Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Recreational boating, landscape configuration, and local habitat structure as drivers of odonate community composition in an island setting

Anthropogenic impacts to aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems are ubiquitous. Among these, local impacts to freshwater coastal wetlands from recreational boating are potentially severe. We determine the relative contribution of natural factors (local habitat structure and landscape configuration) and estimated impact from anthropogenic factors (i.e. pressure from recreational boating) to odonate community composition. Odonate adults and exuviae were sampled from 17 islands within the 30 000 islands of the Georgian Bay Region of Lake Huron (Ontario, Canada). These islands experience a gradient of boating pressure from four marinas. The magnitude of impacts due to anthropogenic factors was estimated by marina dock space, proximity to marked boating channels, and proximity to a major highway. Redundancy analyses and variance partitioning were utilised to quantify the relative influence of local habitat structure, landscape configuration, and anthropogenic pressures on the distribution of 18 odonate species. Our results show that local habitat structure, landscape configuration, and boating pressures influence odonate community composition. Overall variance in the species composition explained was 36.5% for adults (25.3% landscape configuration and habitat structure, 6.0% boating pressure, 5.2% shared) and 21.9% for exuviae (13.2% landscape configuration and habitat structure, 6.9% boating pressure, 1.8% shared). We found that communities of adults and larvae (sampled as exuviae) are influenced by different factors. Overall, we find evidence that odonate community composition is affected by boating pressures. This stresses the need to consider not only global‐scale human disturbances in conservation planning but also localised effects which differentially impact major life stages.
Preliminary screening of apple germplasm for resistance to silverleaf infection

Abstract As effective control measures for silverleaf (caused by Chondrostereum purpureum) are lacking, the breeding and selection of resistant cultivars is considered the most effective means of combatting the disease. In this paper the results of preliminary evaluation of apple germplasm for silverleaf resistance are presented. Cuttings of 214 apple (Malus spp.) cultivars, advanced selections, and rootstocks were artificially inoculated with a single isolate of C. purpureum. After 1 month incubation in vitro the depth of xylem staining was measured and used as an assessment of resistance. Cuttings of 23 cultivars were unaffected by the fungus, whereas the xylem tissues of cuttings of 24 cultivars and sports were fully stained. The wide range of the mean depth of xylem staining implied that silverleaf resistance ispolygenic. However, the high levels of resistance of the cultivar ‘Northern Spy’ and some of its derivatives indicated major gene resistance in the cultivars.
An analysis of relative elemental growth rate, epidermal cell size and xyloglucan endotransglycosylase activity through the growing zone of ageing maize leaves

The effect of development on leaf elongation rate (LER) and the distribution of relative elemental growth rate (REGR), epidermal cell length, and xyloglucan endotransglycosylase (XET) activity through the growing zone of the third leaf of maize was investigated. As the leaf aged and leaf elongation slowed, the length of the growing zone (initially 35 mm) and the maximal REGR (initially 0.09 mm mm–1 h–1) declined. The decline in REGR was not uniform through the growth profile. Leaf ageing saw a maintenance of REGR towards the base of the leaf. Epidermal cell size was not constant at a given position in the growing zone, but was seen to increase as the leaf aged. There was a peak of XET activity close to the base of the growing zone. The peak of XET activity preceded the zone of maximum REGR. XET activity declined as leaves aged and their elongation rate slowed. When leaf elongation was complete a distinct peak of XET activity remained close to the base of the leaf.
β-Secretase Processing in the Trans-Golgi Network Preferentially Generates Truncated Amyloid Species That Accumulate in Alzheimer's Disease Brain*

The amyloid β (Aβ) peptide that accumulates in Alzheimer's disease brain is derived from the proteolytic processing of the amyloid precursor protein by β- and γ-secretase activities. The β-secretase enzyme β-site amyloid precursor protein-cleaving enzyme (BACE) generates the N terminus of Aβ by cleavage at either Asp1 (β-site) or Glu11 (β′-site), ultimately leading to the production of full-length Aβ1–40/42 or truncated Aβ11–40/42. The functional significance of this variable cleavage site specificity as well as the relative pathological impact of full-length versusN-terminally truncated Aβ remains largely unknown. In our analysis of BACE reactivity in cell culture, we found that the preference of the protease for either β- or β′-cleavage was strongly dependent on intracellular localization. Within the endoplasmic reticulum, β-site proteolysis predominated, whereas in the trans-Golgi network, β′-cleavage was favored. Furthermore, the contrasting cleavage site specificities of BACE were not simply due to differences in organelle pH or the oligosaccharide composition of the glycoproteins involved. Examination of post-mortem brain specimens revealed significant levels of Aβ11–40/42 within insoluble amyloid pools. Taken together, these data support an important role for β′-cleavage in the process of cerebral amyloid deposition and localize the processing event to the trans-Golgi network.
THE ORIGIN AND EVOLUTION OF DINOSAURS

▪ Abstract Phylogenetic studies and new fossil evidence have yielded fundamental insights into the pattern and timing of dinosaur evolution and the emergence of functionally modern birds. The dinosaurian radiation began in the Middle Triassic, significantly predating the global dominance of dinosaurs by the end of the period. The phylogenetic history of ornithischian and saurischian dinosaurs reveals evolutionary trends such as increasing body size. Adaptations to herbivory in dinosaurs were not tightly correlated with marked floral replacements. Dinosaurian biogeography during the era of continental breakup principally involved dispersal and regional extinction.
Energy Forecasting: A Review and Outlook

Forecasting has been an essential part of the power and energy industry. Researchers and practitioners have contributed thousands of papers on forecasting electricity demand and prices, and renewable generation (e.g., wind and solar power). This article offers a brief review of influential energy forecasting papers; summarizes research trends; discusses importance of reproducible research and points out six valuable open data sources; makes recommendations about publishing high-quality research papers; and offers an outlook into the future of energy forecasting.
Bergmann meets Scholander: geographical variation in body size and insulation in the koala is related to climate

Body size often varies clinally, with dominant explanations centred on how body size influences heat exchange (e.g. Bergmann's rule). However, for endotherms, pelage properties can also dramatically alter heat exchange – a point emphasized by Scholander in the 1950s but which has received little attention in biogeographical analyses. Here, we investigate how geographical variation in both body size and fur properties of the koala (Phascolarctos cinereus) is related to climate.
An Approach to the Analysis of Comparative Data When a Phylogeny Is Unavailable or Incomplete

using an available taxonomy as if it were a phylogeny or ignoring phylogeny alto? gether. Ahistorical (=nonphylogenetic) analyses have a high probability of being inaccurate (Felsenstein, 1985; Grafen, 1989; Martins and Garland, 1991). Using taxon? omies is perhaps less risky, but many avail? able taxonomies probably poorly reflect phylogeny and do not resolve the rela? tionships among taxa within a category (e.g., genus, family). An alternative, as yet unexplored pos? sibility is to turn the question on its head and ask whether the results of the statis?
Karyological study of some cyprinid species from Ethiopia. The ploidy differences between large and small Barbus of Africa

Chromosome sets of nine species of Barbus and a species of Varicorhinus from Ethiopia were investigated. All large Barbus (B. bynni, B. intermedius, B. ethiopicus) and V. beso are shown to have 2N =150, whereas all small Barbus (B. anema, B. kerstenii, B. paludinosus, and three unidentified (probably undescribed) species have 2N = 50. Based on the karyological data and on the published morphological data, an independent origin of small and large Barbus of Africa is suggested. The authors believe that large Barbus of Africa constitute a monophyletic group and that this group has no sister-group relationships with any of the small Barbus of Africa.
Sex sells? The role of female agency in sexualized advertisements

Advertising with sexualized female models is a commonly used technique in the advertisement industry. While “sex sells” is often successful in eliciting positive responses from male consumers, it often elicits negative responses from female consumers. On the one hand, female consumers might perceive sexualization as lacking in value (i.e., as a cheap display of sexuality lacking any kind of commitment). On the other hand, they might perceive sexualization as lacking in agency (i.e., as the model being displayed as an object rather than a subject). In two studies we investigate whether it is the lack of value or the lack of agency in sexualization that leads to more negative evaluations by young female perceivers. We manipulated the slogan in a sexualized advertisement so that it either adds value to sex (but does not add agency to the model) or so that it adds agency to the model (but does not add value to sex). Furthermore, we investigate the role of relatedness between the consumer and model with two advanced methodological approaches manipulating the facial characteristics of the model in the advertisement. In Study 1, we manipulated relatedness via perceived familiarity of the model’s face, whereas in Study 2, we manipulated relatedness via actual similarity between the perceivers’ and the model’s face in the advertisement. Results indicate that the lack of agency rather than the lack of value leads to negative evaluations by female consumers. This effect was pronounced if the advertisement model was relatable to the consumers.
Parameter Sensitivity of the WRF–LETKF System for Assimilation of Radar Observations: Imperfect-Model Observing System Simulation Experiments

Specification of suitable initial conditions to accurately forecast high-impact weather events associated with intense thunderstorms still poses a significant challenge for convective-scale forecasting. Radar data assimilation has been showing encouraging results to produce an accurate estimate of the state of the atmosphere at the mesoscale, as it combines high-spatiotemporal-resolution observations with convection-permitting numerical weather prediction models. However, many open questions remain regarding the configuration of state-of-the-art data assimilation systems at the mesoscale and their potential impact upon short-range weather forecasts. In this work, several observing system simulation experiments of a mesoscale convective system were performed to assess the sensitivity of the local ensemble transform Kalman filter to both relaxation-to-prior spread (RTPS) inflation and horizontal localization of the error covariance matrix. Realistic large-scale forcing and model errors have been taken into account in the simulation of reflectivity and Doppler velocity observations. Overall, the most accurate analyses in terms of RMSE were produced with a relatively small horizontal localization cutoff radius (~3.6–7.3 km) and large RTPS inflation parameter (~0.9–0.95). Additionally, the impact of horizontal localization on short-range ensemble forecast was larger compared to inflation, almost doubling the lead times up to which the effect of using a more accurate state to initialize the forecast persisted.
Construction and validation of a seven-gene signature for predicting overall survival in patients with kidney renal clear cell carcinoma via an integrated bioinformatics analysis

ABSTRACT Kidney renal clear cell carcinoma (KIRC) remains a significant challenge worldwide because of its poor prognosis and high mortality rate, and accurate prognostic gene signatures are urgently required for individual therapy. This study aimed to construct and validate a seven-gene signature for predicting overall survival (OS) in patients with KIRC. The mRNA expression profile and clinical data of patients with KIRC were obtained from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) and International Cancer Genome Consortium (ICGC). Prognosis-associated genes were identified, and a prognostic gene signature was constructed. Then, the prognostic efficiency of the gene signature was assessed. The results obtained using data from the TCGA were validated using those from the ICGC and other online databases. Gene set enrichment analyses (GSEA) were performed to explore potential molecular mechanisms. A seven-gene signature (PODXL, SLC16A12, ZIC2, ATP2B3, KRT75, C20orf141, and CHGA) was constructed, and it was found to be effective in classifying KIRC patients into high- and low-risk groups, with significantly different survival based on the TCGA and ICGC validation data set. Cox regression analysis revealed that the seven-gene signature had an independent prognostic value. Then, we established a nomogram, including the seven-gene signature, which had a significant clinical net benefit. Interestingly, the seven-gene signature had a good performance in distinguishing KIRC from normal tissues. GSEA revealed that several oncological signatures and GO terms were enriched. This study developed a novel seven-gene signature and nomogram for predicting the OS of patients with KIRC, which may be helpful for clinicians in establishing individualized treatments.
B‐cell abnormality and systemic lupus erythematosus

Antigen-stimulated mature B-cells either undergo apoptosis leading to tolerance, or undergo activation leading to immune responses. Antigen-induced apoptosis appears to be crucial for maintenance of self-tolerance by tolerating mature self-reactive B-cells, which have escaped self-tolerance at the immature B-cells stage in the bone marrow. Various molecules are involved in determining the fate of antigen-stimulated mature B-cells whether they undergo apoptosis or activation. Molecules such as CD40L, BAFF or TLR ligands are required for activation of antigen-stimulated B-cells. In the absence of these stimuli, B-cells undergo apoptosis. In contrast, coreceptors CD22 and CD72 are essential for antigen-induced apoptosis of mature B-cells. Accumulating pieces of evidence including those on systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) patients in Asia suggest that abnormalities of these molecular mechanisms are involved in the pathogenesis of SLE, probably by converting the apoptotic fate of self-reactive B-cells to activation.
Intra-Archipelago Vertebrate Distributions: The Slope of the Species-Area Relation

This paper investigates the exponent, z, of the power function relating island species number to island area. Two methods used to fit the power function to species-area data are contrasted. In the past, the logarithm of the power function has been fit to species-area data by linear regression. However, the underlying regression model may be inappropriate, and, in any event, the residual sum of squares is minimized and predictive accuracy increases when the power function is fit directly by nonlinear regression. Theory predicts that z-values should fall in a narrow range and observed z-value are in close agreement. When the power function is fit by linear regression, the consistent magnitude of z-values may be due to statistical artifact (Connor and McCoy 1979). If the power function is fit by iterative, nonlinear regression, statistical artifact does not affect z-values and most observed z-values still fall within the predicted range. The equilibrium theory of island biogeography allows predictions about z-values. Equilibrium theory postulates that insular biota are determined by a dynamic balance between the immigration of species new to an island and the extinction of species which are already present. The effect of different immigration and extinction rates on z-values is examined after incorporating the relative immigration and extinction rates of terrestrial vertebrate taxa into an equilibrium model. Predicted and observed relative z-values are in close agreement. Data indicate that z-values are also affected by an archipelago's history of colonization. I use the equilibrium model to predict changes in z-values with time for archipelagos which were colonized solely by overwater dispersal and for archipelagos which were initially contiguous with their source fauna and were colonized overland.
Naming gains and within-intervention progression following semantic feature analysis (SFA) and phonological components analysis (PCA) in adults with chronic post-stroke aphasia

ABSTRACT Background: Up to 60% of people with aphasia experience persistent word-finding difficulties into the chronic stage, starting six months after the stroke. Semantic Feature Analysis (SFA) and Phonological Components Analysis (PCA) are two common word-finding interventions that use the generation of semantic features for SFA (e.g. category) and phonological features for PCA (e.g. first sound) to improve naming. Despite inconsistent support for the generalization to untreated items, studies have shown improvements on probe word naming for treated items. However, research concerning within-intervention effects and generalization to alternative contexts has been limited. Aim: This study investigated the effect of treatment for SFA and PCA probe word naming as well as their within-intervention effects in four individuals with chronic post-stroke aphasia. Methods & Procedures: Baseline and follow-up measures included standardized assessments and image naming tasks. The image naming task was used to generate three lists: an SFA treated list, a PCA treated list, and an untreated list. One SFA session and one PCA session per week were then provided concurrently to each participant for a period of six weeks. Outcomes & Results: While only one participant experienced significant gains on treated probe word naming, these gains were maintained four weeks after the intervention. Exploratory results suggested that effects could transfer to two types of generalization items: different pictures of the same items and pictures of items shown in a natural context. Furthermore, while generalization to untreated items did not reach significance for any participant, some generalization of gains to standardized assessments was observed. Although rarely equivalent for SFA and PCA interventions, all participants also experienced some degree of within-intervention improvement over the progression of sessions. These improvements included a reduction in the number of forced choices required for feature generation and/or a reduction in the number of words never named during intervention sessions. Conclusion: The results support additional avenues of investigation for SFA and PCA therapies for individuals with post-stroke aphasia, namely within intervention effects and the potential for generalization to different contexts.
Ramp loss for twin multi-class support vector classification

ABSTRACT Twin K-class support vector classification (TKSVC) adopts ‘One-vs.-One-vs.-Rest’ structure to utilise all the samples to increase the prediction accuracy. However, TKSVC is sensitive to noises or outliers due to the use of the Hinge loss function. To reduce the negative influence of outliers, in this paper, we propose a more robust algorithm termed as Ramp loss for twin K-class support vector classification (Ramp-TKSVC) where we use the Ramp loss function to substitute the Hinge loss function in TKSVC. Because the Ramp-TKSVC is a non-differentiable non-convex optimisation problem, we adopt Concave–Convex Procedure (CCCP) to solve it. To overcome the drawbacks of conventional multi-classification methodologies, the TKSVC is utilised as a core of our Ramp-TKSVC. In the Ramp-TKSVC, the outliers are prevented from becoming support vectors, thus they are not involved in the construction of hyperplanes, making the Ramp-TKSVC more robust. Besides, the Ramp-TKSVC is sparser than the TKSVC. To verify the validity of our Ramp-TKSVC, we conduct experiments on 12 benchmark datasets in both linear and nonlinear cases. The experimental results indicate that our algorithm outperforms the other five compared algorithms.
Factors Determining the Sustainability of Social Cooperative Enterprises in the Greek Context

Abstract The purpose of the present paper is to investigate the factors contributing to the sustainability of Social Cooperative enterprises in Greece as these were perceived by the social entrepreneurs themselves. A survey was conducted using closed-ended questions.Exploratory analysis showed that integrated support was considered as the most important factor contributing to the sustainability of Social Cooperative enterprises. Furthermore, networking, awareness - raising and publicity were considered to be of much importance for the sustainability of them. The current study adds to the knowledge regarding the perspectives of Greek social entrepreneurs and to the body of much-needed quantitative research.
Changes in the microbial population of a rumen-simulating fermenter in response to yeast culture

Yeast increased the total viable count of bacteria on a medium containing rumen fluid and soluble sugars by 38% (P 0.05). Microscopic counts indicated a 25% increase in total bacteria (P < 0.05). Bacterial counts with mannitol as sole energy source also increased (P < 0.05), indicating an increased Selenomonas population; that was not in itself sufficient to account for the increase in the total bacterial count. The protozoal population was significantly lower in yeast supplemented vessels (P < 0.001), which may account partly for the increased bacterial numbers. Key words: Yeast culture, probiotics, rumen bacteria, Rusitec
Cambios espaciales y socioeconómicos en la migración mexicana a Estados Unidos a inicios del siglo XXI (1994–2007)

El objetivo de este articulo es dar cuenta de las transformaciones de la migracion Mexico-Estados Unidos, en el contexto de las reformas estructurales neoliberales y del cambio de siglo (1994–2007). Mediante el analisis de censos, indices de intensidad migratoria y de recepcion de remesas, este trabajo plantea la hipotesis de que, ademas de las transformaciones del volumen demografico y de los perfiles socio-etnicos de los migrantes, hubo cambios socioeconomicos (otro perfil migrante y aumento de remesas) y sobre todo se consolido la emergencia de otra configuracion espacial/geografica de la migracion, caracterizada por otros lugares de origen y destino de la migracion.