Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Night-time Imagery as a Tool for Global Mapping of Socioeconomic Parameters and Greenhouse Gas Emissions

Abstract Night-time satellite imagery acquired between October 1994 and March 1995 is here exploited to derive economic and energy-related global maps. By considering the lit area of a city, and combining this with ancillary statistical information, an analysis was performed designed to investigate the potential of night-time imagery for quantitative estimation of global socioeconomic parameters. An attempt to estimate global urban population using correlations of lit area and urban populations to derive country-level relationships accounted for over 90% of the quoted total. Furthermore, the total lit area of a country has a statistically significant high correlation value with other parameters, specifically Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and total carbon dioxide (CO2) emission. The new technique is limited by the spatial resolution of the sensor and the poorer correlation using night-time lights for centrally-planned economies. These findings offer great potential for synoptic global mapping of such parameters in the future.
A new species of Proceratophrys Miranda-Ribeiro (Amphibia: Anura: Cycloramphidae) from the Chapada Diamantina, State of Bahia, northeastern Brazil

We describe a new species of Proceratophrys, allied to P. schirchi, from the northern sector of the Espinhaco mountain range, within a semiarid region in central State of Bahia known as Chapada Diamantina. The new species inhabits seasonal semi-deciduous forests (usually known as dry forests) that cover the mountainous relief of the Serra de Jacobina, a regional designation of the Espinhaco mountain range in northeastern Brazil. Proceratophrys minuta sp. nov. most resembles P. schirchi by combination of small palpebral appendages, general external morphology, and by its restriction to Atlantic Forest remnants. It is diagnosed from all congeners by the combination of small body size (snout–vent length, males 20.4–25.2 mm, females 28.3–31.9 mm), absence of rostral appendage, short palpebral appendages with the central prominent, dorsum adorned with sinuous longitudinal ridges outlining a spear-shaped ornamentation like a hastate-shaped leaf (with flaring pointed lobes at eyes and spear point at urostile), and other six morphological characteristics. We also describe the tadpole of P. minuta sp. nov., and compare its color and external morphology with other tadpoles of Proceratophrys described in the literature.
Species richness, abundance, and phenology of fungal fruit bodies over 21 years in a Swiss forest plot

Fungal fruit bodies were surveyed on a plot area of 1500 m# from 1975‐99 (excluding 1980‐83) in the fungal reserve La Chaneaz in western Switzerland. Fruit bodies were identified and counted on a weekly basis. Species richness and abundances varied strongly between years. More than 400 species were encountered. Many species were transient; particularly rich years showed species occurring for only one year. This indicates that the number of species will substantially increase if the survey is continued. Within years, the species richness, abundances and periods of fruiting were tightly correlated. The abundance data of species within a year seemed symmetrically distributed over their fruiting period. The relation between species richness and abundances within years was studied by fitting species-abundance plots, known from numerical ecology. The surface area under the curves was taken as a parameter for ecological}fungal diversity. Productivity was correlated with the precipitation from June until October. The time of fruit body appearance was correlated with the temperatures in July and August. As groups, mycorrhizal and saprotrophic species behaved similarly over the years. The productivity of species was compared with their distribution in The Netherlands indicating a correlation between the level of local abundance and the geographic range of species.
Elastase, Myeloperoxidase, and Alkaline Phosphatase Release and Free Radical Generation in Neutrophils Isolated from Blood of Sows at Different Stages of Oestrous Cycle

Abstract The aim of the study was to assess the influence of the oestrous cycle phase on neutrophil secretory activity and to extrapolate it to susceptibility to uterine infections. The obtained results indicate that the highest enzyme release seen in the late follicular phase (elastase release was 42.18 ±3.11% of maximal release, myeloperoxidase was 45.0 ±5.12%, and alkaline phosphatase was 44.75 ±9.0%) was related to the level of 17β-oestradiol in plasma. Similarly, a free radical generation was also the most enhanced during this phase. Significantly lower values were obtained from sows during the luteal phase in regard to both enzyme release (36.62 ±3.58% for elastase, 27.87 ±8.7% for myeloperoxidase, and 22.12 ±2.4% for alkaline phosphatase), and that of free radicals (2.28 1.6 μM/106 cells for nitric oxide and 2.47 0.6 nM/106 cells for superoxide).
Investigating the Molecular Order and Orientation of Cholesterol in Mixtures of Polyunsaturated Phospholipids

INVESTIGATING THE MOLECULAR ORDER AND ORIENTATION OF CHOLESTEROL IN MIXTURES OF POLYUNSATURATED PHOSPHOLIPIDS Iain Braithwaite Advisor: University of Guelph, 2011 Professor James H. Davis Cholesterol is critical to ensure proper functioning of a membrane. Despite this, the movement of cholesterol within the cell is not fully understood. The molecular order of binary and ternary mixtures of polyunsaturated fatty acids with varying degrees of hydrocarbon chain unsaturation with 1,2-dimyristoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine (DMPC) and/or cholesterol was studied using H NMR. The introduction of cholesterol into samples of 18:1PC, 18:2PC (unsaturated lipid/DMPC-d54/CHOL, 75:5:20mol%) increased the C-H bond order by ∼30%. Similar bond ordering was found for 20:4PC and 22:6PC samples, however, they were temperature dependent. A two-phase region (lo-ld) was found for 22:6PC:DMPC-d54/CHOL (75:5:20mol%) for temperatures below 286.7 K. The reorientation axis formed an angle of 78±4◦ with respect to the C3-H bond vector regardless of the lipid. The order parameter of cholesterol was temperature independent, and ranged from 0.69±0.04 to 0.78±0.04 depending on the lipid unsaturation. The reorientation axis of cholesterol was oriented at ∼25◦ to the bilayer normal.
A Brief Overview on Antioxidant Activity Determination of Silver Nanoparticles

Our objective in this review article is to find out relevant information about methods of determination of antioxidant activity of silver nanoparticles. There are many studies dealing with mentioned problem and herein we summarize the knowledge about methods evaluating the antioxidant activity of silver nanoparticles reported so far. Many authors declare better antioxidant activity of silver nanoparticles compared to the extract used for synthesis of them. In this review, we focused on methods of antioxidant activity determination in detail to find out novel and perspective techniques to solve the general problems associated with the determination of antioxidant activity of silver nanoparticles.
Bacterial Volatile Compounds: Functions in Communication, Cooperation, and Competition.

Bacteria produce a multitude of volatile compounds. While the biological functions of these deceptively simple molecules are unknown in many cases, for compounds that have been characterized, it is clear that they serve impressively diverse purposes. Here, we highlight recent studies that are uncovering the volatile repertoire of bacteria, and the functional relevance and impact of these molecules. We present work showing the ability of volatile compounds to modulate nutrient availability in the environment; alter the growth, development, and motility of bacteria and fungi; influence protist and arthropod behavior; and impact plant and animal health. We further discuss the benefits associated with using volatile compounds for communication and competition, alongside the challenges of studying these molecules and their functional roles. Finally, we address the opportunities these compounds present from commercial, clinical, and agricultural perspectives. Expected final online publication date for the Annual Review of Microbiology, Volume 74 is September 8, 2020. Please see http://www.annualreviews. org/page/journal/pubdates for revised estimates.
The Amphipod Functional Model and Its Bearing upon Systematics and Phylogeny

The peculiar habitus of Amphipods with lateral compression, deep coxal plates 1‐4, broad bases of peraeopods 5‐7, and enlarged pleura (epimeral plates) of abdominal segments 1‐3 is seen as a functional system closely dependent upon the currents produced by the incessant beating of the pleopods. The derivation and position of branchiae and oostegites is discussed. The morphology of more or less aberrant groups, including the suborders Caprellidea and Ingolfiellidea, and its correlations with the mode of life and the basic functional model is analyzed. The possible bearing of the functional model system upon the position of the Amphipoda among the Peracarida is briefly dealt with.
Steroid-Induced Sleep Disturbance and Delirium: A Focused Review for Critically Ill Patients.

Objective Insomnia and delirium have gained much attention since the publication of recent guidelines for the management in critically ill adults. Neurologic effects such as sleep disturbance, psychosis, and delirium are commonly cited adverse effects (AEs) of corticosteroids. Steroid use is considered a modifiable risk factor in intensive care unit patients; however, reported mechanisms are often lacking. This focused review will specifically evaluate the effects of steroids on sleep deprivation, psychosis, delirium, and what is known about these effects in a critically ill population. Observations The medical literature proposes 3 pathways primarily responsible for neurocognitive AEs of steroids: behavior changes through modification of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis, changes in natural sleep-wake cycles, and hyperarousal caused by modification in neuroinhibitory pathways. Initial search fields produced 285 articles. Case reports, reviews, letters, and articles pertaining to primary care or palliative populations were excluded, leaving 8 relevant articles for inclusion. Conclusions Although steroid therapy often cannot be altered in the critically ill population, research showed that steroid overuse is common in intensive care units. Minimizing dosage and duration are important ways clinicians can mitigate AEs.
Excitation-Contraction Coupling of Isolated Cardiac Fibers with Disrupted or Closed Sarcolemmas

Single cells of adult rat ventricle were separated with 0.1% trypsin and 0.05—0.1% collagenase. Ten percent of these cells were tubular and striated, contracted spontaneously in the presence of 0.05 mM CaCl2 or after addition of 0.1-0.5 mM CaCl2, and developed con fracture in 1 mM CaCl2. A resting potential of —30 to —50 mv and an action potential more than 100 msec in duration were recorded in some of the cells. These relatively intact cells were contrasted with myocardial fibers (10-lOOyu,) obtained by homogenization. In the presence of 0.025 mM ethyleneglycol bis(y3-aminoethylether)-N, N'tetraacetic acid (EGTA), localized cyclic contractions with intracellular asynchrony were observed under the phase microscope in obviously disrupted areas of these mechanically separated fibers. These contractions were insensitive to the ratio of Na + to K + , and neither resting potentials nor action potentials were observed. Thus, these disrupted fibers were considered skinned fibers of cardiac muscle; this assumption was further supported by the absence of modification of fiber sensitivity to Ca 2+ by simultaneous skinning with EDTA. Effects of Ca 2+ were studied with control of pCa in the medium by EGTA-Ca buffers, either directly on the homogenate or after depletion of Ca 2+ content of the tissue. At 22°C, pH 7.0, and in the presence of 4 mM MgCL, 5 mM adenosine triphosphate, and 2 mM EGTA, cyclic contractions were inhibited and a tonic contraction was induced at a pCa of 6.25—6.5, which represented the threshold for activation of myofilaments. With the same medium but with low EGTA (less than 0.2 mM), cyclic contractions were obtained if pCa was equal to or lower than 7.4—7.6. Therefore, these contractions corresponded to a cyclic release of Ca 2+ from cellular stores, yielding a transient activation of myofilaments. This large release of Ca 2 + within the fiber was induced by a small addition of Ca 2+ to the medium. It was concluded that a regenerative release of Ca 2+ could be demonstrated in heart muscle under these conditions. Localized cyclic contractions were not observed in disrupted fibers of frog heart, in which spontaneously beating cells could be separated with enzymes.
Surgical Treatment of High-Grade Anal Squamous Intraepithelial Lesions: A Prospective Study

PURPOSE The prevalence of anal squamous intraepithelial lesions is high among human immunodeficiency virus-positive homosexual males and, to a lesser extent, among human immunodeficiency virus-negative homosexual males. Furthermore, the incidence of high-grade squamous intraepithelial lesions, the putative precursor lesion to invasive cancer, is also high. We report the first prospective study of high-resolution anoscopy-directed surgical treatment of high-grade squamous intraepithelial lesions. METHODS A prospective study of patients undergoing surgical treatment of high-grade squamous intraepithelial lesions (excision/cauterization of lesions visualized with high-resolution anoscopy) was performed. Follow-up anoscopy with biopsy and Papanicolaou smear was performed every three to six months. RESULTS Patients diagnosed with high-grade squamous intraepithelial lesions during the course of their participation in a prospective cohort study of anal squamous intraepithelial lesions were identified. From this group, 37 patients who were treated surgically between 1995 and 1999 were studied. Of these, 29 had tested positive for human immunodeficiency virus and 8 were negative for the virus. Mean patient age was 45 ± 8 years. Mean duration of follow-up was 32.3 ± 20.6 months in the human immunodeficiency virus-negative group and 28.6 ± 12.9 months in the human immunodeficiency virus-positive group. No human immunodeficiency virus-negative patient developed recurrent high-grade squamous intraepithelial lesions. Twenty-three of 29 human immunodeficiency virus-positive patients had persistent or recurrent high-grade squamous intraepithelial lesions (P = 0.003; mean time to recurrence, 12 months). Six patients underwent reoperation for high-grade squamous intraepithelial lesions (4 recurred by 6 months). No patients developed incontinence, stenosis, postoperative infection, or significant bleeding after surgical treatment. CONCLUSIONS Surgical intervention directed by high-resolution anoscopy is safe and eliminates high-grade squamous intraepithelial lesions in human immunodeficiency virus-negative patients. The high persistence or recurrence rate in human immunodeficiency virus-positive patients suggests that multiple staged procedures and continued surveillance may be necessary.
Probable mechanism of sexual dimorphism in insulin control of Drosophila heat stress resistance

Adult males of Drosophila species (Drosophila melanogaster L. and Drosophila virilis) show a lower tolerance to heat stress compared with females. The present study investigates the effects of RNA interference (RNAi) knockdown of the insulin‐like receptor in the corpus allatum of D. melanogaster males on dopamine metabolism and content, heat stress resistance and juvenile hormone metabolism. In male flies, the knockdown of insulin‐like receptor in the corpus allatum is shown to change metabolism of juvenile hormone but not dopamine. It is also shown that knockdown of the insulin‐like receptor in the corpus allatum results in a decrease of heat stress resistance in females but not males, and that juvenile hormone rescues this decrease. The results suggest that at least one of the ways in which insulin‐like growth factors affect heat stress resistance is by successive mediation through juvenile hormone and dopamine, which could lead to sexual dimorphism in the trait.
Institutional Strategy

The ability of organizations to strategically influence their environments has become a central concern in organizational research. In this article, I develop the concept of ‘institutional strategy’ to describe patterns of organizational action that are directed toward managing the institutional structures within which firms compete for resources, either through the reproduction or transformation of those structures. Drawing on a study of the Canadian forensic accounting industry, I describe two types of institutional strategy: (1) membership strategies that involve the definition of rules of membership and their meaning for an institutional community; and (2) standardization strategies that are concerned with the establishment of technical legal or market standards that define the "normal" processes involved in the production of some good or service.
Shotgun Proteomics of Ascidians Tunic Gives New Insights on Host–Microbe Interactions by Revealing Diverse Antimicrobial Peptides

Ascidians are marine invertebrates associated with diverse microbial communities, embedded in their tunic, conferring special ecological and biotechnological relevance to these model organisms used in evolutionary and developmental studies. Next-generation sequencing tools have increased the knowledge of ascidians’ associated organisms and their products, but proteomic studies are still scarce. Hence, we explored the tunic of three ascidian species using a shotgun proteomics approach. Proteins extracted from the tunic of Ciona sp. , Molgula sp. , and Microcosmus sp. were processed using a nano LC-MS/MS system (Ultimate 3000 liquid chromatography system coupled to a Q-Exactive Hybrid Quadrupole-Orbitrap mass spectrometer). Raw data was searched against UniProtKB – the Universal Protein Resource Knowledgebase (Bacteria and Metazoa section) using Proteome Discoverer software. The resulting proteins were merged with a non-redundant Antimicrobial Peptides (AMPs) database and analysed with MaxQuant freeware. Overall, 337 metazoan and 106 bacterial proteins were identified being mainly involved in basal metabolism, cytoskeletal and catalytic functions. 37 AMPs were identified, most of them attributed to eukaryotic origin apart from bacteriocins. These results and the presence of “Biosynthesis of antibiotics” as one of the most highlighted pathways revealed the tunic as a very active tissue in terms of bioactive compounds production, giving insights on the interactions between host and associated organisms. Although the present work constitutes an exploratory study, the approach employed revealed high potential for high-throughput characterization and biodiscovery of the ascidians’ tunic and its microbiome.
Global Climate Change and Sea Level Rise: Potential Losses of Intertidal Habitat for Shorebirds

Abstract Global warming is expected to result in an acceleration in current rates of sea level rise, inundating many low-lying coastal and intertidal areas. This could have important implications for organisms that depend on these sites, including shorebirds that rely on them for feeding habitat during their migrations and in winter. We modeled the potential changes in the extent of intertidal foraging habitat for shorebirds at five sites in the United States that currently support internationally important numbers of migrating and wintering birds. Even assuming a conservative global warming scenario of 2°C within the next century (the most recent projections range between 1.4°C and 5.8°C), we project major intertidal habitat loss at four of the sites (Willapa Bay, Humboldt Bay, San Francisco Bay, and Delaware Bay). Projected losses range between 20% and 70% of current intertidal habitat. Such losses might jeopardize the ability of these sites to continue to support their current shorebird numbers. The most severe losses are likely to occur at sites where the coastline is unable to move inland because of steep topography or seawalls. The effects of sea level rise may be exacerbated by additional anthropogenic factors. In southern San Francisco Bay, for example, sea level rise may interact with land subsidence due to aquifer depletion, and the constraints imposed by existing seawalls on the landward migration of habitat, resulting in the greatest habitat loss. At the fifth site (Bolivar Flats) we project smaller losses as the intertidal habitats are unconstrained by sea walls and will be able to migrate inland in response to rising sea level. Installation of additional coastal protection barriers at this site and others is likely to exacerbate the rate and extent of intertidal habitat loss.
Resprouting in the Mediterranean-type shrub Erica australis afffected by soil resource availability

Abstract Soil resource availability may affect plant regeneration by resprouting in disturbed environments directly, by affecting plant growth rates, or indirectly by determining allocation to storage in the resprouting organs. Allocation to storage may be higher in stressful, low resource-supply soils, but under such conditions plant growth rates may be lower. These factors could act in opposite directions leading to poorly known effects on resprouting. This paper analyses the role played by soil resources in the production and growth of resprouts after removal of above-ground plant tissues in the Mediterranean shrub Erica australis. At 13 sites, differing in substrate, we cut the base of the stems of six plants of E. australis and allowed them to resprout and grow for two years. Soils were chemically analysed and plant water potential measured during the summer at all sites to characterize soil resource availability. We used stepwise regression analysis to determine the relationships between the resprouting response [mean site values of the number of resprouts (RN), maximum length (RML) and biomass (RB)] and soil nutrient content and plant water potential at each site. During the first two years of resprouting there were statistically significant differences among sites in the variables characterizing the resprouting response. RML was always different among sites and had little relationship with lignotuber area. RN was less different among sites and was always positively correlated with lignotuber area. RB was different among sites after the two years of growth. During the first months of resprouting, RN and RML were highly and positively related to the water status of the plant during summer. At later dates soil fertility variables came into play, explaining significant amounts of variance of the resprouting variables. Soil extractable cations content was the main variable accounting for RML and RB. Our results indicate that resprout growth of E. australis is positively affected by high water availability at the beginning of the resprouting response and negatively so by high soil extractable cation content at later periods. Some of these factors had previously shown to be related, with an opposite sign, to the development of a relatively larger lignotuber. Indeed, RML and RB measured in the second year of resprouting were significantly and negatively correlated with some indices of biomass allocation to the lignotuber at each site. This indicates that sites favouring allocation to the resprouting organ may not favour resprout growth. Abbreviations: AB = Above-ground biomass; Catextr = soil extractable cations; FB = Foliar biomass; LA = Lignotuber area; LB = Lignotuber biomass; Ntot = Soil total nitrogen; Pavail = Soil available phosphorus; RA = Root basal area; RB = Resprout biomass; RML = Resprout maximum length; RN = Resprout number; Ψpd = Predawn plant water potential. Nomenclature: Castroviejo et al. (1986).