Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The role of intraspecific trait variability and soil properties in community assembly during forest secondary succession

Trait-based approaches applied to community assembly have led to a considerable advance in understanding the drivers that underlie community dynamics. However, species respond to environmental conditions based on traits, and the role of intraspeci ﬁ c trait variability (ITV) in community assembly during succession has not been studied in detail. Here, we explored the effects of environmental conditions on plant trait composition and tested the role of ITV on understanding the assembly processes throughout a long-term forest succession on the Loess Plateau of China. Thirty plots were established across six successional stages, and 15 functional traits of 210 species were measured. Rao ’ s quadratic entropy of each community with and without accounting for ITV was calculated and then compared with random expectation to evaluate the community functional structure. A structural equation model was used to determine the effects of soil abiotic factors on community functional structure. Community functional structure based on multiple traits transitioned from a stochastic pattern in the early community to a signi ﬁ cantly overdispersed pattern in the latest climax community, mainly driven by the increasing niche differentiation of plant height and seed mass. In contrast, community functional structure for most chemical and structure traits showed a neutral but increasing clustering pattern throughout succession. We found that consideration of intraspeci ﬁ c variability did not result in the misreading of the assembly process along a successional gradient; consideration of intraspeci ﬁ c variability only increased the divergence of traits for the latest climax community. Soil NH 4 -N was an especially important factor that in ﬂ uenced community functional structure and ITV during succession. Our results suggest a change in the dominant assembly mechanism from stochastic to deterministic processes and a strong environmental modi ﬁ cation that drives community assembly during a long-term forest succession. Ignoring ITV (except for plant height) may be acceptable in understanding community assembly along a local secondary forest succession in a semiarid ecosystem, such as the Loess Plateau. and intraspeci ﬁ c contributions for single traits. Variance decomposition into the different levels: within species-within stages, within species-between stages, and between species.
A genome wide analysis of Escherichia coli responses to fosfomycin using TraDIS-Xpress reveals novel roles for phosphonate and phosphate transport systems

Fosfomycin is an antibiotic which has seen a revival in use due to its unique mechanism of action and resulting efficacy against isolates resistant to many other antibiotics. Mechanisms of resistance have been elucidated and loss of function mutations within the genes encoding the sugar importers, GlpT and UhpT are commonly selected for by fosfomycin exposure in E. coli. There has however not been a genome wide analysis of the basis for fosfomycin sensitivity reported to date. Here we used ‘TraDIS-Xpress’ a high-density transposon mutagenesis approach to assay the role of all genes in E. coli in fosfomycin sensitivity. The data confirmed known mechanisms of action and resistance as well as identifying a set of novel loci involved in fosfomycin sensitivity. The assay was able to identify sub domains within genes of importance and also revealed essential genes with roles in fosfomycin sensitivity based on expression changes. Novel genes identified included those involved in glucose metabolism, the phosphonate import and breakdown system, phnC-M and the phosphate importer, pstSACB. The impact of these genes in fosfomycin sensitivity was validated by measuring the susceptibility of defined inactivation mutants. This work reveals a wider set of genes contribute to fosfomycin sensitivity including core sugar metabolism genes and two transport systems previously unrecognised as having a role in fosfomycin sensitivity. The work also suggests new routes by which drugs with a phosphonate moiety may be transported across the inner membrane of Gram-negative bacteria. Importance The emergence and spread of antibiotic resistant bacteria had resulted in increased use of alternative drugs which retain efficacy against isolates resistant to other classes of drugs. One example is fosfomycin; an old drug which has found greatly increased use in recent years. We studied the mechanisms of fosfomycin resistance by applying a genome wide screen based on comparing the fitness of a massive library of transposon mutants in the presence of fosfomycin. This approach identified the previously known mechanisms of resistance but also identified a number of new pathways which contribute to fosfomycin sensitivity including two importer systems. This information advances our knowledge about an increasingly important antibiotic and identifies new potential routes to resistance.
A Case of EBV-associated T/B Cell Lymphoproliferative Disease Successfully Treated with R-CVP

Epstein–Barr virus (EBV) associated lymphoproliferative diseases (LPDs) cover a wide range of lymphocytes disorders spanning B, T, and NK cells. The classification of Epstein–Barr virus (EBV) associated lymphoproliferative disease (LPD) is evolving. We report a 63-year-old male patient with EBV-associated T/B cell LPD diagnosed by pathological biopsy of lymph nodes, which is a new type of EBV-associated LPD has not been reported previously. Because of its rarity, standard treatment has not been established. This patient showed rapid remission of the disease after combination chemotherapy with rituximab, which provided an evidence supporting the use of rituximab and chemotherapy combination in EBV-associated T/B cell LPD treatment.
Two-stage traffic sign detection and recognition based on SVM and convolutional neural networks

Nowadays, traffic sign recognition is the most important task of advanced driver assistance systems since it improves the safety and comfort of drivers. However, it remains a challenging task due to the complexity of road traffic scenes. In this study, a novel two-stage approach for real-time traffic sign detection and recognition in a real traffic situation was proposed. The first stage aims to detect and classify the detected traffic signs into circular and triangular shape using HOG features and linear support vector machines (SVMs). The main objective of the second stage is to recognise the traffic signs using a convolutional neural network into their subclasses. The performance of the whole process is tested on German traffic sign detection benchmark (GTSDB) and German traffic sign recognition benchmark (GTSRB) datasets. Experimental results show that the obtained detection and recognition rate is comparable with those reported in the literature with much less complexity. Furthermore, the average processing time demonstrates its suitability for real-time processing applications.
ANALISIS KETERSEDIAAN AIR DI SUB DAS BATU LAYAR MELALUI PEMODELAN SWAT

Batulayar is one of the small watersheds contained in the Limboto / Large watersheds. Where the Limboto watershed as a whole is in the category of drought prone (Ayuba dkk, 2018). The aim of this study; know the availability of the Batu Layar Watershed through SWAT modeling. The method used in this study is the Soil and Water Assessment Tool (wateryield parameter / WYLD) to obtain water availability data. Based on the results of the SWAT analysis, Sub Basin 45 has the largest WYLD value of 626.5 mm, which is administratively located in Molanihu Village. While Sub Basin 32 is a sub basin with the smallest WYLD value of 421.5 mm and administratively this sub basin is located in Pangadaa Village. The value of water which is the result of the accumulation of surface, lateral, and base flow where these three flow patterns determine further planning related to handling the problem of water availability. This indicates that Pangadaa Village has a deficit in water availability when compared to other villages. This needs to be controlled for the conversion of land functions considering that this area is used as dry land agriculture by the community which can result in the threat of water management in this sub basin.
Robust Sensorless Control Against Thermally Degraded Speed Performance in an IM Drive Based Electric Vehicle

This article investigates and proposes an efficient control design to address the degradation in the mechanical speed of a traction machine drive (TMD) in an electric vehicle (EV) caused by thermal effects during its operation. Variations in the operating as well as ambient temperature cause unexpected uncertainties in TMD parameters such as stator and rotor resistances, which results in significant degradation in EV's speed performance capability. To mitigate this problem, an output feedback robust linear parameter varying (LPV) controller-observer set is designed using H$_{\infty }$ control theory that enhances the EV's speed performance in field-oriented control (FOC) frame. The internal stability of the closed-loop control and the $L_{2}$ gain bound are ensured by linear matrix inequalities. The performance of the proposed control technique is compared with that of conventional FOC, sliding mode control (SMC) and higher order sliding mode control (HOSMC) to validate its efficacy and advantages. The robustness of the proposed control technique is tested for an EV operation against the Worldwide Harmonised Light Vehicles Test Procedure (WLTP) Class 3 driving cycle. The nonlinear MATLAB simulation results guarantee the effectiveness of the proposed controller-observer set. These results are verified experimentally on an induction machine drive setup.
Merchandise exports and economic growth: multivariate time series analysis for the United Arab Emirates

ABSTRACT This paper examines the validity of the export-led growth (ELG) hypothesis in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) over the period 1975–2012, using a neoclassical production function augmented with merchandise exports and imports of goods and services. The study applies the Johansen cointegration technique and dynamic ordinary least squares (DOLS) regression to confirm the existence of a long-run relationship between exports and economic growth, while the multivariate Granger causality test is applied to examine the direction of the short-run causality. In addition, the existence of long-run causality is investigated by applying a modified version of the Wald test in an augmented vector autoregressive model. The Johansen test and DOLS results confirm the existence of a long-run relationship between exports and economic growth. In addition, the study provides evidence to support the validity of the ELG hypothesis in the short-run, while no long-run causality is found to exist.
The role of relationship quality and loyalty program in tourism shopping: a multilevel investigation

ABSTRACT This study draws on the relationship quality research domain and the social exchange theory to propose a multilevel model leading from shopping motive to patronage behaviors, such as word of mouth and share of wallet, through a relationship quality process leading from satisfaction and trust to emotional commitment and cooperation. A cross-level moderation of store loyalty program benefit is also tested. Using a sample from mainland Chinese shoppers, results reveal that while relationship quality mediates tourist motives and patronage behaviors, store-level membership programs serve as a boundary condition that moderates the relationship quality process.
Predicting (in)correctly: listeners rapidly use unexpected information to revise their predictions

ABSTRACT Comprehenders can incorporate rich contextual information to predict upcoming input on the fly, and cues that conflict with their predictions are quickly detected. The present study examined whether and how comprehenders may revise their existing predictions upon encountering a prediction-inconsistent cue. We took advantage of the rich classifier system in Mandarin Chinese and tracked participants’ eye-movements as they listened to sentences in which the final noun is preceded by a classifier which was either compatible with the most expected noun, incompatible with the most expected noun but indicative of another contextually suitable noun, or uninformative. We found that, upon hearing a prediction-inconsistent classifier, listeners quickly directed their eye gaze away from the originally expected object and immediately onto the (initially) unexpected but contextually suitable object. This provides initial evidence that listeners can quickly use prediction-mismatching cues to revise their existing predictions on the fly.
Artificial neural network based method for temperature correction in FDS measurement of transformer insulation

Frequency domain spectroscopy (FDS) measurement has become an important method for the assessment of the condition of the insulation of oil transformers. In recent years, numerous researchers have found that temperature variation affect FDS results. The master curve technique is commonly used to correct the effect of temperature on FDS results. In this paper, an FDS experiment is carried out on a sample transformer. Then, for this transformer, insulation model parameters are determined by using a genetic algorithm based on the FDS results. Then, by using the insulation model parameters, tanδ curves are simulated and compared to real results. Finally, an FDS experiment is conducted on two other transformers at 22 °C, 30 °C, 40 °C, 50 °C, 60 °C, and 70 °C (in order to give sufficient information for a training neural network) and insulation model parameters are calculated via the genetic algorithm. In one of the transformers, the effect of temperature on the FDS curves is corrected by using the master curve technique and the FDS curves are transmitted over the reference curve. It is also shown that the transformer insulation is an Arrhenius-type dielectric. The error of this method is calculated by using a mean square error technique. In the two other transformers, the insulation model parameters related to 22 °C are considered as the target parameters. The insulation model parameters of the other temperatures are fed into an artificial neural network as input, to train it to transfer insulation model parameters related to other temperatures to the reference parameters. Finally, the errors of both methods are compared, and it is shown that this latter method for correcting the temperature effects in the FDS method is the more effective.
Optical diagnostics of liver pathology

The applicability of reflectance spectroscopy to detect pathological changes in human liver tissue was investigated. Post mortem reflectance spectra were collected from liver tissue originating from 13 individuals. A point counting method was applied to determine relative areas of connective tissue, liver cells with or without fat vacuoles, and vascular spaces in the liver. Preliminary results show that the amount of fat and connective tissue in liver can be estimated from reflectance spectra.
Using ontological and architectural approaches for the vehicle fleet management in the enterprise engineering context

The transport activities at a large industrial enterprise are usually an auxiliary process. Therefore, its optimization with information technologies is often neglected. As a result, the cost accounting for the transportation of goods for various purposes is often a weighty problem due to inconsistent information flows. The method considered in this article combines the ontological and architectural approaches for the enterprise activities modeling intended to equalize occasionally a somewhat significant gap between business expectations and TMS functionality.
Cross-border Supply Chain Decision Making based on O2O Dual Channel Retailing

The supply chain structure of single overseas supplier and single cross-border e-retailer is constructed. Based on the retail mode of cross-border e-retailer's O2O dual channel, the influence of consumers' preference for online and offline channels on price setting of members in cross-border supply chain is considered, and cross-border customs clearance cost factor is introduced. Through centralized decision-making and decentralized decision-making, the centralized decision-making model of differential pricing strategy and unified pricing strategy is analyzed. The pricing decision of cross-border supply chain under decentralized decision-making is studied from two aspects: Stackelberg game dominated by foreign suppliers and Stackelberg game dominated by cross-border electronic retailers.
Unraveling the diversification and systematic puzzle of the highly polymorphicPsammobates tentorius(Bell, 1828) complex (Reptilia: Testudinidae) through phylogenetic analyses and species delimitation approaches

Contributing authors: Neil Heideman (heidemannj@ufs.ac.za), Paul Grobler (GroblerJP@ufs.ac.za), Adriaan Jordaan (JordaanA2@ufs.ac.za), Phillip Bester (BesterPA@ufs.ac.za) and Margaretha D. Hofmeyr (mdhofmeyr@gmail.com) 1Department of Zoology and Entomology, University of the Free State, Bloemfontein, South Africa 2Department of Genetics, University of the Free State, Bloemfontein, South Africa 3Department of Virology, University of the Free State and National Health Laboratory Service (NHLS), Bloemfontein, South Africa 4Chelonian Biodiversity and Conservation, Department of Biodiversity and Conservation Biology, University of the Western Cape, Bellville, South Africa
A New Challenge to Estimate the Rupturing Process of ICA Aneurysms

Background and Purpose: The most serious consequence of cerebral aneurysms is their rupture – causing intracranial bleeding into subarachnoid space and a high mortality rate. However currently there is no certain quantitative method to estimate the process of growth and rupture in cerebral aneurysms. In this research, energy loss (EL) has been proposed to approximate the hemodynamic lesion inside of aneurysms. 40 IC-PC (Internal Carotid Posterior Communicating) aneurysms were selected from patients with sizes smaller than 10 [mm]; four ruptured-aneurysms, and 36 unruptured-aneurysms were analysed.
Trauma patients on new oral anticoagulation agents have lower mortality than those on warfarin

BACKGROUND Although anticoagulation with warfarin has been associated with increased risk of adverse outcomes after trauma, the effects of the new oral agents (NOA) such as dabigatran, apixaban, rivaroxaban are not yet well characterized. METHODS A retrospective review of a level 1 trauma center database identified all patients aged ≥ 50 admitted after trauma during a 24 month period starting September 2013. Demographics, including preadmission anticoagulation agents, injuries, hospital course and outcomes were abstracted from the electronic medical record. RESULT Over the 24-month period, 3,392 patients were admitted; 112 (3.3%) were anticoagulated with NOA and 373 (11.0%) with warfarin with a trend toward increasing utilization of the new agents compared with warfarin over that period. Although comparable in age, injury severity scores, and mechanism of injury, patients anticoagulated with warfarin had both a higher overall mortality (10.9%) compared with the NOA (6.25%) and the non-anticoagulated control (5.5%) groups (p < 0.001) as well as a higher trauma-related mortality (9.0%) versus NOA (2.8%) and control (3.7%) groups (p < 0.001). Patients on warfarin or NOA were admitted to intensive care unit or step down unit more frequently than control patients. (45.0% and 41.9% vs. 35.7% respectively; p < 0.001). The incidence of traumatic brain injury was similar among the three groups. Although it did not reach statistical significance, trauma-specific mortality in the traumatic brain injury subset was higher in the warfarin group (19.3%) than the NOA (16.7%) or control (10.9%) groups (p = 0.08). In a multivariable logistic regression, warfarin (odds ratio, 2.215; 95% confidence interval, 1.365–3.596; p = 0.001), but not the NOA (odds ratio, 0.871; 95% confidence interval, 0.258–2.939; p = 0.823), was an independent predictor for mortality. CONCLUSIONS Although the experience with the new oral anticoagulation agents is still limited, patients on these agents appear to have lower mortality after traumatic injury than patients on warfarin. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE Epidemiologic study, level III.
(Re)Defining Queer and Trans* Student Retention and “Success” at Historically Black Colleges and Universities

Unfortunately, within the extant scholarship that has explored queer and trans* historically Black college and university (HBCU) students, the discourse(s) that deliberately center how they can be retained, persist, and ultimately graduate have largely been absent from the literature. Thus, this conceptual exploration offers strategies that HBCUs can and should utilize to ensure that their queer and trans* students persist and graduate. A practice-oriented model is also presented to serve as a guide for HBCU student affairs practioners, presidents, and faculty members to implement so that they may inculcate environments of “success” for their queer and trans* students. Ultimately, the “Queer and Trans* HBCU Student Engagement and Retention Practice Model” illustrates how HBCUs can engage their queer and trans* students during admissions or recruitment, matriculation, and even as alumni.
1.1 Differential Changes in Peripheral and Central Blood Pressure from Adolescence to Adulthood

Introduction: In adults, aging is associated with a rise in blood pressure (BP) and a disproportionate increase in central systolic blood pressure (cSBP) relative to brachial SBP (bSBP) (i.e. reduced aortic to radial pulse pressure amplification (PPamp)). But changes in brachial and central BP have not been studied in the transition from adolescence to early adulthood when PPamp is greatest. We therefore investigated changes in BP over this age period in a large population-based birth cohort. Methods: 1835 participants (1099 female) in the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children (ALSPAC) underwent repeat clinic examination, including measurements of brachial and central BP, aged 17 yrs and 24 yrs. Measures at 17 to 24 yrs were compared with paired t-tests. Results: Aged 17 yrs the difference between bSBP and cSBP was 19.7 ± 4.7 mmHg, while at 24 yrs the difference was 18.2 ± 4.6 mmHg (age interaction p < 0.001). From 17 to 24 yrs diastolic BP increased, bSBP decreased and cSBP increased, PPamp decreased while augmentation index (AIx) increased (Table 1). Conclusion: There is a substantial difference between bSBP and cSBP in adolescence and young adulthood, but PPamp decreases over this age period. This results in a fall in bSBP despite a rise in cSBP between age 17 and 24. Previous studies in youth may have misor under-estimated changes in BP due to changes in PPamp.