Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Plastic and Genetic Responses to Environmental Changes

Human activity is causing climates to change more rapidly than at any time in the last 10,000 years. If populations of organisms are unable to effectively respond to changing environments, they will be at risk of extinction. In plants, two of the most important mechanisms of response to environmental change are phenotypic plasticity, where the same genotype expresses different phenotypes in different environments, and adaptation, which requires changes in allele frequency in populations as exposed individuals show variable survival and reproduction. Although most researchers accept the importance of both of these mechanisms, they are most commonly considered in isolation in models of response and persistence to climate change. Here, I use the model species Arabidopsis thaliana to investigate the interaction of plasticity and selection in fitness and phenology response to simulated climate warming, the effect of artificial selection on variation for plastic response and cross-generational effects of environmentally induced variation in flowering time. I also study the effects of varying rates of environmental fluctuation on evolvability on populations of self-replicating computer programs using the artificial life platform Avida. I find that a small increase in ambient temperature, in line with predictions for the next few decades, is able to elicit significant plastic responses and that these responses have the potential to alter population genetic structure and affect future evolution. I also find that selection on flowering time can reduce variation for plastic response and that non-genetic effects on flowering time can significantly alter germination in the next generation. Lastly, I find that rapidly changing environments in the long term can select for more evolvable populations and genotypes. These results highlight the importance of considering plasticity and evolution together if we are going to make accurate predictions of climate change response.
Tracing membrane foulants in membrane bioreactors by filtration characterisation and fractionation

A pilot MBR was fed with two different influent loading conditions, namely dry weather flow (DWF) and DWF with an additional discharge of wastewater from a local cheese factory. For both situations sludge was sampled from different tanks of the pilot (predenitrification, denitrification, nitrification and membrane tank). All sludge samples and the supernatant of sludge from the membrane tank were filtered under exactly the same conditions with a filtration characterisation unit. Besides this all samples were subdivided in different fractions (supernatant, 0.45 and 0.03 μm, 500, 100, 10 and 1 kDa) and analysed for their EPS concentrations (proteins and polysaccharides). The results show that the filterability of the sludge changes with the sampling point and differs between the two influent loading conditions. Contrary to DWF conditions, for cheesy influent conditions sludge from the membrane tank has better filterability than its supernatant. This suggests that the sludge forms a cake layer that protects the membrane against fouling by particles in the free water. No clear relation between filterability and EPS concentrations of the different fractions was found.
Stress response and pathogenicity in Streptococcus pneumoniae

The pathogen Streptococcus pneumoniae encounters different levels of oxygen during the infection cycle including colonisation, pneumonia, bateraemia and meningitis. These different anatomical niches require high levels of genome changes to sense and respond to those external environmental stimuli. The bacterial gene expression is known to be affected by oxygen, and it must react properly for survival and for developing invasive pneumococcal desiseases (IPDs). Microarray techniques have allowed scanning the whole pneumococcal genome during growth in different tensions of oxygen mimicking in vivo conditions. It was found that oxygenated growth conditions have significantly elevated several key virulence genes. This was further confirmed with qRT-PCR for a selection of genes implicated in pathogenicity. Moreover, post-transcriptional stages have been also investigated such as protein production, biofilm formation, biological activities and adherence assays for several virulence factors performed under the effect of presence or absence of oxygen. The data illustrate that 420 out of 2,236 genes (17 % of the entire TIGR4 genome) were differentially expressed in the presence of oxygen compared to its absence. 262 genes (11 %) were over-expressed when pneumococci were grown in oxygenated conditions relative to transcriptional profile in anaerobic growth conditions, indicating the magnitude of roles played by oxygen on pneumococcal gene expression. Anaerobic growth of TIGR4 showed down-regulation of 158 genes (7 %). Oxygen modulates induction of ply, pspC and other seven genes involved in pili structuring subunits (rlrA, rrgA, rrgB and rrgC) and assembling enzymes (srtB, srtC and srtD). This may suggest that the pneumococcal population grown under atmospheric environment is equipped with greater capability to progress IPDs compared to anaerobically grown bacteria. In addition to this, pneumococcal adhesion in vitro for TIGR4 grown in oxygenated or anaerobic growth conditions revealed a significant increase in those grown in oxygenated growth conditions, indicating that oxygen may play a key role in bacterial-host attachment. Interestingly, ablation of pspC has resulted in similar adhesion percentages of TIGR4 grown under both conditions, oxygenated and anaerobic. Furthermore, several genes involved in metabolism were up-regulated in oxygenated environment, particularly transporters, which are considered highly important for a bacterium that lacks an electron transport chain, catalase and tricarboxylic acid. Additionally, the results showed phenotypic characterisation and changes in cells morphology from pneumococcal growth curves for several strainswith different genome backgrounds grown under different levels of oxygen concentrations. Further investigation of the pathogen biology revealed differences in pneumolysin production and activity. These findings highlight that virulence genes expression is induced once the micro-organism is exposed to oxygenated environment, and data analysis has demonstrated potential links between pneumococcal metabolism and their ability to cause diseases.
EL CRÁNEO DEL PIQUERO PERUANO SULA VARIEGATA (AVES, SULIDAE)

El presente articulo describe la morfologia del craneo del piquero peruano Sula variegata (Tschudi, 1845), considerando su desarrollo ontogenico, y en comparacion con otras especies de la familia Sulidae y, de forma complementaria, con otras familias del tradicional orden Pelecaniformes: Phalacrocoracidae, Anhingidae, Fregatidae, Phaetonthidae y Pelecanidae. En las comparaciones realizadas se pudieron encontrar caracteristicas que comparte el piquero peruano con los demas miembros de la familia Sulidae, y otras que, en su conjunto, lo diferencian de las demas especies del genero Sula. Entre las primeras se tienen: (1) durante el desarrollo ontogenico cambian las proporciones entre el rostrum y la caja craneana, alargandose el primero y reduciendose la altura del segundo con respecto a este. (2) Los craneos presentan una abertura nasal en sus estadios iniciales de desarrollo, que se cierra completamente con el crecimiento del ave. La funcion respiratoria se desplaza hacia un espacio que se encuentra debajo de la fenestra pre-orbitaria y el yugal, que es protegida por la ranfoteca. (3) Los individuos adultos presentan un espacio trabeculado en la parte interna de los frontales y la mandibula superior, que le confiere resistencia al craneo. Todas estas caracteristicas les permiten a los Sulidae evitar la ruptura o pandeo del craneo ante la fuerza del impacto de la zambullida. En el segundo caso se tienen: (1) techo craneano ligeramente abovedado sobre las orbitas. (2) Cresta sagital por lo general angosta, pero ancha en algunos individuos. (3) Region temporal corta. (4) Porcion proximal del rostrum recta, delante de la sutura naso-frontal.
Host-tree preferences of the pine moth (Lepidoptera: Lasiocampidae) and pine beauty moth (Lepidopera: Noctuidae) larvae in relation to needle quality

The larvae of Dendrolimus pini L. and Panolis flammea (Den. et Schiff.) usually occur in high numbers on different trees within a stand. Studies that focused on the host tree-preference of these two species were conducted in the Wymiarki Forest District (Poland) in 2001. Sixteen Scots pine trees were selected to estimate the larval abundance of both species using 1x1 m collectors. In June the trees were cut down, the larvae in crown were counted and the samples of needles for chemical analysis were taken from the lower, middle and upper parts of the crowns. Natural radiation was measured under each tree using the methods developed by dowsers (radiesthets). There were no significant differences in the concentrations of any terpene or phenolic acid in different parts of crowns. The abundance of pine moth larvae was related significantly with 7 monoterpenes, 6 sesquiterpenes and 5 phenolic acids, while the abundance of the pine beauty moth was related with 5 monoterpenes, 6 sesquiterpenes and 1 phenolic acid. There were 6 compounds which had significant impact on the abundance of both species: a-pinene was in positive relationship with D. pini and inverse with P. flammea, while the compound with a retention index of 1430, a-muurolene, â-vetivenene, a-cadinene and protocatechuic acid were in inverse relationships with D. pini and positive with P. flammea. These differences may explain why these insect species are rarely observed in high numbers on the same trees. Natural radiation is possibly one of the causes of variation of secondary metabolites in Scots pine needles. It was in significant relationships with 9 monoterpenes, 3 sesquiterpenes and 1 phenolic acid. The results of studies suggest that â-pinene and sesquiterpene with a retention index of 1430 are the only links between natural radiation and abundance of both D. pini and P. flammea.
Tidal regime shift in Lingdingyang Bay, the Pearl River Delta: An identification and assessment of driving factors

Both natural changes (e.g., tidal forcing from the ocean and global sea level rise) and human‐induced changes (e.g., dredging for navigation, sand excavation, and land reclamation) exert considerable influences on the long‐term evolution of tidal regimes in estuaries. Evaluating the impacts of these factors on tidal‐regime shifts is particularly important for the protection and management of estuarine environments. In this study, an analytical approach is developed to investigate the impacts of estuarine morphological alterations (mean water depth and width convergence length) on tidal hydrodynamics in Lingdingyang Bay, Southeast China. Based on the observed tidal levels from two tidal gauging stations along the channel, tidal wave celerity and tidal damping/amplification rate of different tidal constituents are computed using tidal amplitude and phase of tidal constituents extracted from a standard harmonic analysis. We show that the minimum mean water depth for the whole estuary occurred in 2006, whereas a shift in tidal wave celerity for the M2 tide component occurred in 2009. As such, the study period (1990–2016) could be separated into pre‐human (1990–2009) and post‐human (2010–2016) phases. Our results show that the damping/amplification rate and celerity of the M2 tide have increased by 31% (from 7 to 9.2 m−1) and 28% (from 7 to 9 m·s−1) respectively, as a consequence of the substantial impacts of human interventions. The proposed analytical method is subsequently applied to analyse the historical development of tidal hydrodynamics and regime shifts induced by human interventions, thus linking the evolution of estuarine morphology to the dominant tidal hydrodynamics along the channel. The observed tidal regime shift is primarily caused by channel deepening, which substantially enlarged the estuary and reduced effective bottom friction resulting in faster celerity and stronger wave amplification. Our proposed method for quantifying the impacts of human interventions on tidal regime shifts can inform evidence‐based guidelines for evaluating hydraulic responses to future engineering activities.
Das moderne befund- und patientenadaptierte Management von peripheren Pseudoaneurysmen nach arteriellem Zugang

Zusammenfassung Pseudoaneurysmen (PSA) zählen zusammen mit den Hämatomen zu den häufigsten Komplikationen nach kathetergestützten Eingriffen. Ziel und Methode Die narrative kompakte Kurzübersicht umreißt sowohl die Entstehung und Charakteristika von Pseudoaneurysmen sowie die Optionen der Diagnostik und Therapie als auch deren mögliche Komplikationen. Ergebnisse Ätiopathogenese: Durch den nicht verschlossenen Stichkanal der Punktion kommt es zum kontinuierlichen Blutausstrom aus dem Gefäß, der im umliegenden Gewebe eine Pseudoaneurysmahöhle formt. Diese wird nicht wie beim wahren Aneurysma durch eine Gefäßwand begrenzt, sondern nur durch die umliegenden Gewebestrukturen eingedämmt. Dies ist aber meist nicht suffizient und es kommt zu einer raschen Ausbreitung und diffusen Einblutungen. Dadurch können umliegende Strukturen wie Nerven und Venen durch das expandierende Pseudoaneurysma komprimiert werden, woraus sich irreversible Schäden entwickeln können. Diagnostik: Die Duplexsonografie steht dominierend absolut im Vordergrund. Die CT-A, MR-A und DSA bleiben speziellen Fragestellungen oder klinischen Fallkonstellationen (z. B. Begleiterkrankungen etc.) vorbehalten – eine DSA ist stets mit Interventionsbereitschaft zu verbinden. Therapie: Mit der manuellen Kompression und der darauffolgenden Anlage eines Druckverbandes, einer ultraschallgestützten Kompression, der Thrombininjektion und der operativen Sanierung stehen mehrere Verfahren zur Auswahl. Die ultraschallgestützte Kompression sollte dabei immer sofort eingesetzt werden, da sie höchst effizient und ubiquitär verfügbar ist. Additiv zur Kompression kann die Thrombininjektion bei PSA ohne Nerven-/Gewebeirritation mit eingesetzt werden und bietet noch bessere Verschlussraten, ist jedoch anspruchsvoller in der Anwendung. Die operative Ausschaltung ist die effektivste Methode, bietet aber neben dem größten Aufwand die meisten Begleitkomplikationen wie Wundheilungsstörung bei mazeriertem Gewebe und den längsten Krankenhausaufenthalt. Alternative Verfahren zu den genannten haben sich bisher nicht durchsetzen können. Schlussfolgerung Das diagnostische und therapeutische Management von Pseudoaneurysmen stellt eine Herausforderung im interdisziplinären befund- und patientenadaptierten Vorgehen dar, das den erfahren Gefäßmediziner erfordert.
PREVALENCE OF DEVELOPMENTAL DYSPLASIA OF THE HIP (DDH) BY USING THE ULTRASOUNDAMONGNEW BORN BABIES AT MATERNITY & CHILDREN HOSPITAL (MCH) IN AL-MADINAH CITY SAUDI ARABIA, 2018: A CROSS-SECTIONAL STUDY

the present study to issue of cost-effectiveness included US as a screening tool in screening by measuring the prevalence of Methods : A cross- sectional study was conducted on 50infants to measure the prevalence of Developmental dysplasia of the hip among infants at Maternity & Children hospital (MCH) in Al-Madinah city by using the ultrasound. Results: According to the study design, 50 patients were included in the study; the majority of the patients (47%) on the age group of (More than two months to three months) with 1:2 male to female ratio.The percentage of infants with developmental dysplasia of the hip is 78 % among all infants and two third of infants with developmental dysplasia of the hip had unilateral dysplasia of the hip. Conclusion: This study identified a high prevalence of developmental dysplasia of the hip among infants at Maternity & Children Hospital (MCH) in Al-Madinah city. Developmental dysplasia of the hip among infants commonly affected female infants and frequently with unilateral hip dysplasia. and data Data were presented using descriptive statistics in the form of frequencies and percentages for qualitative variables and means and standard deviations, medians, and interquartile ranges for quantitative variables.
Dual role of PRMT1-dependent arginine methylation in cellular responses to genotoxic stress

ABSTRACT We have recently shown that arginine methylation by protein arginine N-methyltransferase 1 (PRMT1) controls the response to cisplatin in ovarian cancer cells. In addition to increased methylation of chromatin proteins that favors senescence-associated secretory phenotype (SASP) activation, our study unraveled global hypo-methylation of RNA-binding proteins, which – we speculate – may promote their phase separation and stress granules formation.
Anomaly Detection Based on Locality Sensitive Hashing with Genetic Algorithm

With the increase of public safety awareness, video anomaly detection has attracted researchers’ attention. In the paper, a novel approach is proposed to detect anomalies in the video. It is based on Locality Sensitive Hashing (LSH), which maps similar data to the same bucket with high probabilities, and non-similar data is mapped to the same bucket with a low probability to detect abnormal videos that are not similar to normal videos. In order to improve the probability of similar data mapping into the same bucket, the Genetic Algorithm (GA) is used to optimize the entire hash function group while maintaining the diversity of the hash function group. The algorithm gets AUC 0.78 on the dataset UCSD ped1 and AUC 0.94 on the dataset UCSD ped2, which confirmed the effectiveness of the algorithm.
SEAPURA: Seaweeds purifying effluents from fish farms, an EU project coordinated by the Wattenmeerstation Sylt

Mass cultures of marine macroalgae (seaweeds) in the sea or on land serve as an "nutrient extracting aquaculture" reducing eutrophication along the Chinese coast or purifying outflow from intensive fish farms in Israel. This beneficial side-effect of seaweed cultures is also used in the recently SEAPURA project fundet by the EU and coordinated by the Wattenmeerstation Sylt (AWI). Outdoor tank cultures of commercially important, perennial red seaweed species are used for extracting nutrients from fish farms in Spain and Portugal, and accompanying research is conducted in Germany and Northern Ireland. The cultivated seaweed biomass will be used for for the human food market mainly in France, for extraction of pharmaceutical substances, or for fish feed additives, with possible antibiotic effects of the cultivated seaweed. Continuous short-day treatment with automatic blinds on top of the cultivation tanks will be used for year-round activation of cell division in the cultivated red algae for preventing the naturally occurring summer dormancy of perennial seaweeds.
Wireless Power Transfer System With High Misalignment Tolerance for Bio-Medical Implants

A hybrid array resonator structure for Wireless Power Transfer (WPT) is presented. The proposed structure exploits an array of four identical coils surrounded by a larger coil to generate uniform magnetic field. As a result, a nearly constant and high efficiency is achieved over a large misalignment region. The quasi-uniform magnetic field distribution of the proposed structure is analytically derived. For demonstration, one prototype operating at 40 MHz is designed for implantable medical devices (IMDs). According to experimental results, the developed WPT system exhibits an efficiency of 53% when the receiver and the transmitter are aligned, while the efficiency is 44% when they operate with a lateral misalignment of 10 mm. As per a conventional WPT system using a single spiral resonator as transmitter and receiver, the efficiency is 47.2% in aligned condition, while, it is 30.5% for a 10 mm lateral misalignment. The reported results demonstrate that the proposed design approach provides a high misalignment tolerance. This represents an attractive future for applications, such as the recharge of embedded devices, where the alignment between the transmitter and the receiver is difficult to guarantee.
Developmental and Reproductive Toxicology : A Practical Approach

PRINCIPLES AND MECHANISMSPrinciples of Developmental Toxicology Revisited, R.D. HoodExperimental Approaches to Evaluate Mechanisms of Developmental Toxicity, E.M. Faustman, J.M. Gohlke, R.A. Ponce, T.A. Lewandowski, M.R. Seeley, S.G. Whittaker, and W.C. GriffithPathogenesis of Abnormal Development, L.B. Fawcett and R.L. BrentMaternally-Mediated Effects on Development, R.D. Hood and D.B. MillerPaternally-Mediated Effects on Development, B.F. Hales and B. RobaireComparative Features of Vertebrate Embryology, J.M. DeSessoHAZARD AND RISK ASSESSMENT AND REGULATORY GUIDANCEDevelopmental Toxicity Testing - Methodology, R.W. Tyl and M.C. MarrNonclinical Juvenile Toxicity Testing, M.J. Beck, E.L. Padgett, C.J. Bowman, D.T. Wilson, L.E. Kaufman, B.J. Varsho, D.G. Stump, M.D. Nemec, and J.F. HolsonSignificance, Reliability, and Interpretation of Developmental and Reproductive Toxicity Study Findings, J. Holson, M.D. Nemec, D.G. Stump, L.E. Kaufman, P. Lindstr/m, and B.J. VarshoTesting for Reproductive Toxicity, R.M. ParkerThe U.S. EPA Endocrine Disruptor Screening Program: In Vitro and In Vivo Mammalian Tier I Screening Assays, S.C. Laws, T.E. Stoker, J.M. Goldman, V. Wilson, L.E. Gray, Jr., and R.L. CooperRole of Xenobiotic Metabolism in Developmental and Reproductive Toxicity, A.P. KulkarniUse of Toxicokinetics in Developmental and Reproductive Toxicology, P.J. WierCellular, Biochemical, and Molecular Techniques in Developmental Toxicology, B.D. Abbott, M.B. Rosen, and G. HeldFunctional Genomics and Proteomics in Developmental and Reproductive Toxicology, O. Spiegelstein, R.M. Cabrera, and R.H. FinnellIn Vitro Methods for the Study of Mechanisms of Developmental Toxicology, C. Harris and J.M. HansenStatistical Analysis for Developmental and Reproductive Toxicologists, J.J. ChenQuality Concerns for Developmental and Reproductive Toxicologists, K.D. Barrowclough and K.L. ReedPerspectives on the Developmental and Reproductive Toxicity Guidelines, M.S. Christian, A.M. Hoberman, and E.M. LewisHuman Studies - Epidemiologic Techniques in Developmental and Reproductive Toxicology, B. K? ll? nDevelopmental and Reproductive Toxicity Risk Assessment for Environmental Agents, C.A. Kimmel, G.L. Kimmel, and S.Y. EulingPrinciples of Risk Assessment-FDA Perspective, T.F. X. Collins, R.L. Sprando, M.E. Shackelford, M.F. Gruber, and D.E. MorseAPPENDICESA. Terminology of Anatomical DefectsB. Books Related to Developmental and Reproductive ToxicologyC. Postnatal Developmental Milestones