Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Topical, immunomodulatory epoxy-tiglianes induce biofilm disruption and healing in acute and chronic skin wounds

The management of antibiotic-resistant, bacterial biofilm infections in chronic skin wounds is an increasing clinical challenge. Despite advances in diagnosis, many patients do not derive benefit from current anti-infective/antibiotic therapies. Here, we report a novel class of naturally occurring and semisynthetic epoxy-tiglianes, derived from the Queensland blushwood tree (Fontainea picrosperma), and demonstrate their antimicrobial activity (modifying bacterial growth and inducing biofilm disruption), with structure/activity relationships established against important human pathogens. In vitro, the lead candidate EBC-1013 stimulated protein kinase C (PKC)–dependent neutrophil reactive oxygen species (ROS) induction and NETosis and increased expression of wound healing–associated cytokines, chemokines, and antimicrobial peptides in keratinocytes and fibroblasts. In vivo, topical EBC-1013 induced rapid resolution of infection with increased matrix remodeling in acute thermal injuries in calves. In chronically infected diabetic mouse wounds, treatment induced cytokine/chemokine production, inflammatory cell recruitment, and complete healing (in six of seven wounds) with ordered keratinocyte differentiation. These results highlight a nonantibiotic approach involving contrasting, orthogonal mechanisms of action combining targeted biofilm disruption and innate immune induction in the treatment of chronic wounds. Description Epoxy-tiglianes represent a nonantibiotic approach to treat acute and chronic wounds through targeted biofilm disruption and innate immune induction. Understanding antibiofilm activity Bacterial biofilms pose a therapeutic challenge to managing chronic wounds and contribute to antimicrobial resistance. Here, Powell et al. investigated the structure/activity relationships of epoxy-tigliane compounds derived from the blushwood tree with respect to their role in wound healing. The compounds interacted with the cell wall of bacteria but showed variable permeabilization in Gram-negative versus Gram-positive cultures. They disrupted established biofilms by interacting with the extracellular polymeric substance matrix, activated immune cells to induce reactive oxygen species, and promoted wound healing in infected thermal injuries in calves when applied topically. In chronic wounds in diabetic mice, the semisynthetic compound EBC-1013 up-regulated host-defense peptides, altered cytokine expression, activated immune cells, and led to greater wound closure. Results help uncover the mechanism by which epoxy-tiglianes promote wound healing and support further development of EBC-1013.
The petrology of the Apollo 12 pigeonite basalt suite

A study of the petrology of the Apollo 12 pigeonite basalt samples 12011, 12043, and 12007 is presented. In this suite, the abundances of olivine and Cr-spinel decrease with increasing grain size, while the abundances of plagioclase and ilmenite increase. The petrochemical and textural variations indicate that the pigeonite basalts were derived from the olivine basalts, but the compositional gap between the olivine and pigeonite basalts indicates that they could not have crystallized together from a single, initially homogeneous magma body.
The Size-Frequency Distribution of Impact Craters in the Inner Solar System and Implications for Past and Recent Cratering Rates in the Earth-Moon System

The shape of the size-frequency distribution for small (<= 1 km diameter) primary craters could be measured on Galileo imagery of the asteroids Gaspra and Ida. The data confirm the steep (cumulativedistribution index -3 to -4) distribution for craters < 1 km diameter found on the Moon, Mars, and Mercury. A comparison of impact crater size-frequency measurements on the Moon for areas younger than 3 Ga with impact crater frequencies on terrestrial cratons (400 m.y.old) through application of the crater production size-frequency distribution (calibration curve derived from measurements for the Moon) yields a discrepancy of a factor of 1.5-2 in crater frequencies for the same substrate ages (i.e., exposure times to impacts). This discrepancy can be explained by (1) incorrect scaling of lunar vs. terrestrial impact conditions and (2) partly incorrect crater production size-frequency distribution curves applied to both to the lunar and terrestrial data. A thorough analysis of the sample of Eratosthenian and Copernican craters used to establish most of the production crater size- frequency distribution curve (calibration distribution) lends support to the conclusion that the latter is the case. In the derivation of the curve, a number of especially large craters have been included that are older than the Eratosthenian era. Adjusting the distribution curve for these cases yields a much better agreement between the lunar and terrestrial cratering rates.
The Role of Renin Angiotensin Aldosterone System in the Pathogenesis and Pathophysiology of COVID-19

The novel coronavirus also known as severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) whose origin is still having uncertainties related to the existence of an intermediate host, has created the currently ongoing pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019. (COVID-19) The binding assays of SARS-CoV-2 spike protein receptor binding domain disclosed enhanced affinity with human angiotensin II-converting enzyme receptor (hACE2) comparing to the bat ACE2 receptors. ACE2, is an essential component of the regulatory mechanism of the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system, (RAAS) and this pathway is considered to interact with the pathophysiology of COVID-19. In this chapter, we will discuss the key role of RAAS in the pathogenesis of SARS-CoV-2.
Virulence Attributes in Aspergillus fumigatus

Aspergillus fumigatus is one of the most important opportunistic fungal pathogens. It causes various types of infections in humans, from skin, lung, and allergic infections to invasive infections. However, these stand out because their mortality rate can reach up to 95%. A. fumigatus is a ubiquitous fungus and, therefore, humans are in constant contact with it without major risk, except when there is a predisposing factor on the host, that allows the fungus to penetrate and invade the tissues. It is fascinating how this fungus manages to go from harmless to pathogenic as, in addition to the predisposing factors of the human, multiple attributes of the fungus intervene that favor its growth and survival in the host. Among these virulence attributes are thermotolerance, the ability to evade the immune response, some components of the cell wall, the production of secondary metabolites, compliance with nutritional requirements, and the production of melanin, among others. Furthermore, some of these virulence attributes are interrelated, making understanding the pathogenesis of aspergillosis more complex. This chapter presents a review of some virulence attributes that are known, to date, in A. fumigatus.
MetaMax: Improved Open-Set Deep Neural Networks via Weibull Calibration: Supplementary Material

In this supplement, we provide additional experimental details on MetaMax. First, we describe the training procedure and show results that highlight the sensitivity of MetaMax to different hyperparameters. Next, we illustrate the performance differences among SoftMax, OpenMax, and MetaMax by analyzing their respective ROC curves. We also use scatter plots to illustrate the correlation between class activations and mean distances. Finally, we demonstrate the applicability of MetaMax by providing comparisons against SoftMax and OpenMax on DenseNet [2], ResNet [1], and VGGNet [5].
THE AUTOREGRESSIVE MODEL OF CLIMATOLOGICAL TIME SERIES: AN APPLICATION TO THE LONGEST TIME SERIES IN PORTUGAL

The autoregressive model is extremely useful for the representation of many geophysical time series. The present paper deals, in the first place, with the analysis of sets of meteorological observations (temperature and precipitation) made sequentially in time, from 1856 to 1994, at equidistant time intervals Δt = 1 year. The best fitting is an autoregressive model of order 45. A thorough discussion of the temperature observation time series is presented, showing two main salient features: an approximately 0ċ6°C secular trend during the past century and a definite warming in the 1980s and early 1990s. The estimated values of temperature and precipitation are compared with the observed data series.
La satisfacción con la vida en la adolescencia y su relación con la autoestima y el ajuste escolar

El objetivo de este estudio es analizar la relacion entre variables escolares (ajuste social valorado por el profesor y clima social en el aula) e indicadores de ajuste psicosocial en adolescentes (autoestima, victimizacion y satisfaccion con la vida). Participaron en el estudio 1319 adolescentes espanoles de ambos sexos, con edades comprendidas entre los 11 y los 18 anos. Se ha utilizado un modelo de ecuaciones estructurales para analizar los datos. Los resultados indican que existe una estrecha relacion entre el ajuste social del alumno valorado por el profesor, el clima social percibido por el alumno y su grado de victimizacion. Asimismo estas variables escolares se relacionan tambien con la autoestima del adolescente. En cuanto a la satisfaccion con la vida, la autoestima tiene un efecto positivo en ella y la victimizacion un efecto negativo. Estos resultados se discuten y comparan con investigaciones previas. Palabras clave: ajuste social en el aula, clima social en el aula, adolescencia, autoestima, victimizacion, satisfaccion con la vida.
Neoproterozoic-Early Cambrian (Infracambrian) hydrocarbon prospectivity of North Africa: a synthesis

Abstract Despite the existence of proven Neoproterozoic–Early Cambrian (‘Infracambrian’) hydrocarbon plays in many parts of the world, the Neoproterozoic Eon, from 1000 Ma to the base of the Cambrian at 542 Ma, is relatively poorly known from a petroleum perspective. The so-called ‘Peri-Gondwanan Margin’ is one region of the Neoproterozoic world that is exciting particular interest in the search for ‘old’ hydrocarbon plays, mainly due to exploration success in time-equivalent sequences of Oman. The ‘Infracambrian’ succession in North Africa is widely accessible, and is already emerging as a hydrocarbon exploration target with considerable potential and with proven petroleum systems in different areas. The Taoudenni Basin (Mauritania, Mali, Algeria) in western North Africa is an underexplored basin, despite the Abolag-1 well (Texaco 1974) gas discovery. New palynological data have recently provided the first definitive Late Riphean age dates for the stromatolitic limestone reservoir sequence in Abolag-1. The widespread presence of stromatolitic carbonate units of potential reservoir facies in many parts of North Africa has been confirmed by new fieldwork in the Taoudenni Basin, in the Anti-Atlas region of Morocco and in the Al Kufrah Basin of Libya. Similar biostratigraphic age constraints have also been obtained from subsurface sequences of the Cyrenaica Platform bordering the East Sirte Basin of Libya, many of which have been traditionally assigned an ‘unconstrained’ Cambro-Ordovician age on the basis of lithological characteristics. Besides the proven, producing, weathered-granite reservoir in East Sirte Basin, the hydrocarbon potential of Neoproterozoic–Early Cambrian sequences developed in structural troughs bordering the south Cyrenaica Platform is still being evalutated. Neoproterozoic–Early Cambrian organic-rich strata with hydrocarbon source rock potential are widespread along the Peri-Gondwanan Margin. Some of the black shales encountered on the West African Craton may be as old as 1000 Ma and predate the Pan-African orogenic event. The Late Ordovician–Early Silurian systems in North Africa and the Middle East may form a good analogue for post-glacial source rock depositional systems in the Neoproterozoic, where black shale deposition may also have been triggered by post-glacial sea-level rise.
Clinical Informatics in Critical Care Medicine

Continuous monitoring and treatment of patients in intensive care units generates vast amounts of data. Critical Care Medicine clinicians incorporate this continuously evolving data to make split-second, life or death decisions for management of these patients. Despite the abundance of data, it can be challenging to consider every accessible data point when making the quick decisions necessary at the point of care. Consequently, Clinical Informatics offers a natural partnership to improve the care for critically ill patients. The last two decades have seen a significant evolution in the role of Clinical Informatics in Critical Care Medicine. In this review, we will discuss how Clinical Informatics improves the care of critically ill patients by enhancing not only data collection and visualization but also bedside medical decision making. We will further discuss the evolving role of machine learning algorithms in Clinical Informatics as it pertains to Critical Care Medicine.
Dust and pollution transport on global scales: Aerosol measurements and model predictions

Vertical profiles of aerosol and gas phase species were measured on flights near Hawaii on April 9 and 10, 1999, during NASA's Pacific Exploratory Mission (PEM) Tropics B program. These measurements characterized aerosol microphysics, inferred chemistry, optical properties, and gases in several extensive dust and pollution plumes, also detected by satellites, which had 10,000-km trajectories back to sources in Asia. Size-resolved measurements indicative of aerosol sulfate, black carbon, dust, light scattering, and absorption allowed determination of their concentrations and contributions to column aerosol optical depth. A new Chemical Transport Model (CTM) that includes aerosol, meteorological fields, dynamics, gas and particle source emissions, a chemistry component (MATCH), and assimilated satellite data was used to predict aerosol and gas concentrations and the aerosol optical effects along our flight path. Flight measurements confirmed the “river-like” plume structures predicted by the CTM and showed close agreement with the predicted contributions of dust and sulfate to aerosol concentrations and optical properties for this global-scale transport path. Consistency between satellite, model and in situ assessment of aerosol optical depth was found, with noted exceptions, within ∼25%. Both observations and model results confirmed that this aerosol was being entrained into the marine boundary layer between Hawaii and California where it can be expected to modify the type and concentration of cloud condensation nuclei in ways that may alter properties of low-level clouds. These observations document the significance and complexity of long-range aerosol transport and highlight the potential of emerging CTM models to extend observational data and address related issues on global scales.
Bank‐toe processes in incised channels: the role of apparent cohesion in the entrainment of failed bank materials

Numerous processes may instigate bank retreat and the consequent collection of failed cohesive materials at the bank toe. Cohesion between the failed material and the substrate can provide additional strength to resist direct fluvial entrainment. Failed, cohesive material can act as a form of natural bank‐toe protection by consuming and diverting flow energy that may otherwise be used to further scour the basal zone of incising channels.
Exploring the synergistic pharmacological mechanism of Huoxiang Drink against irritable bowel syndrome by integrated data mining and network pharmacology

Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is the most common functional gastrointestinal disorder, characterized by abdominal pain, bloating, and changes in bowel habits. Huoxiang Drink (HD), derived from traditional Chinese medicine, has been reported to effectively treat digestive disorders caused by external cold and internal dampness. However, the pharmaceutical targets and mechanisms for HD against IBS remain unclear. Data mining, bioinformatics analysis, and network pharmacology were employed to explore the potential pharmacological mechanisms of HD against IBS. In this study, we screened 50 core targets to investigate the pharmacological mechanisms of HD against IBS. Enrichment analysis revealed that HD may participate in various signaling pathways, especially the inflammation-related tumor necrosis factor, signaling pathway and hypoxia-inducible factor signaling pathway. Molecular docking results confirmed that MOL000098 (Quercetin), MOL000006 (Luteolin), MOL005828 (Nobiletin), MOL005916 (Irisolidone), and MOL004328 (Naringenin), as key active ingredients in HD, bound to core targets (tumor protein P53, tumor necrosis factor, matrix metalloproteinases 9, and vascular endothelial growth factor-A) for topical treatment of IBS. This study suggested that HD offered a potential therapeutic strategy against IBS. Our findings may facilitate the efficient screening of active ingredients in HD and provide a theoretical basis for further validating the clinical therapeutic effects of HD on treating IBS.
Microfabrics of UHP metamorphic granites in the Dora Maira Massif, western Alps – no evidence of deformation at great depth

In the Dora Maira Massif, western Alps, essentially undeformed ultrahigh‐pressure (UHP) metamorphic granites (Brossasco granite) are embedded in, and locally grade into, granite gneisses or augengneisses and mylonites. In this study, the quartz microfabrics of the undeformed granites are compared against the augengneisses and mylonites in a representative number of samples from several locations. In the undeformed granites, the fine‐grained quartz aggregates that formed from coesite upon decompression are characterized by a foam structure and random crystallographic orientation. In the deformed granites, the quartz microstructures and the crystallographic preferred orientation (CPO) indicate deformation by dislocation creep. Most of the deformation of the granites (if not all) must have happened at a late stage during exhumation, after transformation of coesite to quartz, at greenschist facies conditions in the middle crust. The deformed granites provide no evidence of deformation during subduction, at (U)HP metamorphic conditions, and in the earlier stages of exhumation. The diameter of internally undeformed slices of continental crust subducted to and exhumed from about 100 km can exceed that of the presently exposed Brossasco granite, i.e. it can be on the kilometre scale.
Statins, commonly coprescribed drugs, and concomitant risk factors: A protective, neutral, or harmful association with common cancer types development: A 10-year multicentric retrospective lebanese study

Elevated blood levels of low-density lipoprotein cholesterol are a major cardiovascular risk factor, and cholesterol-lowering drugs are among the most prescribed drugs worldwide. Cancer is the second leading cause of death after cardiovascular diseases. The relationship between cancer development and statins intake is controversial, and there are no clear studies in Lebanon and the Middle East concerning this topic. Hence, our study aimed to search for any possible association of statin intake as well as other medications (proton pump inhibitors [PPI], metformin, Aspirin, Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme inhibitors, and fenofibrate) with lung, colorectal cancer (CRC), and bladder cancer development in the Lebanese population. A retrospective study was performed on 709 subjects divided into 2 main groups: control (no cancer ± statin intake), and cases (either lung, or colorectal, or bladder cancer ± statin intake). Collected data included the age and gender of the patient, socioeconomic status, presence of cardiovascular disease and comorbidities, cancer risk factors, and the intake type, dose, and duration of statins. Bivariate, multivariate, and binary logistic analyses were enrolled. Out of 709 participants, 63.2% were males and 75% were cancer-positive (24.1%: lung cancer, 26.7%: CRC, 24.1%: bladder cancer). The overall intake of statins was not shown to significantly affect cancer development. However, a duration-response relationship was established between Simvastatin and lung cancer (odds ratio [OR]=1.208) as well as bladder cancer (OR=1.189). No significant association was found between each statin and CRC. Although PPIs intake was associated with a possibly harmful effect on lung cancer development (OR=3.42), it revealed a protective association with CRC development (OR=0.38). Other risk factors such as smoking and age were strongly associated (harmful) with lung and bladder cancer development. Physical inactivity and a family history of CRC were each associated with a harmful effect on CRC development. A harmful association with the development of lung and bladder cancer was found with the increasing duration of intake of Simvastatin. Other drugs such as PPIs and specific risk factors were also associated negatively or positively with the development of these 3 cancers. These findings should be validated by further investigations to guide clinicians on optimal treatment options for their patients.
UIBVFEDPlus-Light: Virtual facial expression dataset with lighting

It is well-known that lighting conditions have an important influence on the automatic recognition of human expressions. Although the impact of lighting on the perception of emotions has been studied in different works, databases of facial expressions do not consider intentional lighting. In this work, a new database of facial expressions performed by virtual characters with four different lighting configurations is presented. This database, named UIBVFEDPlus-Light, is an extension of the previously published UIBVFED virtual facial expression dataset. It includes 100 characters, four lighting configurations and a software application that allows one to interactively visualize the expressions, and manage their intensity and lighting condition. Also, an experience of use is described to show how this work can raise new challenges to facial expression and emotion recognition techniques under usual lighting environments. Thus, opening new study perspectives in this area.
Reaching out to the next generation

The highlight of the Annual Meeting in San Antonio was without a doubt the Student Leadership Symposium held on Saturday, September 22. It was first event of its kind, and it was hugely successful. Through this program, supported by Chevron through the SEG Foundation, 41 student leaders from all over the world were flown to San Antonio to attend the convention, all expenses paid. To be eligible, these students had to demonstrate leadership and initiative in running their student sections. We, the members of the executive committee, had the good fortune of interacting with them during the afternoon session. It was refreshing and reassuring: The next generation is here with the right skills and the right attitude!