| 1. |
- Householder, John Ethan, et al.
(författare)
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One sixth of Amazonian tree diversity is dependent on river floodplains
- 2024
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Ingår i: NATURE ECOLOGY & EVOLUTION. - 2397-334X.
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Amazonia's floodplain system is the largest and most biodiverse on Earth. Although forests are crucial to the ecological integrity of floodplains, our understanding of their species composition and how this may differ from surrounding forest types is still far too limited, particularly as changing inundation regimes begin to reshape floodplain tree communities and the critical ecosystem functions they underpin. Here we address this gap by taking a spatially explicit look at Amazonia-wide patterns of tree-species turnover and ecological specialization of the region's floodplain forests. We show that the majority of Amazonian tree species can inhabit floodplains, and about a sixth of Amazonian tree diversity is ecologically specialized on floodplains. The degree of specialization in floodplain communities is driven by regional flood patterns, with the most compositionally differentiated floodplain forests located centrally within the fluvial network and contingent on the most extraordinary flood magnitudes regionally. Our results provide a spatially explicit view of ecological specialization of floodplain forest communities and expose the need for whole-basin hydrological integrity to protect the Amazon's tree diversity and its function.
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| 2. |
- Luize, Bruno Garcia, et al.
(författare)
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Geography and ecology shape the phylogenetic composition of Amazonian tree communities
- 2024
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Ingår i: JOURNAL OF BIOGEOGRAPHY. - 0305-0270 .- 1365-2699.
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Aim: Amazonia hosts more tree species from numerous evolutionary lineages, both young and ancient, than any other biogeographic region. Previous studies have shown that tree lineages colonized multiple edaphic environments and dispersed widely across Amazonia, leading to a hypothesis, which we test, that lineages should not be strongly associated with either geographic regions or edaphic forest types. Location: Amazonia. Taxon: Angiosperms (Magnoliids; Monocots; Eudicots). Methods: Data for the abundance of 5082 tree species in 1989 plots were combined with a mega-phylogeny. We applied evolutionary ordination to assess how phylogenetic composition varies across Amazonia. We used variation partitioning and Moran's eigenvector maps (MEM) to test and quantify the separate and joint contributions of spatial and environmental variables to explain the phylogenetic composition of plots. We tested the indicator value of lineages for geographic regions and edaphic forest types and mapped associations onto the phylogeny. Results: In the terra firme and v & aacute;rzea forest types, the phylogenetic composition varies by geographic region, but the igap & oacute; and white-sand forest types retain a unique evolutionary signature regardless of region. Overall, we find that soil chemistry, climate and topography explain 24% of the variation in phylogenetic composition, with 79% of that variation being spatially structured (R-2 = 19% overall for combined spatial/environmental effects). The phylogenetic composition also shows substantial spatial patterns not related to the environmental variables we quantified (R-2 = 28%). A greater number of lineages were significant indicators of geographic regions than forest types. Main Conclusion: Numerous tree lineages, including some ancient ones (>66 Ma), show strong associations with geographic regions and edaphic forest types of Amazonia. This shows that specialization in specific edaphic environments has played a long-standing role in the evolutionary assembly of Amazonian forests. Furthermore, many lineages, even those that have dispersed across Amazonia, dominate within a specific region, likely because of phylogenetically conserved niches for environmental conditions that are prevalent within regions.
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| 3. |
- ter Steege, Hans, et al.
(författare)
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Mapping density, diversity and species-richness of the Amazon tree flora
- 2023
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Ingår i: COMMUNICATIONS BIOLOGY. - 2399-3642. ; 6:1
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Using 2.046 botanically-inventoried tree plots across the largest tropical forest on Earth, we mapped tree species-diversity and tree species-richness at 0.1-degree resolution, and investigated drivers for diversity and richness. Using only location, stratified by forest type, as predictor, our spatial model, to the best of our knowledge, provides the most accurate map of tree diversity in Amazonia to date, explaining approximately 70% of the tree diversity and species-richness. Large soil-forest combinations determine a significant percentage of the variation in tree species-richness and tree alpha-diversity in Amazonian forest-plots. We suggest that the size and fragmentation of these systems drive their large-scale diversity patterns and hence local diversity. A model not using location but cumulative water deficit, tree density, and temperature seasonality explains 47% of the tree species-richness in the terra-firme forest in Amazonia. Over large areas across Amazonia, residuals of this relationship are small and poorly spatially structured, suggesting that much of the residual variation may be local. The Guyana Shield area has consistently negative residuals, showing that this area has lower tree species-richness than expected by our models. We provide extensive plot meta-data, including tree density, tree alpha-diversity and tree species-richness results and gridded maps at 0.1-degree resolution. A study mapping the tree species richness in Amazonian forests shows that soil type exerts a strong effect on species richness, probably caused by the areas of these forest types. Cumulative water deficit, tree density and temperature seasonality affect species richness at a regional scale.
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| 4. |
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The Seventeenth Data Release of the Sloan Digital Sky Surveys : Complete Release of MaNGA, MaStar, and APOGEE-2 Data
- 2022
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Ingår i: Astrophysical Journal Supplement Series. - : Institute of Physics (IOP). - 0067-0049 .- 1538-4365. ; 259:2
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- This paper documents the seventeenth data release (DR17) from the Sloan Digital Sky Surveys; the fifth and final release from the fourth phase (SDSS-IV). DR17 contains the complete release of the Mapping Nearby Galaxies at Apache Point Observatory (MaNGA) survey, which reached its goal of surveying over 10,000 nearby galaxies. The complete release of the MaNGA Stellar Library accompanies this data, providing observations of almost 30,000 stars through the MaNGA instrument during bright time. DR17 also contains the complete release of the Apache Point Observatory Galactic Evolution Experiment 2 survey that publicly releases infrared spectra of over 650,000 stars. The main sample from the Extended Baryon Oscillation Spectroscopic Survey (eBOSS), as well as the subsurvey Time Domain Spectroscopic Survey data were fully released in DR16. New single-fiber optical spectroscopy released in DR17 is from the SPectroscipic IDentification of ERosita Survey subsurvey and the eBOSS-RM program. Along with the primary data sets, DR17 includes 25 new or updated value-added catalogs. This paper concludes the release of SDSS-IV survey data. SDSS continues into its fifth phase with observations already underway for the Milky Way Mapper, Local Volume Mapper, and Black Hole Mapper surveys.
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| 5. |
- Zamora, Juan Carlos, et al.
(författare)
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Considerations and consequences of allowing DNA sequence data as types of fungal taxa
- 2018
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Ingår i: IMA Fungus. - : INT MYCOLOGICAL ASSOC. - 2210-6340 .- 2210-6359. ; 9:1, s. 167-185
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Nomenclatural type definitions are one of the most important concepts in biological nomenclature. Being physical objects that can be re-studied by other researchers, types permanently link taxonomy (an artificial agreement to classify biological diversity) with nomenclature (an artificial agreement to name biological diversity). Two proposals to amend the International Code of Nomenclature for algae, fungi, and plants (ICN), allowing DNA sequences alone (of any region and extent) to serve as types of taxon names for voucherless fungi (mainly putative taxa from environmental DNA sequences), have been submitted to be voted on at the 11th International Mycological Congress (Puerto Rico, July 2018). We consider various genetic processes affecting the distribution of alleles among taxa and find that alleles may not consistently and uniquely represent the species within which they are contained. Should the proposals be accepted, the meaning of nomenclatural types would change in a fundamental way from physical objects as sources of data to the data themselves. Such changes are conducive to irreproducible science, the potential typification on artefactual data, and massive creation of names with low information content, ultimately causing nomenclatural instability and unnecessary work for future researchers that would stall future explorations of fungal diversity. We conclude that the acceptance of DNA sequences alone as types of names of taxa, under the terms used in the current proposals, is unnecessary and would not solve the problem of naming putative taxa known only from DNA sequences in a scientifically defensible way. As an alternative, we highlight the use of formulas for naming putative taxa (candidate taxa) that do not require any modification of the ICN.
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| 6. |
- de Oliveira, Juan Campos, et al.
(författare)
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Bacteria isolated from Aedes aegypti with potential vector control applications
- 2024
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Ingår i: Journal of Invertebrate Pathology. - : Elsevier. - 0022-2011 .- 1096-0805. ; 204
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Highly anthropophilic and adapted to urban environments, Aedes aegypti mosquitoes are the main vectors of arboviruses that cause human diseases such as dengue, zika, and chikungunya fever, especially in countries with tropical and subtropical climates. Microorganisms with mosquitocidal and larvicidal activities have been suggested as environmentally safe alternatives to chemical or mechanical mosquito control methods. Here, we analyzed cultivable bacteria isolated from all stages of the mosquito life cycle for their larvicidal activity against Ae. aegypti . A total of 424 bacterial strains isolated from eggs, larvae, pupae, or adult Ae. aegypti were analyzed for the pathogenic potential of their crude cultures against larvae of this same mosquito species. Nine strains displayed larvicidal activity comparable to the strain AM65-52, reisolated from commercial BTi-based product VectoBac (R) WG. 16S rRNA gene sequencing revealed that the set of larvicidal strains contains two representatives of the genus Bacillus , five Enterobacter , and two Stenotrophomonas . This study demonstrates that some bacteria isolated from Ae. aegypti are pathogenic for the mosquito from which they were isolated. The data are promising for developing novel bioinsecticides for the control of these medically important mosquitoes.
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| 7. |
- dos Santos Soares, Ricardo de Oliveira, et al.
(författare)
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Membrane vesiculation induced by proteins of the dengue virus envelope studied by molecular dynamics simulations
- 2017
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Ingår i: Journal of Physics. - : Institute of Physics Publishing (IOPP). - 0953-8984 .- 1361-648X. ; 29:50
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Biological membranes are continuously remodeled in the cell by specific membrane-shaping machineries to form, for example, tubes and vesicles. We examine fundamental mechanisms involved in the vesiculation processes induced by a cluster of envelope (E) and membrane (M) proteins of the dengue virus (DENV) using molecular dynamics simulations and a coarse-grained model. We show that an arrangement of three E-M heterotetramers (EM3) works as a bending unit and an ordered cluster of five such units generates a closed vesicle, reminiscent of the virus budding process. In silico mutagenesis of two charged residues of the anchor helices of the envelope proteins of DENV shows that Arg-471 and Arg-60 are fundamental to produce bending stress on the membrane. The fine-tuning between the size of the EM3 unit and its specific bending action suggests this protein unit is an important factor in determining the viral particle size.
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| 8. |
- Garcia, Juliana, et al.
(författare)
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A breakthrough on Amanita phalloides poisoning : an effective antidotal effect by polymyxin B
- 2015
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Ingår i: Archives of Toxicology. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 0340-5761 .- 1432-0738. ; 89:12, s. 2305-2323
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Amanita phalloides is responsible for more than 90 % of mushroom-related fatalities, and no effective antidote is available. alpha-Amanitin, the main toxin of A. phalloides, inhibits RNA polymerase II (RNAP II), causing hepatic and kidney failure. In silico studies included docking and molecular dynamics simulation coupled to molecular mechanics with generalized Born and surface area method energy decomposition on RNAP II. They were performed with a clinical drug that shares chemical similarities to alpha-amanitin, polymyxin B. The results show that polymyxin B potentially binds to RNAP II in the same interface of alpha-amanitin, preventing the toxin from binding to RNAP II. In vivo, the inhibition of the mRNA transcripts elicited by alpha-amanitin was efficiently reverted by polymyxin B in the kidneys. Moreover, polymyxin B significantly decreased the hepatic and renal alpha-amanitin-induced injury as seen by the histology and hepatic aminotransferases plasma data. In the survival assay, all animals exposed to alpha-amanitin died within 5 days, whereas 50 % survived up to 30 days when polymyxin B was administered 4, 8, and 12 h post-alpha-amanitin. Moreover, a single dose of polymyxin B administered concomitantly with alpha-amanitin was able to guarantee 100 % survival. Polymyxin B protects RNAP II from inactivation leading to an effective prevention of organ damage and increasing survival in alpha-amanitin-treated animals. The present use of clinically relevant concentrations of an already human-use-approved drug prompts the use of polymyxin B as an antidote for A. phalloides poisoning in humans.
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| 9. |
- Jacome, Cristina, et al.
(författare)
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Monitoring Adherence to Asthma Inhalers Using the InspirerMundi App : Analysis of Real-World, Medium-Term Feasibility Studies
- 2021
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Ingår i: Frontiers in Medical Technology. - : Frontiers Media S.A.. - 2673-3129. ; 3
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Background: Poor medication adherence is a major challenge in asthma and objective assessment of inhaler adherence is needed. InspirerMundi app aims to monitor inhaler adherence while turning it into a positive experience through gamification and social support.Objective: We assessed the medium-term feasibility of the InspirerMundi app to monitor inhaler adherence in real-world patients with persistent asthma (treated with daily inhaled medication). In addition, we attempted to identify the characteristics of the patients related to higher app use.Methods: Two real-world multicenter observational studies, with one initial face-to-face visit and a 4-month telephone interview, were conducted in 29 secondary care centers from Portugal. During an initial face-to-face visit, patients were invited to use the app daily to register their asthma medication intakes. A scheduled intake was considered taken when patients took a photo of the medication (inhaler, blister, or others) using the image-based medication detection tool. Medication adherence was calculated as the number of doses taken as a percentage of the number scheduled. Interacting with the app =30 days was used as the cut-off for higher app use.Results: A total of 114 patients {median 20 [percentile 25 to percentile 75 (P25-P75) 16-36] years, 62% adults} were invited, 107 (94%) installed the app and 83 (73%) completed the 4-month interview. Patients interacted with the app for a median of 18 [3-45] days, translated on a median use rate of 15 [3-38]%. Median inhaler adherence assessed through the app was 34 [4-73]% when considering all scheduled inhalations for the study period. Inhaler adherence assessed was not significantly correlated with self-reported estimates. Median adherence for oral and other medication was 41 [6-83]% and 43 [3-73]%, respectively. Patients with higher app use were slightly older (p = 0.012), more frequently taking medication for other health conditions (p = 0.040), and more frequently prescribed long-acting muscarinic antagonists (LAMA, p = 0.024). After 4 months, Control of Allergic Rhinitis and Asthma Test (CARAT) scores improved (p < 0.001), but no differences between patients interacting with the app for 30 days or less were seen.Conclusions: The InspirerMundi app was feasible to monitor inhaler adherence in patients with persistent asthma. The persistent use of this mHealth technology varies widely. A better understanding of characteristics related to higher app use is still needed before effectiveness studies are undertaken.
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| 10. |
- Katak, Ricardo M., et al.
(författare)
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Larvicidal Activities against Aedes aegypti of Supernatant and Pellet Fractions from Cultured Bacillus spp. Isolated from Amazonian Microenvironments
- 2021
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Ingår i: Tropical Medicine and Infectious Disease. - : MDPI. - 2414-6366. ; 6:2
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The Aedes aegypti mosquito is the primary vector of Dengue, Chikungunya and Zika causing major problems for public health, which requires new strategies for its control, like the use of entomopathogenic microorganisms. In this study, bacteria from various Amazonian environments were isolated and tested for their pathogenicity to A. aegypti larvae. Following thermal shock to select sporulated Bacillus spp., 77 bacterial strains were isolated. Molecular identification per 16S RNA sequences revealed that the assembled strains contained several species of the genus Bacillus and one species each of Brevibacillus, Klebsiella, Serratia, Achromobacter and Brevundimonas. Among the isolated Bacillus sp. strains, 19 showed larvicidal activity against A. aegypti. Two strains of Brevibacillus halotolerans also displayed larvicidal activity. For the first time, larvicidal activity against A. aegypti was identified for a strain of Brevibacillus halotolerans. Supernatant and pellet fractions of bacterial cultures were tested separately for larvicidal activities. Eight strains contained isolated fractions resulting in at least 50% mortality when tested at a concentration of 5 mg/mL. Further studies are needed to characterize the active larvicidal metabolites produced by these microorganisms and define their mechanisms of action.
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| 11. |
- Kattge, Jens, et al.
(författare)
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TRY plant trait database - enhanced coverage and open access
- 2020
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Ingår i: Global Change Biology. - : Wiley-Blackwell. - 1354-1013 .- 1365-2486. ; 26:1, s. 119-188
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Plant traits-the morphological, anatomical, physiological, biochemical and phenological characteristics of plants-determine how plants respond to environmental factors, affect other trophic levels, and influence ecosystem properties and their benefits and detriments to people. Plant trait data thus represent the basis for a vast area of research spanning from evolutionary biology, community and functional ecology, to biodiversity conservation, ecosystem and landscape management, restoration, biogeography and earth system modelling. Since its foundation in 2007, the TRY database of plant traits has grown continuously. It now provides unprecedented data coverage under an open access data policy and is the main plant trait database used by the research community worldwide. Increasingly, the TRY database also supports new frontiers of trait-based plant research, including the identification of data gaps and the subsequent mobilization or measurement of new data. To support this development, in this article we evaluate the extent of the trait data compiled in TRY and analyse emerging patterns of data coverage and representativeness. Best species coverage is achieved for categorical traits-almost complete coverage for 'plant growth form'. However, most traits relevant for ecology and vegetation modelling are characterized by continuous intraspecific variation and trait-environmental relationships. These traits have to be measured on individual plants in their respective environment. Despite unprecedented data coverage, we observe a humbling lack of completeness and representativeness of these continuous traits in many aspects. We, therefore, conclude that reducing data gaps and biases in the TRY database remains a key challenge and requires a coordinated approach to data mobilization and trait measurements. This can only be achieved in collaboration with other initiatives.
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| 12. |
- Oliveira, Pedro Almir, et al.
(författare)
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CIaaS : computational intelligence as a service with Athena
- 2018
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Ingår i: Computer languages, systems & structures. - : Elsevier Ltd. - 1477-8424 .- 1873-6866. ; 54, s. 95-118
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Computational Intelligence (CI) is a sub-branch of Artificial Intelligence (AI) that focus on studying adaptive mechanisms to enable intelligent behavior in complex environments. CI techniques have been successful in solving complex problems in many different knowledge areas. However, despite their usefulness, developing solutions based on CI techniques is not a trivial activity, since it involves the codification/adaptation of algorithms to specific context and problems. In this paper, we present and validate through a quasi-experiment a new paradigm to develop CI-based solutions using a more mature version of Athena (2.0): Computational Intelligence as a Service (CIaaS). Using this tool, both researchers and practitioners can design and evaluate CI-based solutions by dragging and dropping components in a visual environment, in a cloud-based platform. The results of the quasi-experiment suggest that our approach can help researchers to design and evaluate CI-based systems in a simple, reliable and fast way. © 2018 Elsevier Ltd
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| 13. |
- Oliveira, Pedro, et al.
(författare)
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Athena : A Visual Tool to Support the Development of Computational Intelligence Systems
- 2014
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Ingår i: Proceedings-International Conference on Tools With Artificial Intelligence. - : IEEE Communications Society. ; , s. 950-957
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Konferensbidrag (refereegranskat)abstract
- Computational Intelligence (CI) embraces techniques designed to address complex real-world problems in which traditional approaches are ineffective or infeasible. Some of these techniques are being used to solve several complex problems, such as the team allocation, building products portfolios in a software product line and test case selection/prioritization. However, despite the usefulness of these applications, the development of solutions based in CI techniques is not a trivial activity, since it involves the implementation/adaptation of algorithms to specific context and problems. This work presents Athena, a visual tool developed aiming at offering a simple approachto develop CI-based software systems. In order to do this, we proposed a drag-and-drop approach, which we called CI as a Service (CIaaS). Based on a preliminary study, we can state that Athenacan help researchers to save time during the development of computational intelligence approaches.
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| 14. |
- Proletov, Ian, et al.
(författare)
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Primary and secondary glomerulonephritides 1.
- 2014
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Ingår i: Nephrology, dialysis, transplantation : official publication of the European Dialysis and Transplant Association - European Renal Association. - : Oxford University Press (OUP). - 1460-2385. ; 29 Suppl 3:May, s. 186-200
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)
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| 15. |
- Silva, Dennis, et al.
(författare)
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A hybrid approach for test case prioritization and selection
- 2016
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Ingår i: 2016 IEEE Congress on Evolutionary Computation, CEC 2016. - : IEEE. - 9781509006229 ; , s. 4508-4515
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Konferensbidrag (refereegranskat)abstract
- Software testing consists in the dynamic verification of the behavior of a program on a set of test cases. When a program is modified, it must be tested to verify if the changes did not imply undesirable effects on its functionality. The rerunning of all test cases can be impossible, due to cost, time and resource constraints. So, it is required the creation of a test cases subset before the test execution. This is a hard problem and the use of standard Software Engineering techniques could not be suitable. This work presents an approach for test case prioritization and selection, based in relevant inputs obtained from a software development environment. The approach uses Software Quality Function Deployment (SQFD) to deploy the features relevance among the system components, Mamdani fuzzy inference systems to infer the criticality of each class and Ant Colony Optimization to select test cases. An evaluation of the approach is presented, using data from simulations with different number of tests.
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| 16. |
- Silva, Dennis Savio, et al.
(författare)
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A test case prioritization approach based on software component metrics
- 2019
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Ingår i: IEEE International Conference on Systems Man and Cybernetics Conference Proceedings. - : Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers Inc.. - 9781728145693 ; , s. 2939-2945
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Konferensbidrag (refereegranskat)abstract
- The most common way of performing regression testing is by executing all test cases associated with a software system. However, this approach is not scalable since time and cost to execute the test cases increase together with the system's size. A way to address this consists of prioritizing the existing test cases, aiming to maximize a test suite's fault detection rate. To address the limitations of existing approaches, in this paper we propose a new approach to maximize the rate of fault detection of test suites. Our proposal has three steps: I) infer code components' criticality values using a fuzzy inference system; ii) calculate test cases' criticality; iii) prioritize the test cases using ant colony optimization. The test cases are prioritized considering criticality, execution time and history of faults, and the resulting test suites are evaluated according to their fault detection rate. The evaluation was performed in eight programs, and the results show that the fault detection rate of the solutions was higher than in the non-ordered test suites and ones obtained using a greedy approach, reaching the optimal value when possible to verify. A sanity check was performed, comparing the obtained results to the results of a random search. The approach performed better at significant levels of statistic and practical difference, evidencing its true applicability to the prioritization of test cases. © 2019 IEEE.
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| 17. |
- Alves, Gustavo R., et al.
(författare)
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International Cooperation for Remote Laboratory Use
- 2018
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Ingår i: Contributions to Higher Engineering Education. - Singapore : Springer. - 9789811089176 ; , s. 1-31
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Bokkapitel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Experimenting is fundamental to the training process of all scientists and engineers. While experiments have been traditionally done inside laboratories, the emergence of Information and Communication Technologies added two alternatives accessible anytime, anywhere. These two alternatives are known as virtual and remote laboratories and are sometimes indistinguishably referred as online laboratories. Similarly to other instructional technologies, virtual and remote laboratories require some effort from teachers in integrating them into curricula, taking into consideration several factors that affect their adoption (i.e., cost) and their educational effectiveness (i.e., benefit). This chapter analyzes these two dimensions and sustains the case where only through international cooperation it is possible to serve the large number of teachers and students involved in engineering education. It presents an example in the area of electrical and electronics engineering, based on a remote laboratory named Virtual Instruments System in Reality, and it then describes how a number of European and Latin American institutions have been cooperating under the scope of an Erasmus+ project, for spreading its use in Brazil and Argentina.
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| 18. |
- Anney, Richard, et al.
(författare)
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A genome-wide scan for common alleles affecting risk for autism.
- 2010
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Ingår i: Human Molecular Genetics. - : Oxford University Press (OUP). - 0964-6906 .- 1460-2083. ; 19:20, s. 4072-4082
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Although autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) have a substantial genetic basis, most of the known genetic risk has been traced to rare variants, principally copy number variants (CNVs). To identify common risk variation, the Autism Genome Project (AGP) Consortium genotyped 1558 rigorously defined ASD families for 1 million single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and analyzed these SNP genotypes for association with ASD. In one of four primary association analyses, the association signal for marker rs4141463, located within MACROD2, crossed the genome-wide association significance threshold of P < 5 × 10(-8). When a smaller replication sample was analyzed, the risk allele at rs4141463 was again over-transmitted; yet, consistent with the winner's curse, its effect size in the replication sample was much smaller; and, for the combined samples, the association signal barely fell below the P < 5 × 10(-8) threshold. Exploratory analyses of phenotypic subtypes yielded no significant associations after correction for multiple testing. They did, however, yield strong signals within several genes, KIAA0564, PLD5, POU6F2, ST8SIA2 and TAF1C.
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| 19. |
- Baloch, Ramen Munir, et al.
(författare)
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Indoor air pollution, physical and comfort parameters related to schoolchildren's health : Data from the European SINPHONIE study
- 2020
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Ingår i: Science of the Total Environment. - : ELSEVIER. - 0048-9697 .- 1879-1026. ; 739
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Substantial knowledge is available on the association of the indoor school environment and its effect among schoolchildren. In the same context, the SINPHONIE (School indoor pollution and health: Observatory network in Europe) conducted a study to collect data and determine the distribution of several indoor air pollutants (IAPs), physical and thermal parameters and their association with eye, skin, upper-, lower respiratory and systemic disorder symptoms during the previous three months. Finally, data from 115 schools in 54 European cities from 23 countries were collected and included 5175 schoolchildren using a harmonized and standardized protocol. The association between exposures and the health outcomes were examined using logistic regression models on the environmental stressors assessed in classroom while adjusting for several confounding factors; a VOC (volatile organic compound) score defined as the sum of the number of pollutants to which the children were highly exposed (concentration > median of the distribution) in classroom was also introduced to evaluate the mul tiexposu re - outcome association. Schoolchildren while adjusting for several confounding factors. Schoolchildren exposed to above or equal median concentration of PM2.5, benzene, limonene, ozone and radon were at significantly higher odds of suffering from upper, lower airways, eye and systemic disorders. Increased odds were also observed for any symptom (sick school syndrome) among schoolchildren exposed to concentrations of limonene and ozone above median values. Furthermore, the risks for upper and lower airways and systemic disorders significantly increased with the VOCs score. Results also showed that increased ventilation rate was significantly associated with decreased odds of suffering from eye and skin disorders whereas similar association was observed between temperature and upper airways symptoms. The present study provides evidence that exposure to IAPs in schools is associated with various health problems in children. Further investigations are needed to confirm our findings. (C) 2020 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
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| 20. |
- Barbosa, Priscila Oliveira, et al.
(författare)
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The Nitrate-Nitrite-Nitric Oxide Pathway : Potential Role in Mitigating Oxidative Stress in Hypertensive Disorders of Pregnancy
- 2024
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Ingår i: Nutrients. - 2072-6643. ; 16:10
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Forskningsöversikt (refereegranskat)abstract
- Hypertensive diseases of pregnancy (HDPs) represent a global clinical challenge, affecting 5-10% of women and leading to complications for both maternal well-being and fetal development. At the heart of these complications is endothelial dysfunction, with oxidative stress emerging as a pivotal causative factor. The reduction in nitric oxide (NO) bioavailability is a vital indicator of this dysfunction, culminating in blood pressure dysregulation. In the therapeutic context, although antihypertensive medications are commonly used, they come with inherent concerns related to maternal-fetal safety, and a percentage of women do not respond to these therapies. Therefore, alternative strategies that directly address the pathophysiology of HDPs are required. This article focuses on the potential of the nitrate-nitrite-NO pathway, abundantly present in dark leafy greens and beetroot, as an alternative approach to treating HDPs. The objective of this review is to discuss the prospective antioxidant role of nitrate. We hope our discussion paves the way for using nitrate to improve endothelial dysfunction and control oxidative stress, offering a potential therapy for managing HDPs.
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| 21. |
- Beal, Jacob, et al.
(författare)
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Robust estimation of bacterial cell count from optical density
- 2020
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Ingår i: Communications Biology. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 2399-3642. ; 3:1
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Optical density (OD) is widely used to estimate the density of cells in liquid culture, but cannot be compared between instruments without a standardized calibration protocol and is challenging to relate to actual cell count. We address this with an interlaboratory study comparing three simple, low-cost, and highly accessible OD calibration protocols across 244 laboratories, applied to eight strains of constitutive GFP-expressing E. coli. Based on our results, we recommend calibrating OD to estimated cell count using serial dilution of silica microspheres, which produces highly precise calibration (95.5% of residuals <1.2-fold), is easily assessed for quality control, also assesses instrument effective linear range, and can be combined with fluorescence calibration to obtain units of Molecules of Equivalent Fluorescein (MEFL) per cell, allowing direct comparison and data fusion with flow cytometry measurements: in our study, fluorescence per cell measurements showed only a 1.07-fold mean difference between plate reader and flow cytometry data.
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| 22. |
- Britzke, Ricardo, et al.
(författare)
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Apistogramma ortegai (Teleostei: Cichlidae), a new species of cichlid fish from the Ampyiacu River in the Peruvian Amazon basin
- 2014
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Ingår i: Zootaxa. - : Magnolia Press. - 1175-5326 .- 1175-5334. ; 3869:4, s. 409-419
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Apistogramma ortegai, new species, is described from small streams tributaries of the Ampiyacu River near Pebas, in easternPeru. It belongs to the Apistogramma regani species group and is distinguished from all other species of Apistogrammaby the combination of contiguous caudal spot to bar 7, presence of abdominal stripes, short dorsal-fin lappets in both sexes,absence of vertical stripes on the caudal fin, and reduced number of predorsal and prepelvic scales.
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| 23. |
- Cava, Carlos E., et al.
(författare)
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Iron- and iron oxide-filled multi-walled carbon nanotubes : Electrical properties and memory devices
- 2007
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Ingår i: Chemical Physics Letters. - : Elsevier BV. - 0009-2614 .- 1873-4448. ; 444:4-6, s. 304-308
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Electrical and morphological properties of neat iron- and iron oxide-filled multi-walled carbon nanotubes and its dispersion with a semiconducting polymer were investigated. The electrical properties of these carbon nanotubes changed significantly when exposed to different atmospheres. The current voltage characteristics of the films formed from the dispersions were obtained from planar devices with metallic electrodes. These devices were used as gas sensor and as memory devices where the writing, reading and erasing can be done electrically.
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| 24. |
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| 25. |
- Costa, Maria A, et al.
(författare)
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Late-onset postpartum hemorrhage from placental bed subinvolution: a case report
- 2005
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Ingår i: Journal of Reproductive Medicine. - 0024-7758. ; 50:7, s. 60-557
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- BACKGROUND: Placental bed subinvolution is an underestimated cause of severe, late-onset postpartum hemorrhage. CASE: A case of placental bed subinvolution caused abnormal uterine bleeding in the late postpartum period. Because of difficulties in establishing the diagnosis, massive, intractable and life-threatening uterine hemorrhage occurred, leading to hysterectomy. CONCLUSION: Early recognition of placental bed subinvolution allows the use of treatment options capable of preserving the uterus and subsequent fertility.
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