-3,4-dihydronaphthalene-2-carboxamide, C(25)H(20)N(4)O(4), adopts the keto-hydrazone tautomeric form with significant intramolecular hydrogen bonding. The molecules pack to form layers involving an extensive network of intermolecular hydrogen bonds, in which the primary amide group plays a prominent role. The good technical performance of this pigment in application may be attributed principally to the pattern of intra- and intermolecular hydrogen bonding.