Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Establishment of , and preliminary impact studies on , the rust , Maravalia cryptostegiae , of the invasive alien weed , Cryptostegia grandiflora in Queensland , Australia

The rust fungus Maravalia cryptostegiae, from south-west Madagascar, was introduced into Australia in 1995 as a classical biological control agent against the highly invasive rubber-vine weed Cryptostegia grandiflora, a woody climber endemic to Madagascar. The rust was released at 69 sites between 1995 and 1997 and is now established throughout the plant’s exotic range in Queensland, estimated at over 40 000 km. Dispersal was low in the first 3–4 months but was virtually linear thereafter, and the rust spread over 100 km within the first year; after 3 years it was recorded 550 km away from the nearest release site. Spraying both dry and aqueous inoculum of uredinioid teliospores from the ground using mist-blowers, as well as from the air by atomizing spore suspensions, resulted in rust-induced defoliation, producing an overall reduction in fecundity and biomass of the weed. In sites with low water tables, weed growth decreased markedly, with a reduction in plant volume from 9 m to 1 m over a 4-year period. Both rustand drought-induced stress combined to cause up to 75% plant mortality at some sites, and at all monitored sites, seedling recruitment was virtually nil. Improved growth of indigenous grasses amongst rubber-vine thickets has increased fuel loads and created opportunities to use fire as a component of an integrated approach to the management of this economically and ecologically damaging weed.
In reference to Does mutational analysis influence the management of differentiated thyroid cancers?

Triological Society Best Practice article, “Does Mutational Analysis Influence the Management of Differentiated Thyroid Cancers? ” concludes that “The current guidelines do not conclusively recommend the use of mutational testing as a tool for prognosticating or diagnosing a PTC patient. ” The conclusion (and content) of the article focus on the relevant weakness of mutational testing: the positive predictive value (PPV), that is, rule-in testing. I agree that the clinical utility (the ability of a test to change management) of rule-in testing currently is modest and falls short of the gold standard 98.6% PPV for malignant cytology (Bethesda grade 6). The significant influence of mutational analysis, which was not mentioned in the article, is the negative predictive value (NPV), that is, rule-out testing. Rule-out testing has strong clinical utility for selected patients in the management of differentiated thyroid cancer (DTC). The clinical utility of rule-in testing currently is weakened by several factors. The RAS mutation is the most common mutation for indeterminate thyroid nodules (Bethesda grade 3,4) and is not specific for DTC. Many RAS mutation tumors are noninvasive follicular thyroid neoplasm with papillary-like nuclear features with limited malignant potential. Furthermore, the current American Thyroid Association guidelines do not mandate total thyroidectomy for DTC < 4 cm. Yet, for the surgeon who performs total thyroidecotomy for DTC > 1 cm and < 4 cm, both BRAF and RET/PTC mutations are highly specific (nearly 100%) for DTC, and these tests have high clinical utility for management of DTC. The gold standard for benign (Bethesda grade 2) thyroid nodule cytology is 96%. A gene expression classifier, a next generation sequencing test, a mutation panel coupled with miRNA panel, and a miRNA panel for indeterminate Bethesda grade 3 have NPVs of 95%, 97%, 97%, and 92%, respectively. The NPVs for indeterminate Bethesda grade 4 for these same four panels are 94%, 96%, 91%, and 92%, respectively. The ATA guidelines support the use of mutational testing for malignancy risk assessment data. The patient should be informed that long-term outcomes are yet to be fully defined. Prospective long-term studies, head-to-head comparison studies, and further cost analysis studies are needed. That said, for thyroid nodules with indeterminate cytology, low-risk history, physical finding, and ultrasound features with low institutional prevalence of malignancy (< 25%), ruleout testing has high clinical utility for selected patients in management of DTC.
Learning-Based Cross-Modal Plasticity in the Human Brain: Insights from Visual Deprivation fMRI

Neuroimaging, and functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI) in particular, has brought dramatic changes in all fields of brain studies, one notable field under intensive development being that of brain plasticity. To overcome the artificiality of typical experimental paradigms, this chapter presents a set of interrelated investigations focused on the reorganization of working memory and sensorimotor mechanisms as a result of training in a complex ‘real-life’ paradigm. The novel paradigm that I have introduced is based on drawing – from artistic to technical – because it is a ‘real-life’ task that uniquely incorporates diverse aspects of percep‐ tual, cognitive and motor processing. In this way, drawing activates the full ‘perceptioncognition-action loop’. (I have introduced this expanded terminology, going beyond the usual ‘perceptuion-action loop’, to emphasize the key role of the cognitive linkages between the perception input processing and the action components.) It is important to recognize that drawing engages a wide range of spatial manipulation abilities (e.g., spatio-constructional, coordinate transformations, geometric understanding and visualization), together with engaging precise mental representations, conceptual knowledge, motor planning and motor control mechanisms, working and long-term memory, attention, as well as, empathy, emotions and forms of embodied cognition (Grossi and Trojano, 1999, for review; Trojano et al., 2009; Likova, 2012a; 2013). Furthermore, the development of the Cognitive-Kinesthetic Drawing Method (Likova, 2010a; 2012a,b; 2013) – a novel method to train drawing even without vision – makes it possible to use drawing to study cross-modal reorganization in visual areas activated by non-visual tasks.
Congestive heart failure and sudden death in a young woman with thyrotoxicosis.

8. Meyer PR, Hui AN, Biddle M: Coccidioides immitis meningitis with arthroconidia in cerebrospinal fluid: Report of the first case and review of the arthroconidia literature. Hum Pathol 1982; 13:1136-1138 9. Hendel E, Hui AN, Diaz J, et al: Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia and malignant lymphoma in a homosexual male with disseminated coccidioidomycosis, In Einstein H, Cantanzaro A (Eds): Proceedings of the 4th International Conference on Coccidioidomycosis. National Foundation Infectious Diseases, 1984, pp 305-3 11 10. Bronnimann DA, Adam RD, Galgiani JN, et al: Coccidioidomycosis in the acquired immunodeficiency syndrome. Ann Intern Med 1987; 106:372-379 11. Anders KH, Guerra WF, Taomiyasu U, et al: The neuropathology of AIDS: UCLA experience and review. Am J Pathol 1986; 124:537-558 12. Sobel RA, Ellis WG, Nielsen SL, et al: Central nervous system coccidioidomycosis: A clinicopathologic study of treatment with and without amphotericin B. Hum Pathol 1984; 15:980-995 13. Shetter AG, Fischer DW, Flom RA: Computed tomography in cases of coccidioidal meningitis, with clinical correlation. WestJ Med 1985; 142:782-786 14. Levy RM, Mills CM, Posin JP, et al: The Superiority of Cranial Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) to Computed Tomographic (CT) Brain Scans for the Diagnosis of Cerebral Lesions in Patients With AIDS. Abstracts from the international meeting on AIDS in Paris 1986, A-146 15. Post MJD, Sheldon JJ, Hensley GT, et al: Central nervous system disease in acquired immunodeficiency syndrome: Prospective correlation using CT, MR imaging, and pathologic studies. Radiology 1986; 158:141-148 16. Wheat LJ, Slama TG, Zeckel ML: Histoplasmosis in the acquired immune deficiency syndrome. Am J Med 1985; 78:203-2 10 17. Small CB, Klein RS, Friedland GH, et al: Community-acquired opportunistic infections and defective cellular immunity in heterosexual drug abusers and homosexual men. AmJ Med 1983; 74:433-441 18. Jones PG, Cohen RL, Batts DH, et al: Disseminated histoplasmosis, invasive pulmonary aspergillosis, and other opportunistic infections in a homosexual patient with acquired immune deficiency syndrome. Sex Transm Dis 1983; 10:202-204 19. Bartholomew C, Raju C, Patrick A, et al: AIDS in Trinidad (Letter). Lancet 1984; 1:103
Performance of the Verigene Gram-Positive Blood Culture Assay for Direct Detection of Gram-Positive Organisms and Resistance Markers in a Pediatric Hospital

ABSTRACT The performance characteristics of the Verigene Gram-positive blood culture (BC-GP) assay were evaluated in pediatric patients. Concordance of the BC-GP assay was 95.8%, with significant decreases in turnaround time for identification and resistance detection. BC-GP is highly accurate and can be integrated into the routine workflow of the microbiology laboratory.
Global generalized shannon functions for the scattering of 3D polyhedral surfaces

This paper generalize the GSF in [4] to the generation of synthetic functions on large 3D polyhedral structures by the use of linear-phase spatial dependences. Our extension here is not based on a mere superposition of GSF of individual faces; instead, it defines global GSF with domain on the entire surface of the scatterer.
High-efficiency ultracapacitor charger using a soft-switching full-bridge DC-DC converter

This paper proposes a high-efficiency ultracapacitor charger using a soft-switching full-bridge pulse-width modulated (PWM) converter. Conventional full-bridge phase-shift modulated (PSM) converter is used for charging ultracapacitors. However, the power efficiency of conventional converters is low because of its circulating current and high output diode voltage stresses. This study presents a high-efficiency full-bridge PWM converter to overcome the drawbacks of conventional converters. The proposed converter has the advantages of lower switch voltage stresses and reduced circulating current compared to other converter topologies. The performance of the proposed converter is evaluated by experimental results for a 54-V, 35-F ultracapacitor bank.
Recent cancer survival in Germany: An analysis of common and less common cancers

The monitoring of cancer survival by population‐based cancer registries is a prerequisite to evaluate the current quality of cancer care. Our study provides 1‐, 5‐ and 10‐year relative survival as well as 5‐year relative survival conditional on 1‐year survival estimates and recent survival trends for Germany using data from 11 population‐based cancer registries, covering around one‐third of the German population. Period analysis was used to estimate relative survival for 24 common and 11 less common cancer sites for the period 2007–2010. The German and the United States survival estimates were compared using the Surveillance, Epidemiology and End Results 13 database. Trends in cancer survival in Germany between 2002–2004 and 2008–2010 were described. Five‐year relative survival increased in Germany from 2002–2004 to 2008–2010 for most cancer sites. Among the 24 most common cancers, largest improvements were seen for multiple myeloma (8.0% units), non‐Hodgkin lymphoma (6.2% units), prostate cancer (5.2% units) and colorectal cancer (4.6% units). In 2007–2010, the survival disadvantage in Germany compared to the United States was largest for cancers of the mouth/pharynx (−11.0% units), thyroid (−6.8% units) and prostate (−7.5% units). Although survival estimates were much lower for elderly patients in both countries, differences in age patterns were observed for some cancer sites. The reported improvements in cancer survival might reflect advances in the quality of cancer care on the population level as well as increased use of screening in Germany. The survival differences across countries and the survival disadvantage in the elderly require further investigation.
A study of polio vaccination in infancy: excretion following challenge with live virus by children given killed or living poliovaccine

Quadruple vaccine containing 75 D antigen units of killed type 1 poliovirus was given to children at ages 2, 3 and 4 months followed by a booster dose at 15 months. The serological response to the primary course was difficult to assess owing to maternal antibody. Antibody titres to the type 1 component after the booster dose were very satisfactory and about 10 times higher than those observed in a similar group of children given attenuated vaccine. Response to the poliovirus types 2 and 3 in the quadruple vaccine was less satisfactory. Graded doses of attenuated poliovirus type 1 were fed to the children 2 months after the primary course and 1 month after the booster dose. Children who had received no poliovaccine and children immunized with attenuated vaccine were included for comparison. Immunization with killed vaccine did not greatly affect the size of the minimal infecting dose of live virus but reduced both the duration of the subsequent infection and the titre of virus in the faeces. The epidemiological significance of these findings is discussed.
Interaction of natural and synthetic albumin polymers with hepatocytes

The hepatitis B virus binds avidly to albumin polymers which in turn may mediate the initial binding of viral particles to the liver cell. However, the interaction of albumin polymers with the liver remains poorly characterized, and the possibility that hepatic binding reflects an artifact of polymerization with glutaraldehyde has not been excluded. We therefore characterized the binding of 125I‐labeled natural and synthetic albumin polymers to suspensions of rat hepatocytes.
Experimental Power for Indirect Effects in Group-randomized Studies with Group-level Mediators

ABSTRACT Mediation analyses have provided a critical platform to assess the validity of theories of action across a wide range of disciplines. Despite widespread interest and development in these analyses, literature guiding the design of mediation studies has been largely unavailable. Like studies focused on the detection of a total or main effect, an important design consideration is the statistical power to detect indirect effects if they exist. Understanding the sensitivity to detect indirect effects is exceptionally important because it directly influences the scale of data collection and ultimately governs the types of evidence group-randomized studies can bring to bear on theories of action. However, unlike studies concerned with the detection of total effects, literature has not established power formulas for detecting multilevel indirect effects in group-randomized designs. In this study, we develop closed-form expressions to estimate the variance of and the power to detect indirect effects in group-randomized studies with a group-level mediator using two-level linear models (i.e., 2-2-1 mediation). The results suggest that when carefully planned, group-randomized designs may frequently be well positioned to detect mediation effects with typical sample sizes. The resulting power formulas are implemented in the R package PowerUpR and the PowerUp! -Mediator software (causalevaluation.org).
Safety of Modified Radical Neck Dissection for Differentiated Thyroid Carcinoma

Objectives/Hypothesis The management of cervical metastases from differentiated thyroid carcinoma (DTC) remains controversial. Most surgeons perform a neck dissection (ND) for clinically apparent disease. The extent of nodal dissection varies from regional to comprehensive. Morbidity from ND in the setting of DTC remains high, particularly when performed in the setting of a thyroidectomy (TT). To determine complications from ND for DTC, we retrospectively reviewed our surgical experience of modified radical neck dissection for nodal metastases.
tissue engineering of functional skeletal muscle: challenges and recent advances

Self-repair capacity of the adult skeletal muscle is deficient in its ability to restore significant tissue loss caused by traumatic injury, congenital defects, tumor ablation, prolonged denervation, or functional damage due to a variety of myopathies [1], [2]. Conventional surgical treatments including local or distant autologous muscle transposition yield a limited degree of success [2]. Alternatively, transplantation of exogenous myogenic cells (satellite cells and myoblasts) has been proposed to increase the regenerative capacity of skeletal muscle [3]. However, the clinical outcomes from intramuscular injection of allogeneic myoblasts were compromised by numerous limitations, including poor cell retention and survival, as well as immunorejection [3], [4]. Studies of other muscle-derived stem cells [5] and genetically modified myoblasts [6] are currently in progress, for their ability to overcome these limitations and improve therapeutic efficacy.
Slots on cylindrical substrate integrated waveguide

Longitudinal slots and coupling between slots placed on the broad wall of a cylindrical substrate integrated waveguide (SIW) are modeled and characterized in order to design a slotted cylindrical SIW array. Characteristics of slot on the SIW bended on a cylindrical surface and effects of radius of curvature to the slot and mutual coupling characteristics are investigated at K band using FEM simulator.
Withanolides against TLR4‐Activated Innate Inflammatory Signalling Pathways: A Comparative Computational and Experimental Study

Innate inflammations are dominant causes of poor health and high mortality. The pathogen‐associated molecular pattern and lipopolysaccharide (LPS) are sensed by immune cells through activation of toll‐like receptor 4 leading to mitogen‐activated protein kinases (MAPKs) and NF‐κB activations. Controlled MAPK and Nf‐κB inhibitors have been proposed as potential antiinflammatory drugs. Withania somnifera is an important medicinal herb with known antiinflammatory activity. In this study, the selected Withania somnifera extracts and withanolides were analysed on LPS‐induced macrophages comparatively. Molecular docking analysis revealed withaferin A, withanone and withanolide A as effective withanolides against inflammatory target molecules. In experiments, withaferin A and withanone treatment had prominent suppressions on LPS‐induced expression of pro‐inflammatory cytokines in bone marrow‐derived macrophages. Withaferin A regulated all the major four pathways (MAPKs and NF‐κB) involved in innate inflammations. Similarly among the Withania extracts analysed, the in vitro propagated leaf and field grown root extracts containing high withaferin A content suppressed the inflammatory molecules through NF‐κB and MAPK pathways. Withaferin A was found to be best in suppressing the activated inflammatory pathways among all the analysed withanolides. Therefore, withaferin A and extracts with high withaferin A content can be used as promising drug candidates against innate inflammations. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
The effect of remifentanil on propofol requirements to achieve loss of response to command vs. loss of response to pain

When providing total intravenous anaesthesia, careful selection of end‐points is required in titrating dose to effect during induction. Although propofol and remifentanil have predominantly different pharmacodynamic effects, they are seen to interact in achieving loss of consciousness and analgesia. To highlight these differences, we performed a double‐blind, randomised controlled trial, comparing one group of patients receiving propofol alone (n = 42) with another group receiving remifentanil plus propofol (n = 46) as a target‐controlled infusion of remifentanil (Minto; 3 ng.ml−1). Propofol was also titrated using a target‐controlled infusion (Marsh effect model) to produce loss of response to tactile and vocal stimuli, and subsequently to loss of response to pain. The effect‐site concentration of propofol at which 50% of patients lost tactile/verbal response was 2.9 μg. ml−1 in the propofol only group and 2.4 μg. ml−1 in the remifentanil with propofol group. In contrast, loss of pain response occurred at 4.4 μg. ml−1 in the propofol group, and 2.7 μg. ml−1 in the remifentanil with propofol group, with correspondingly lower bispectral index values. Judicious use of analgesia in total intravenous anaesthesia can have a propofol‐sparing effect and potentially minimise the suppression of brain electrical activity.
Conserved Asp684 in Transmembrane Segment M6 of the Plant Plasma Membrane P-type Proton Pump AHA2 Is a Molecular Determinant of Proton Translocation*

The mechanism of proton pumping by P-type H+-ATPases is still unclear. In the plant P-type plasma membrane H+-ATPase AHA2, two charged residues, Arg655 and Asp684, are conserved in transmembrane segments M5 and M6, respectively, a region that has been shown be contribute to ion coordination in related P-type ATPases. Substitution of Arg655 with either alanine or aspartate resulted in mutant enzymes exhibiting a significant shift in the P-type ATPase E 1P-E 2P conformational equilibrium. The mutant proteins accumulated in theE 1P conformation, but were capable of conducting proton transport. This points to an important role of Arg655 in theE 1P-E 2P conformational transition. The presence of a carboxylate moiety at position Asp684 proved essential for coupling between initial proton binding and proton pumping. The finding that the carboxylate side chain of Asp684 contributes to the proton-binding site and appears to function as an absolutely essential proton acceptor along the proton transport pathway is discussed in the context of a possible proton pumping mechanism of P-type H+-ATPases.
UWB SLAM with Rao-Blackwellized Monte Carlo data association

In situations where the environment is filled with dust or smoke, like in many emergency scenarios, it is still possible to sense the surrounding and build maps by using ultra-wideband (UWB) Radar. This can help firemen and other rescue personnel. In this paper, a method to solve the SLAM (simultaneous localization and mapping) problem is presented. Using UWB radar with a bat-type antenna array consisting of two RX antennas and one TX antenna in the middle, features of the surroundings are detected and used as landmarks for navigation. The main challenge of this approach is the problem of data association, i.e. the task of assigning time-of-flight measurements to corresponding landmarks. The solution presented in this article uses a state space model in combination with a Rao-Blackwellized particle filter.
Écologie et société, repères pour comprendre les questions d'environnement

Comme le fait remarquer des l’introduction son auteur, ce livre n’est pas un manuel d’ecologie. Il s’agit plutot d’un ouvrage d’accompagnement des precis d’ecologie, un texte de reflexion et de contextualisation. Cet ouvrage d’ecologie historicogeographique, qui integre l’homme, propose une grille de lecture tres riche et diversifiee de l’ecologie et de ses discours. Il apporte des eclairages epistemologiques, historiques, economiques, anthropologiques et geographiques qui manquent souvent da.