Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Mountain lion habitat selection in Arizona

Abstract Wildlife managers in the 21st century are challenged to maintain balance for wildlife and human use of the landscape. Because mountain lion (Puma concolor) habitat is often adjacent to urbanization in Arizona, mountain lions are ideal models to examine how human alteration of habitats influences life-history characteristics. We quantified mountain lion home-range characteristics and selection of vegetative associations in central and southern Arizona. We calculated 95% and 50% fixed kernel home ranges for eight female and 21 male mountain lions radiocollared in Payson, Prescott, and Tucson, Arizona, from August 2005 through August 2008. We assessed use of vegetative associations and urban areas within the study area (second order) and within the home range (third order). At both levels of selection at all study sites, mountain lions avoided human-dominated landscapes. At second-order selection, mountain lions preferred woodland habitat in Tucson and Prescott and chaparral in Payson. At the third order, lions in Tucson and Payson selected riparian and chaparral in Prescott. Season, mountain lion mass, and ungulate density had no effect on the size of home ranges. Home-range sizes for resident males ranged from 5,286 to 83,859 ha; transient males covered up to 409,195 ha. Home ranges for females ranged from 2,860 to 21,772 ha. Intensive development and conversion of large open spaces to small properties and subdivisions has caused increased loss, fragmentation, and encroachment into mountain lion habitat. Preserving natural landscapes for access to habitat patches is important in maintaining connectivity to ensure viable populations.
Empathy and Social Attribution Skills Moderate the Relationship between Temporal Lobe Volume and Facial Expression Recognition Ability in Schizophrenia

Objective While impaired facial expression recognition has been closely associated with reduced temporal lobe volume in patients with schizophrenia, this study aimed at examining whether empathy and social attribution affect such a relationship. Methods A total of 43 patients with schizophrenia and 43 healthy controls underwent a facial expression recognition task (FERT) and magnetic resonance imaging. Basic empathy scale and the social attribution task-multiple choice were used to measure empathy and social attribution. Results Patients with schizophrenia showed significant positive correlations between the total temporal lobe volume and the FERT-accuracy (FERT-ACC). Diminished temporal lobe volume predicted the impaired facial emotion recognition ability. Both empathy and social attribution played roles as moderators of the path from the left amygdala volume, left fusiform gyrus volume, both sides of the superior temporal gyrus volume, and left middle temporal gyrus volume to the FERT-ACC. In contrast, empathy alone functioned as a moderator between the right fusiform gyrus volume, right middle temporal gyrus volume, and FERT-ACC. No significant interaction was found for healthy controls. Conclusion Our results suggest that social cognition remediation training on empathy and social attribution, could buffer the negative effects of small temporal lobe volume on interpersonal emotional communication in patients with schizophrenia.
Prevalence and patterns of multimorbidity in the Jamaican population: A comparative analysis of latent variable models

Background Evidence suggests that the single-disease paradigm does not accurately reflect the individual experience, with increasing prevalence of chronic disease multimorbidity, and subtle yet important differences in types of co-occurring diseases. Knowledge of multimorbidity patterns can aid clarification of individual-level burden and needs, to inform prevention and treatment strategies. This study aimed to estimate the prevalence of multimorbidity in Jamaica, identify population subgroups with similar and distinct disease profiles, and examine consistency in patterns identified across statistical techniques. Methods Latent class analysis (LCA) was used to examine multimorbidity patterns in a sample of 2,551 respondents aged 15–74 years, based on data from the nationally representative Jamaica Health and Lifestyle Survey 2007/2008 and self-reported presence/absence of 11 chronic conditions. Secondary analyses compared results with patterns identified using exploratory factor analysis (EFA). Results Nearly one-quarter of the sample (24.1%) were multimorbid (i.e. had ≥2 diseases), with significantly higher burden in females compared to males (31.6% vs. 16.1%; p<0.001). LCA revealed four distinct classes, including a predominant Relatively Healthy class, comprising 52.7% of the sample, with little to no morbidity. The remaining three classes were characterized by varying degrees and patterns of multimorbidity and labelled Metabolic (30.9%), Vascular-Inflammatory (12.2%), and Respiratory (4.2%). Four diseases determined using physical assessments (obesity, hypertension, diabetes, hypercholesterolemia) were primary contributors to multimorbidity patterns overall. EFA identified three patterns described as “Vascular” (hypertension, obesity, hypercholesterolemia, diabetes, stroke); “Respiratory” (asthma, COPD); and “Cardio-Mental-Articular” (cardiovascular disease, arthritis, mental disorders). Conclusion This first study of multimorbidity in the Caribbean has revealed a high burden of co-existing conditions in the Jamaican population, that is predominantly borne by females. Consistency across methods supports the validity of patterns identified. Future research into the causes and consequences of multimorbidity patterns can guide development of clinical and public health strategies that allow for targeted prevention and intervention.
Eradication of invasive forest insects: concepts, methods, costs and benefits

Invasive exotic insects can cause substantial damage to trees and the environment, and may reduce biodiversity. They can have a large negative economic effect on the forest industry, urban amenity trees and numerous other sectors, and they may necessitate extensive management expenditures. For such high-impact invaders, eradication is desirable but also difficult and often highly controversial. It requires substantial input of resources and commitment from managers and stakeholders, including the general public. Appropriate tools for surveillance and control of the target species must be available if success is to be achieved. This review outlines the sequence of steps required in well-managed operations; examines characteristics of successful and unsuccessful eradication campaigns; describes methods and tools known to be effective against specific pests; and discusses the analysis of costs and benefits of eradication programmes. Feasibility of eradication is increased by early detection, which is facilitated by systematic surveillance. A strong positive relationship exists between size of the affected geographical area and the cost of eradication. Treatment costs for large populations may be prohibitive. Five recent campaigns against lepidopteran species in New Zealand have provided substantial economic benefits, despite the fact that various non-market values were not considered. Although progress has been made in the development, utilisation and integration of eradication tools, some insects are still not amenable to treatment. There is a need for new methods shown to have a minimal effect on other organisms, including human beings. Public attitudes to eradication programmes must always be taken into account during planning and deployment.
FGF2-induced PI3K/Akt signaling evokes greater proliferation and adipogenic differentiation of human adipose stem cells from breast than from abdomen or thigh

In this study, human adipose stem cells were isolated from subcutaneous fat in the thigh (htASCs), abdomen (haASCs) and breast (hbASCs). Flow cytometry was used to detect cell surface markers, and an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay was used to detect paracrine activity. Paracrine gene expression in the three cell types was examined using real-time qPCR, and adipogenic ability was assessed using Oil Red O staining. RNA from third-passage haASCs and hbASCs was sequenced. The results showed that the differentiation potential marker markers CD49d and CD54 were similar across hbASCs from 10 subjects. The hbASCs showed higher colony forming ability and expression of fibroblast growth factor-2, tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinase-1 and stromal cell derived factor-1 than htASCs and haASCs. Stimulating hbASCs with FGF2 promoted adipogenic differentiation, while treating the cells with the PI3K inhibitor LY294002 inhibited differentiation. These results suggest that the PI3K/Akt signaling pathway can promote proliferation and adipogenic differentiation of adipose stem cells, and that activation of this pathway by FGF2 may explain why hbASCs show greater proliferation and adipogenic differentiation than haASCs and htASCs.
The analysis of data in studies of invertebrate reproduction. II. The analysis of oocyte size/frequency data, and comparison of different types of data

The measurement of oocyte sizes is the best method for examining reproductive cycles in the animals on which we have worked (mainly echinoderms and molluscs). The examination of standardised residuals in an R × C contingency table permits the detailed study of the growth of oocytes, and of differences in developmental stage both within and between samples. A nested design analysis of variance permits the quantification of the degree of seasonality in a species, and makes interspecific comparisons in the amount of inter- and intra-individual synchrony possible. Comparisons between different types of data and methods of studying interpopulation differences in reproductive pattern are also reviewed.
Peripheral chemoreflex control of fetal heart rate decelerations overwhelms the baroreflex during brief umbilical cord occlusions in fetal sheep

The majority of intrapartum decelerations are widely believed to be mediated by the baroreflex secondary to brief umbilical cord occlusions (UCOs) but this remains unproven. We examined the responses to brief‐UCOs in fetal sheep and compared these to a phenylephrine‐stimulated baroreflex in a separate cohort. A further cohort was instrumented with near‐infrared spectroscopy to measure cerebral oxygenation during UCO. The first 3–4 s of the brief‐UCOs were consistent with a baroreflex, and associated with a minor fall in fetal heart rate (FHR). Thereafter, the remainder of the FHR decelerations were highly consistent with the peripheral chemoreflex. The baroreflex is not sufficient to produce deep, rapid decelerations characteristic of variable decelerations and it is therefore likely to be a minor contributor to intrapartum decelerations.
Our laparoscopic gynecological surgery experience through a single incision

Laparoscopic surgery has special importance for patients with cosmetic concerns. This cosmetic concern also reflects the willingness to take surgical approach as few incisions as possible. The aim of this study is to report the results of bilateral tubal ligation and salpingectomy with an incision of approximately 1 cm from the umbilicus and to introduce this simple and aesthetic technique. Between January 2018 and November 2018, 7 women were admitted to Zonguldak Bülent Ecevit University Faculty of Medicine, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology with a request for permanent contraception. Under general anesthesia, under sterile conditions, 1 mm infraumbilikal skin incision with a 5mm guide blade removed trocar was entered into the abdomen, insufflation of the abdominal cavity with 15 mm Hg pressure was inflated with carbon dioxide, pneumoperitoneum was provided. 5 mm, 30 degrees optical (Storz ®) trocar was entered into the abdomen. After removal of optic, bluntly penetrated from the same 1 cm skin incision, just next to the 5 mm trocar, if it does not penetrated the fascia, this procedure was performed by expanding the fascial entry with blunt and sharp dissection, followed by 5 mm laparoscopic LigaSure (Covidien ®) was entered into the abdomen through 5-mm trocar. In 7 cases; bilateral tubal ligation and, if necessary, salpingectomy were performed. The mean duration of the cases was 20 (+/5) and the time to enter the abdomen was 3 (+/1) minutes. Blood loss was negligible since the cases were short-duration minimally invasive cases. In our series of 7 cases, two patients underwent bilateral salpingectomy, in which single incision was not compelling to perform salpingectomy. As aesthetic concerns and the need to reduce the length of hospital stay with less incision and the need for costeffectiveness increase, these new methods will be developed, further.
Sensitivity to pH and ability to modify ambient pH of the take-all fungus Gaeumannomyces graminis var. tritici

pH is one of the major ambient factors affecting life history traits of soilborne phytopathogenic fungi. The diversity ofphenotypic responses to pH changes has not been extensively explored within fungal populations. To investigate thisquestion, the ability of 82 strains of a worldwide collection of the take-all agent Gaeumannomyces graminis var. tritici(Ggt) to grow in controlled pH conditions, reﬂecting their pH sensitivity, was measured. Of these 82 strains, 37 belongedto the G1 type and 45 to the G2 type, the two main genetic groups identiﬁed in Ggt populations. The experiments wereconducted in Petri dishes on Fahraeus solid media buffered at pH 4 6, 6 0or7 0 with citrate–disodium phosphate solu-tions. The 82 strains exhibited a wide range of hyphal growth rates at the three pH levels. Ten statistically different pHproﬁles were described. The G2 strains grew signiﬁcantly better than the G1 on the slightly acidic (pH 6 0) and the neu-tral (pH 7 0) buffered media. The ability of three strains to change ambient pH was also measured on unbuffered Fahrae-us solid media initially adjusted to pH 5 6or8 0. All three strains were able to alkalinize the acidic medium. However,important variations between strains in the intensity, range and persistence of this alkalinization were measured. Theseresults provide the ﬁrst evidence of intraspeciﬁc variability in pH sensitivity within soilborne fungal species.Keywords: alkalinization, mycelium growth rate, pH, population, root disease, soil
BRCA1 and Breast Cancer: a Review of the Underlying Mechanisms Resulting in the Tissue-Specific Tumorigenesis in Mutation Carriers

Since the first cloning of BRCA1 in 1994, many of its cellular interactions have been elucidated. However, its highly specific role in tumorigenesis in the breast tissue—carriers of BRCA1 mutations are predisposed to life-time risks of up to 80%—relative to many other tissues that remain unaffected, has not yet been fully enlightened. In this article, we have applied a universal model of tissue-specificity of cancer genes to BRCA1 and present a systematic review of proposed concepts classified into 4 categories. Firstly, tissue-specific differences in levels of BRCA1 expression and secondly differences in expression of proteins with redundant functions are outlined. Thirdly, cell-type specific interactions of BRCA1 are presented: its regulation of aromatase, its interaction with Progesterone- and receptor activator of nuclear factor-κB ligand-signaling that controls proliferation of luminal progenitor cells, and its influence on cell differentiation via modulation of the key regulators jagged 1-NOTCH and snail family transcriptional repressor 2. Fourthly, factors specific to the cell-type as well as the environment of the breast tissue are elucidated: distinct frequency of losses of heterozygosity, interaction with X inactivation specific transcript RNA, estrogen-dependent induction of genotoxic metabolites and nuclear factor (erythroid-derived 2)-like 2, and regulation of sirtuin 1. In conclusion, the impact of these concepts on the formation of hormone-sensitive and -insensitive breast tumors is outlined.
Milk-derived hexapeptide PGPIPN prevents and attenuates acute alcoholic liver injury in mice by reducing endoplasmic reticulum stress

Bioactive peptides are an emerging area of biomedical research in the study of numerous human diseases, including acute alcoholic liver injury (AALI). To study the role and mechanism of the milk-derived hexapeptide Pro-Gly-Pro-Ile-Pro-Asn (PGPIPN) in preventing and reducing AALI, the present study established a mouse model of AALI. PGPIPN was used as a therapeutic drug, and glutathione (GSH) was used as a positive control. The body and liver weights of mice were measured, and the liver indexes were calculated to observe mice health. The pathological morphology of liver tissues stained with hematoxylin and eosin were examined to analyze hepatic injury, and hepatocyte apoptosis was measured with a TUNEL assay. The concentrations or activities of alanine aminotransferase (ALT), aspartate aminotransferase, tumor necrosis factor-α, interleukin (IL)-1β, IL-6, triglyceride, total cholesterol, malondialdehyde, superoxide dismutase and GSH peroxidase (GSH-PX) were detected in serum and/or liver homogenates. The 78 kDa glucose-regulated protein (GRP78), protein kinase R-like (PKR) endoplasmic reticulum kinase (PERK), phosphorylated (p)-PERK, eukaryotic initiation factor 2α (eIF-2α), p-eIF-2α, inositol-requiring enzyme 1α (IRE-1α), spliced X-box binding protein 1 (XBP-1s), C/EBP homologous protein (CHOP), caspase-3 and cleaved caspase-3 proteins associated with endoplasmic reticulum stress in hepatocytes were assessed by western blotting, and RNA levels of XBP-1s, CHOP and caspase-3 genes were assessed by reverse transcription-quantitative PCR. The results suggested that PGPIPN attenuated alcoholic hepatocyte damage in animal models and reduced hepatocyte oxidative stress in a dose-dependent manner. Moreover, PGPIPN reduced endoplasmic reticulum stress by regulating the expression levels of p-PERK, p-eIF-2α, XBP-1s, CHOP, caspase-3 and cleaved caspase-3. Collectively, the present results indicated that PGPIPN, as a potential therapeutic drug for AALI, exerted a protective effect on the liver and could reduce liver damage.
Pre‐pulse inhibition deficits in individuals at clinical high‐risk for psychosis: A systematic review and meta‐analysis

Neurophysiological markers of schizophrenia may help identify individuals who are at an increased risk of developing psychosis. As an operational measure of sensorimotor gating, pre‐pulse inhibition (PPI) deficit has been investigated in clinical high‐risk (CHR) individuals. In this study, we performed a systematic review and meta‐analysis of studies that investigated PPI in CHR individuals.
Derivation and validation of a clinical prediction rule for thrombolysis-associated major bleeding in patients with acute pulmonary embolism: the BACS score

Background Improved prediction of the risk of major bleeding in patients with acute pulmonary embolism (PE) receiving systemic thrombolysis is crucial to guide the choice of therapy. Methods The study included consecutive patients with acute PE who received systemic thrombolysis in the RIETE registry. We used multivariable logistic regression analysis to create a risk score to predict 30-day major bleeding episodes. We externally validated the risk score in patients from the COMMAND VTE registry. In addition, we compared the newly created risk score against the Kuijer and RIETE scores. Results Multivariable logistic regression identified four predictors for major bleeding: recent major bleeding (3 points), age >75 years (1 point), active cancer (1 point) and syncope (1 point) (BACS). Among 1172 patients receiving thrombolytic therapy in RIETE, 446 (38%) were classified as having low risk (none of the variables present, 0 points) of major bleeding according to the BACS score, and the overall 30-day major bleeding rate of this group was 2.9% (95% CI 1.6–4.9%), compared with 44% (95% CI 14–79%) in the high-risk group (>3 points). In the validation cohort, 51% (149 out of 290) of patients were classified as having low risk, and the overall 30-day major bleeding rate of this group was 1.3%. In RIETE, the 30-day major bleeding event rates in the Kuijer and RIETE low-risk strata were 5.3% and 4.4%, respectively. Conclusions The BACS score is an easily applicable aid for prediction of the risk of major bleeding in the population of PE patients who receive systemic thrombolysis. The BACS score, based on easily available patient characteristics, could support physicians in their assessment of the risk of bleeding with systemic thrombolysis for acute pulmonary embolism https://bit.ly/3eVd0SH
A remote-sensing image-retrieval model based on an ensemble neural networks

ABSTRACT With the rapid development of remote-sensing technology and the increasing number of Earth observation satellites, the volume of image datasets is growing exponentially. The management of big Earth data is also becoming increasingly complex and difficult, with the result that it can be hard for users to access the imagery that they are interested in quickly, efficiently and intelligently. To address these challenges, this paper proposes a remote-sensing image-retrieval model based on an ensemble neural networks. This model can make full use of existing training data to improve the efficiency and accuracy of the initial retrieval of remote-sensing images and keep model simple. The retrieval of aerial images using the proposed model is compared with the results obtained using ten individual neural networks and two ensemble neural networks and the results show that the proposed approach has a high degree of precision. In addition, the coverage rate and mean precision show a dramatic improvement of more than 40% compared with existing methods based on normal way. And, the coverage ratio gets 86% for the top 10 return results.
High throughput shotgun sequencing of eRNA reveals taxonomic and derived functional shifts across a benthic productivity gradient

Benthic macrofauna is regularly used in monitoring programmes, however the vast majority of benthic eukaryotic biodiversity lies mostly in microscopic organisms, such as meiofauna (invertebrates < 1 mm) and protists, that rapidly responds to environmental change. These communities have traditionally been hard to sample and handle in the laboratory, but DNA sequencing has made such work less time consuming. While DNA sequencing captures both alive and dead organisms, environmental RNA (eRNA) better targets living organisms or organisms of recent origin in the environment. Here, we assessed the biodiversity of three known bioindicator microeukaryote groups (nematodes, foraminifera, and ciliates) in sediment samples collected at seven coastal sites along an organic carbon (OC) gradient. We aimed to investigate if eRNA shotgun sequencing can be used to simultaneously detect differences in (i) biodiversity of multiple microeukaryotic communities; and (ii) functional feeding traits of nematodes. Results showed that biodiversity was lower for nematodes and foraminifera in high OC (6.2%–6.9%), when compared to low OC sediments (1.2%–2.8%). Dissimilarity in community composition increased for all three groups between Low OC and High OC, as well as the classified feeding type of nematode genera (with more nonselective deposit feeders in high OC sediment). High relative abundant genera included nematode Sabatieria and foraminifera Elphidium in high OC, and Cryptocaryon‐like ciliates in low OC sediments. Considering that future sequencing technologies are likely to decrease in cost, the use of eRNA shotgun sequencing to assess biodiversity of benthic microeukaryotes could be a powerful tool in recurring monitoring programmes.