Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
A biogeographical perspective on species abundance distributions: recent advances and opportunities for future research

It has become increasingly recognized that multiple processes can generate similar shapes of species abundance distributions (SADs), with the result that the fit of a given SAD model cannot unambiguously provide evidence in support of a given theory or model. An alternative approach to comparing the fit of different SAD models to data from a single site is to collect abundance data from a variety of sites, and then build models to analyse how different SAD properties (e.g. form, skewness) vary with different predictor variables. Such a biogeographical approach to SAD research is potentially very revealing, yet there has been a general lack of interest in SADs in the biogeographical literature. In this Perspective, we address this issue by highlighting findings of recent analyses of SADs that we consider to be of intrinsic biogeographical interest. We use arthropod data drawn from the Azorean archipelago to further highlight how analyses of SAD form and function may be biogeographically informative. We hope that, by reviewing a number of novel approaches, our article may prove to be a catalyst for a greater interest in analysing SADs in biogeography.
Output tracking control for autonomous spacecraft rendezvous

This paper studies the problem of robust output tracking control for the homing phase of autonomous spacecraft rendezvous. Based on the C-W equations, parameter uncertainty and the output tracking requirement, a new relative dynamic model is developed, and a robust guaranteed cost output tracking control problem is formulated. Then, by a Lyapunov approach, the controller design is cast into a convex optimization problem subject to linear matrix inequalities (LMIs) constraints. With the obtained controllers, the homing phase can be completed with a guaranteed cost, and the poles of the closed-loop system are located within a desire region. An illustrative example is provided to show the effectiveness of the proposed controller design method.
An improved cost estimation for unit commitment using back propagation algorithm

The daily load is the main issue for many power plant industries that are affected by the varying maximum and minimum peak hours. Due to electricity being used less during the weekends, compared to weekdays, where the spending is higher. The same logic applies to day and night spending, which requires balancing among the units so that it can operate during high demand hours. The main problem is to determine the units that will be affected according to the operation schedule which means which unit, and for how long, will it stay on or off. In this context, the main objective for unit commitment, in general, minimizes the total cost of operating a unit, and at the same time maintain the constraints met. Several approaches and techniques used in existing studied, each have a solution for the optimal unit commitment problem. Some of the approaches presented, use complex methods in order to address the issues, while others use simple forms to do the same task. The problem of operation scheduling for unit commitment will be different depending on the type of industry, and according to the plan of mixing unit and operating constraints.
Genetic Consequences of Mate Choice: A Quantitative Genetic Method for Testing Sexual Selection Theory

To investigate whether female mate choice could be directed at male genetic quality, male chemical signals and progeny fitness were studied in the red flour beetle (Tribolium castaneum). Differences among males in the attractiveness of their pheromone to females were statistically significant. Developmental time of progeny was significantly heritable, indicating that some males have "good genes" for this trait. There was no statistically significant correlation between progeny fitness and male attractiveness. These results do not support the hypothesis that in this species the evolution of female preferences for male pheromone is adaptive.
Targeting brain gliomas energy metabolism for classification purposes

The aim of this study is to reveal the discriminative potential of energy related metabolites in brain gliomas classification. The proposed analysis considers two aspects, the statistical and biological verification of metabolites' effects. In particular, Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopic Imaging (MRSI) is first employed for the statistical evaluation of metabolites. Five of the identified significant metabolites, namely glucose, pyruvate, lactate, alanine and lipids, are involved in the energy production process, necessary for the survival of the cell. In the second stage of analysis, we consider specific metabolic pathways like glycolysis, lactate fermentation, citric acid cycle and lipogenesis in order to evaluate the role of these metabolites in the energy production process. The results of the proposed double process have shown that these five metabolites are capable to discriminate the three types of gliomas provided. Low grade glioma (GR2) can be discriminated from intermediate grade ones (GR3) with accuracy of 86%. Intermediate grade gliomas versus high grade ones (GR4) with accuracy of 98% and finally low grade versus high grade with accuracy of 100%. Accuracy was extensively evaluated with the area under the ROC (AUROC) global metric.
Decoding Neurally Relevant Musical Features Using Canonical Correlation Analysis

Music Information Retrieval (MIR) has been dominated by computational approaches. The possibility of leveraging neural systems via brain-computer interfaces is an alternative approach to annotating music. Here we test this idea by measuring correlations between musical features and brain responses in a statistically optimal fashion. Using an extensive dataset of electroencephalographic (EEG) responses to a variety of natural music stimuli, we employed Canonical Correlation Analysis to identify spatial EEG components that track temporal stimulus components. We found multiple statistically signiﬁcant dimensions of stimulus-response correlation (SRC) for all songs studied. The temporal ﬁlters that maximize correlation with the neural response highlight harmonics and subhar-monics of that song’s beat frequency, with different harmonics emphasized by different components. The most stimulus-driven component of the EEG has an anatomically plausible, symmetric frontocentral topography that is preserved across stimuli. Our results suggest that different neural circuits encode different temporal hierarchies of natural music. Moreover, as techniques for decoding EEG advance, it may be possible to automatically label music via brain-computer interfaces that capture neural responses that are then translated into stimulus annotations.
Cytolysins Augment Superantigen Penetration of Stratified Mucosa1

Staphylococcus aureus and Streptococcus pyogenes colonize mucosal surfaces of the human body to cause disease. A group of virulence factors known as superantigens are produced by both of these organisms that allows them to cause serious diseases from the vaginal (staphylococci) or oral mucosa (streptococci) of the body. Superantigens interact with T cells and APCs to cause massive cytokine release to mediate the symptoms collectively known as toxic shock syndrome. In this study we demonstrate that another group of virulence factors, cytolysins, aid in the penetration of superantigens across vaginal mucosa as a representative nonkeratinized stratified squamous epithelial surface. The staphylococcal cytolysin α-toxin and the streptococcal cytolysin streptolysin O enhanced penetration of toxic shock syndrome toxin-1 and streptococcal pyrogenic exotoxin A, respectively, across porcine vaginal mucosa in an ex vivo model of superantigen penetration. Upon histological examination, both cytolysins caused damage to the uppermost layers of the vaginal tissue. In vitro evidence using immortalized human vaginal epithelial cells demonstrated that although both superantigens were proinflammatory, only the staphylococcal cytolysin α-toxin induced a strong immune response from the cells. Streptolysin O damaged and killed the cells quickly, allowing only a small release of IL-1β. Two separate models of superantigen penetration are proposed: staphylococcal α-toxin induces a strong proinflammatory response from epithelial cells to disrupt the mucosa enough to allow for enhanced penetration of toxic shock syndrome toxin-1, whereas streptolysin O directly damages the mucosa to allow for penetration of streptococcal pyrogenic exotoxin A and possibly viable streptococci.
Diagnostic accuracy of fine needle aspiration cytology in hepatic tumours.

OBJECTIVE To determine the diagnostic accuracy of fine-needle aspiration cytology (FNAC) in liver masses to isolate malignant from benign tumours and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) from metastatic tumours. STUDY DESIGN Cross-sectional, observational. PLACE AND DURATION OF STUDY Department of Histopathology, Combined Military Hospital, Peshawar, from June 2004 to June 2005. METHODOLOGY All the patients with liver masses confirmed by ultrasonography, irrespective of age and gender, were included. Patients with inflammatory lesions were excluded from the study. Selected patients underwent fine-needle aspiration under ultrasound guidance followed by needle biopsy. The cytological slides were stained by haematoxylin and eosin (H & E) stain, while Papanicolaou's stain was employed in selective cases. Needle biopsy fragments were fixed in formalin followed by paraffin embedding and staining with H and E stain. Sensitivity and specificity of FNAC in the diagnosis of liver masses was determined using histological diagnosis on liver biopsy as gold standard. RESULTS There were one hundred subjects. The mean age at presentation was 55 + or - 12 years with male to female ratio of 1.7:1. Cytological diagnosis in 19 cases was benign/non-neoplastic and 81 was malignant. Out of the latter, 49 (60.49%) were HCC and 32 (39.51%) were metastatic tumours on cytology. The overall sensitivity, specificity and accuracy of FNAC in the diagnosis of malignant lesions was 95.2%, 100% and 96% respectively using histological diagnosis on liver biopsy as gold standard. Sensitivity of FNAC to differentiate HCC from metastatic tumours in liver was 96% while specificity was 100% having a diagnostic accuracy of 97.5%. The discrepancy in cyto-histological comparison was mainly seen in welldifferentiated and poorly-differentiated HCCs. CONCLUSION FNAC of the liver masses is a simple, safe, accurate, economical screening test without significant morbiditythat can be used to identify the vast majority of hepatic neoplasms of primary or metastatic nature with high sensitivity, specificity and diagnostic accuracy.
Histological and Ultrastructural Changes in Mammalian Testis under the Effect of Hydrocortisone

Hydrocortisone is a synthetic glucocorticoid currently utilized in the medical fields for the treatment of various types of diseases. The present study aimed to investigate the histological and ultrastructural changes induced in mammalian testis under the effect of hydrocortisone. Twenty adult male rats weighing 150-200g were divided into two groups; group I, injected i.m. with hydrocortisone sodium succinate (30mg/100g b.wt.) , daily for 15 days. Whereas, group II were kept as control. (injected with 0.6ml of bacteriostatic water ). Histologically, testes of treated rats displayed thickening of tunica albuginea, disruption of spermatogenesis evident, marked reduction in germ cells caused dilatation of intercellular spaces, detachment of Sertoli cells from the irregular basal lamina, in addition to necrotic Leydig cells with infiltration of the interstitial tissues. Ultrastructurally, treated testes showed thickening and irregularity of the surrounding basal lamina, cytoplasmic vacuolation of atrophied Sertoli cells, shrinkage and pyknotic nuclei of spermatogonia and primary spermatocytes, condensed Golgi apparatus and detachment of the acrosomal granule from the anterior hemisphere of the nucleus of rounded spermatids, and disappearance of elongated spermatids and spermatozoa. Also, necrotic Leydig cells were observed in interstitial tissue. In conclusion, hydrocortisone administration into adult male rats exerts a clear effect on testicular structure and ultrastructure, which leads to much deficiency in their performance. So, it should be utilized under restricted precautions in the medical fields to protect the human health from its hazardous impact. (Waslat W. Elshennawy and Hanaa R. Abo Elwafa. Histological and Ultrastructural Changes in Mammalian Testis under the Effect of Hydrocortisone. Journal of American Science 2011;7(9):38-48). (ISSN: 1545-1003). http://www.americanscience. org.
Cation Hexaammines Are Selective and Potent Inhibitors of the CorA Magnesium Transport System*

Cation hexaammines and related compounds are chemically stable analogs of the hydrated form of cations, particularly Mg2+. We tested the ability of several of these compounds to inhibit transport by the CorA or MgtB Mg2+transport systems or the PhoQ receptor kinase for Mg2+ inSalmonella typhimurium. Cobalt(III)-, ruthenium(II)-, and ruthenium(III)-hexaammines were potent inhibitors of CorA-mediated influx. Cobalt(III)- and ruthenium(III)chloropentaammines were slightly less potent inhibitors of CorA. The compounds inhibited uptake by the bacterial S. typhimurium CorA and by the archaealMethanococcus jannaschii CorA, which bear only 12% identity in the extracellular periplasmic domain. Cation hexaammines also inhibited growth of S. typhimurium strains dependent on CorA for Mg2+ uptake but not of isogenic strains carrying a second Mg2+ uptake system. In contrast, hexacyano-cobaltate(III) and ruthenate(II)- and nickel(II)hexaammine had little effect on uptake. The inhibition by the cation hexaammines was selective for CorA because none of the compounds had any effect on transport by the MgtB P-type ATPase Mg2+ transporter or the PhoQ Mg2+ receptor kinase. These results demonstrate that cation hexaammines are potent and highly selective inhibitors of the CorA Mg2+ transport system and further indicate that the initial interaction of the CorA transporter is with a fully hydrated Mg2+ cation.
LONG-TERM MANAGEMENT OF CONFIGURABLE TELECOMMUNICATIONS SERVICE OFFERINGS : A CASE

Long-term management of configurators has been identified as challenging and business-critical in previous work. Configuration knowledge and prices may change frequently due to product changes and business reasons. If sales rely on configuration support, prompt updates are important, even business-critical. This work reports challenges and practices of long-term management of a configurable B2C broadband telecommunications service offering, contributing one of the first studies on long-term management of service configuration knowledge. Some significant differences to management of physical configurable offerings were identified, especially in the area of installed base management. To evaluate system effects, a change in a telecommunications service offering must be considered from at least three dimensions: how it affects the products, how it affects prices, and how it affects management of existing customers (the installed base). Five processes related to offering changes were proposed and characterised. A single process cannot be optimal for all product and pricing changes, as the scope and effect of changes can vary significantly. A lightweight enough process should be used for small and frequent changes, and an appropriately rigorous process should be used for significant changes. An adequate set of processes may to some extent alleviate problems related to an unacceptably slow ability to react to market changes.
Wage Compression , Learning , and Self-Employment

While the existing literature on the self-employment choice has focussed on individual di¤erences, we combine this with two important institutional features: Wage compression and learning. With wage compression, workers become self-employed for both "carrot" and "stick" reasons. Some prefer self-employment to the low institutionalised wage, while others cannot qualify for this wage. Furthermore, learning induces some workers to start out in wage work before switching to self-employment. Hence, our model can explain two empirical regularities: i) the existence of a group of low-skilled entrepreneurs; and ii) the increasing propensity for self-employment over age groups. Further predictions of the model concerning transition probabilities and earnings distributions are also consistent with existing empirical evidence.
Individualising the Western Ontario and McMaster Universities osteoarthritis index (WOMAC) function subscale: incorporating patient priorities for improvement to measure functional impairment in hip or knee osteoarthritis

Objective: Recommended outcome measures in osteoarthritis are standardised scales identical for each patient. As patient-specific scales are of increasing interest when considering patient priorities in outcome assessment, this study aims to validate individualised forms of the Western Ontario and McMaster Universities osteoarthritis index (WOMAC) function subscale. Patients and Methods: WOMAC function subscale data were prospectively obtained from 1218 outpatients with hip or knee osteoarthritis requiring non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs. Patients also rated the importance to remove disability in each activity of the WOMAC function subscale, and selected the five activities they considered the most important to be improved upon. After treatment, patients again completed the WOMAC function subscale. Several individualisation methods were evaluated: methods whereby the score of each item is multiplied by, or added to, its importance, and methods based on the five most important activities (WOMAC top 5). Psychometric properties of individualised scales were compared to those of the WOMAC function subscale. Results: The missing data rate was 11%, 13% and 2% for the WOMAC function, its individualised forms and the WOMAC top 5, respectively. Combining severity and importance of each item did not improve the properties of the scales. The WOMAC top 5 was the most responsive scale (standardised response mean: 0.96 vs 0.80, p<0.001). Conclusion: Because of its better responsiveness, ease of use, low missing data rate and ability to highlight patient priorities, the WOMAC top 5 could be an interesting tool in therapeutic evaluation in hip or knee osteoarthritis.
Bone Regeneration Based on Tissue Engineering Conceptions — A 21st Century Perspective

The role of Bone Tissue Engineering in the field of Regenerative Medicine has been the topic of substantial research over the past two decades. Technological advances have improved orthopaedic implants and surgical techniques for bone reconstruction. However, improvements in surgical techniques to reconstruct bone have been limited by the paucity of autologous materials available and donor site morbidity. Recent advances in the development of biomaterials have provided attractive alternatives to bone grafting expanding the surgical options for restoring the form and function of injured bone. Specifically, novel bioactive (second generation) biomaterials have been developed that are characterised by controlled action and reaction to the host tissue environment, whilst exhibiting controlled chemical breakdown and resorption with an ultimate replacement by regenerating tissue. Future generations of biomaterials (third generation) are designed to be not only osteoconductive but also osteoinductive, i.e. to stimulate regeneration of host tissues by combining tissue engineering and in situ tissue regeneration methods with a focus on novel applications. These techniques will lead to novel possibilities for tissue regeneration and repair. At present, tissue engineered constructs that may find future use as bone grafts for complex skeletal defects, whether from post-traumatic, degenerative, neoplastic or congenital/developmental “origin” require osseous reconstruction to ensure structural and functional integrity. Engineering functional bone using combinations of cells, scaffolds and bioactive factors is a promising strategy and a particular feature for future development in the area of hybrid materials which are able to exhibit suitable biomimetic and mechanical properties. This review will discuss the state of the art in this field and what we can expect from future generations of bone regeneration concepts.
Human Cytomegalovirus Gene Products US2 and US11 Differ in Their Ability To Attack Major Histocompatibility Class I Heavy Chains in Dendritic Cells

ABSTRACT Human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) encodes several proteins that inhibit major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class I-dependent antigen presentation. The HCMV products US2 and US11 are each sufficient for causing the dislocation of human and murine MHC class I heavy chains from the lumen of the endoplasmic reticulum to the cytosol, where the heavy chains are readily degraded. The apparent redundancy of US2 and US11 has been probed predominantly in cultured cell lines, where differences in their specificities were shown for murine and human MHC class I locus products. Here, we expressed US11 and US2 via adenovirus vectors and show that US11 exhibits a superior ability to degrade MHC class I molecules in primary human dendritic cells. MHC class II complexes are unaffected by US2- and US11-mediated attack. We suggest that multiple HCMV-encoded immunoevasions have evolved complementary functions in response to diverse host cell types and tissues.
Echocardiography in pulmonary hypertension.

1. Rudski LG . Point: can Doppler echocardiography estimates of pulmonary artery systolic pressures be relied upon to accurately make the diagnosis of pulmonary hypertension? Yes . Chest . 2013 ; 143 ( 6 ): 1533 1536 . 2. Rich JD . Counterpoint: can Doppler echocardiography estimates of pulmonary artery systolic pressures be relied upon to accurately make the diagnosis of pulmonary hypertension? No . Chest . 2013 ; 143 ( 6 ): 1536 1539 . 3. Cabello B , Borrás X , Carreras F , Thomas B , Leta R , Pons-Lladó G . Improvement in the measurement technique of pulmonary artery pressure by Doppler echocardiography with contrast in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease [in Spanish] . Med Intensiva . 2010 ; 34 (8): 506 512 .
Enquête sur la prise en charge des patients sous antithrombotiques en chirurgie orale en France

Les maladies cardiovasculaires sont la premiere cause de morbidite et de mortalite en France. Les antithrombotiques sont des medicaments incontournables pour le traitement et/ou la prevention des evenements thromboemboliques. Ces medicaments sont associes a un risque hemorragique augmente qui devra etre pris en compte par le chirurgien-dentiste. La prise en charge de ces patients en chirurgie orale varie en fonction du traitement antithrombotique du patient et du risque hemorragique inherent a l’acte therapeutique. Les modalites de cette prise en charge sont decrites dans les recommandations emises et actualisees en 2015 par la Societe Francaise de Chirurgie Orale. Afin d’evaluer la mise en application de ces recommandations, une enquete nationale a ete realisee en 2018 aupres des chirurgiens-dentistes, avec pour objectif de decrire les connaissances, les attitudes et pratiques des chirurgiens-dentistes concernant la gestion peri-operatoire des patients sous antithrombotiques en chirurgie orale en France. D’apres les resultats de cette etude, pres d’un tiers des repondants n’ont pas eu connaissance des recommandations actuelles de bonnes pratiques, elles demeurent par ailleurs insuffisamment appliquees puisque seulement 47% des praticiens ayant eu connaissance des recommandations prescrivent correctement les bilans d’hemostase avant de realiser un acte chirurgical et moins de 25% realisent les mesures d’hemostase conseillees. Il apparait donc necessaire de poursuivre la diffusion de ces recommandations afin d’ameliorer la gestion peri-operatoire des patients sous antithrombotiques et de reduire les depenses de sante.