Bilateral transitory projection to visual areas from auditory cortex in kittens.

A transitory projection from primary and secondary auditory areas to the contralateral and ipsilateral areas 17 and 18 exists in newborn kittens. Distinct neuronal populations project to ipsilateral areas 17-18, contralateral areas 17-18 and contralateral auditory cortex; they are at different depth in layers II, III, and IV. By postnatal day 38 the auditory to visual projections have been lost, apparently by elimination of axons rather than by neuronal death. While it was previously reported that the elimination of transitory axons is responsible for focusing the origin of callosal connections to restricted portions of sensory areas it now appears that similar events play a more general role in the organization of cortico-cortical networks. Indeed, the elimination of juvenile projections is largely responsible for determining which areas will be connected in the adult.

Approximate polytope ensemble for one-class classification

In this work, a new one-class classification ensemble strategy called approximate polytope ensemble is presented. The main contribution of the paper is threefold. First, the geometrical concept of convex hull is used to define the boundary of the target class defining the problem. Expansions and contractions of this geometrical structure are introduced in order to avoid over-fitting. Second, the decision whether a point belongs to the convex hull model in high dimensional spaces is approximated by means of random projections and an ensemble decision process. Finally, a tiling strategy is proposed in order to model non-convex structures. Experimental results show that the proposed strategy is significantly better than state of the art one-class classification methods on over 200 datasets.

Monitoring the decreasing trend of testicular cancer mortality in Spain during 2005-2019 through a Bayesian approach

Purpose : To assess time trends of testicular cancer (TC) mortality in Spain for period 1985-2019 for age groups 15-74 years old through a Bayesian age-period-cohort (APC) analysis. Methods: A Bayesian age-drift model has been fitted to describe trends. Projections for 2005-2019 have been calculated by means of an autoregressive APC model. Prior precision for these parameters has been selected through evaluation of an adaptive precision parameter and 95% credible intervals (95% CRI) have been obtained for each model parameter. Results: A decrease of -2.41% (95% CRI: -3.65%; -1.13%) per year has been found for TC mortality rates in age groups 15-74 during 1985-2004, whereas mortality showed a lower annual decrease when data was restricted to age groups 15-54 (-1.18%; 95% CRI: -2.60%; -0.31%). During 2005-2019 is expected a decrease of TC mortality of 2.30% per year for men younger than 35, whereas a leveling off for TC mortality rates is expected for men older than 35. Conclusions: A Bayesian approach should be recommended to describe and project time trends for those diseases with low number of cases. Through this model it has been assessed that management of TC and advances in therapy led to decreasing trend of TC mortality during the period 1985-2004, whereas a leveling off for these trends can be considered during 2005-2019 among men older than 35.

Monitoring the decreasing trend of testicular cancer mortality in Spain during 2005-2019 through a Bayesian approach

Purpose : To assess time trends of testicular cancer (TC) mortality in Spain for period 1985-2019 for age groups 15-74 years old through a Bayesian age-period-cohort (APC) analysis. Methods: A Bayesian age-drift model has been fitted to describe trends. Projections for 2005-2019 have been calculated by means of an autoregressive APC model. Prior precision for these parameters has been selected through evaluation of an adaptive precision parameter and 95% credible intervals (95% CRI) have been obtained for each model parameter. Results: A decrease of -2.41% (95% CRI: -3.65%; -1.13%) per year has been found for TC mortality rates in age groups 15-74 during 1985-2004, whereas mortality showed a lower annual decrease when data was restricted to age groups 15-54 (-1.18%; 95% CRI: -2.60%; -0.31%). During 2005-2019 is expected a decrease of TC mortality of 2.30% per year for men younger than 35, whereas a leveling off for TC mortality rates is expected for men older than 35. Conclusions: A Bayesian approach should be recommended to describe and project time trends for those diseases with low number of cases. Through this model it has been assessed that management of TC and advances in therapy led to decreasing trend of TC mortality during the period 1985-2004, whereas a leveling off for these trends can be considered during 2005-2019 among men older than 35.

Monitoring the decreasing trend of testicular cancer mortality in Spain during 2005-2019 through a Bayesian approach

Purpose : To assess time trends of testicular cancer (TC) mortality in Spain for period 1985-2019 for age groups 15-74 years old through a Bayesian age-period-cohort (APC) analysis. Methods: A Bayesian age-drift model has been fitted to describe trends. Projections for 2005-2019 have been calculated by means of an autoregressive APC model. Prior precision for these parameters has been selected through evaluation of an adaptive precision parameter and 95% credible intervals (95% CRI) have been obtained for each model parameter. Results: A decrease of -2.41% (95% CRI: -3.65%; -1.13%) per year has been found for TC mortality rates in age groups 15-74 during 1985-2004, whereas mortality showed a lower annual decrease when data was restricted to age groups 15-54 (-1.18%; 95% CRI: -2.60%; -0.31%). During 2005-2019 is expected a decrease of TC mortality of 2.30% per year for men younger than 35, whereas a leveling off for TC mortality rates is expected for men older than 35. Conclusions: A Bayesian approach should be recommended to describe and project time trends for those diseases with low number of cases. Through this model it has been assessed that management of TC and advances in therapy led to decreasing trend of TC mortality during the period 1985-2004, whereas a leveling off for these trends can be considered during 2005-2019 among men older than 35.

Monitoring the decreasing trend of testicular cancer mortality in Spain during 2005-2019 through a Bayesian approach

Purpose : To assess time trends of testicular cancer (TC) mortality in Spain for period 1985-2019 for age groups 15-74 years old through a Bayesian age-period-cohort (APC) analysis. Methods: A Bayesian age-drift model has been fitted to describe trends. Projections for 2005-2019 have been calculated by means of an autoregressive APC model. Prior precision for these parameters has been selected through evaluation of an adaptive precision parameter and 95% credible intervals (95% CRI) have been obtained for each model parameter. Results: A decrease of -2.41% (95% CRI: -3.65%; -1.13%) per year has been found for TC mortality rates in age groups 15-74 during 1985-2004, whereas mortality showed a lower annual decrease when data was restricted to age groups 15-54 (-1.18%; 95% CRI: -2.60%; -0.31%). During 2005-2019 is expected a decrease of TC mortality of 2.30% per year for men younger than 35, whereas a leveling off for TC mortality rates is expected for men older than 35. Conclusions: A Bayesian approach should be recommended to describe and project time trends for those diseases with low number of cases. Through this model it has been assessed that management of TC and advances in therapy led to decreasing trend of TC mortality during the period 1985-2004, whereas a leveling off for these trends can be considered during 2005-2019 among men older than 35.

Spatial predictions of land-use transitions and associated threats to biodiversity: the case of forest regrowth in mountain grasslands

Question Can we predict where forest regrowth caused by abandonment of agricultural activities is likely to occur? Can we assess how it may conflict with grassland diversity hotspots? Location Western Swiss Alps (4003210m a.s.l.). Methods We used statistical models to predict the location of land abandonment by farmers that is followed by forest regrowth in semi-natural grasslands of the Western Swiss Alps. Six modelling methods (GAM, GBM, GLM, RF, MDA, MARS) allowing binomial distribution were tested on two successive transitions occurring between three time periods. Models were calibrated using data on land-use change occurring between 1979 and 1992 as response, and environmental, accessibility and socio-economic variables as predictors, and these were validated for their capacity to predict the changes observed from 1992 to 2004. Projected probabilities of land-use change from an ensemble forecast of the six models were combined with a model of plant species richness based on a field inventory, allowing identification of critical grassland areas for the preservation of biodiversity. Results Models calibrated over the first land-use transition period predicted the second transition with reasonable accuracy. Forest regrowth occurs where cultivation costs are high and yield potential is low, i.e. on steeper slopes and at higher elevations. Overlaying species richness with land-use change predictions, we identified priority areas for the management and conservation of biodiversity at intermediate elevations. Conclusions Combining land-use change and biodiversity projections, we propose applied management measures for targeted/identified locations to limit the loss of biodiversity that could otherwise occur through loss of open habitats. The same approach could be applied to other types of land-use changes occurring in other ecosystems.

Three-Dimensional (3D) Microarchitecture Correlations with 2D Projection Image Gray-Level Variations Assessed by Trabecular Bone Score Using High-Resolution Computed Tomographic Acquisitions: Effects of Resolution and Noise.

The aim of the present study is to determine the level of correlation between the 3-dimensional (3D) characteristics of trabecular bone microarchitecture, as evaluated using microcomputed tomography (μCT) reconstruction, and trabecular bone score (TBS), as evaluated using 2D projection images directly derived from 3D μCT reconstruction (TBSμCT). Moreover, we have evaluated the effects of image degradation (resolution and noise) and X-ray energy of projection on these correlations. Thirty human cadaveric vertebrae were acquired on a microscanner at an isotropic resolution of 93μm. The 3D microarchitecture parameters were obtained using MicroView (GE Healthcare, Wauwatosa, MI). The 2D projections of these 3D models were generated using the Beer-Lambert law at different X-ray energies. Degradation of image resolution was simulated (from 93 to 1488μm). Relationships between 3D microarchitecture parameters and TBSμCT at different resolutions were evaluated using linear regression analysis. Significant correlations were observed between TBSμCT and 3D microarchitecture parameters, regardless of the resolution. Correlations were detected that were strongly to intermediately positive for connectivity density (0.711≤r(2)≤0.752) and trabecular number (0.584≤r(2)≤0.648) and negative for trabecular space (-0.407 ≤r(2)≤-0.491), up to a pixel size of 1023μm. In addition, TBSμCT values were strongly correlated between each other (0.77≤r(2)≤0.96). Study results show that the correlations between TBSμCT at 93μm and 3D microarchitecture parameters are weakly impacted by the degradation of image resolution and the presence of noise.

Multimodal MRI analysis of structural and functional networks in the human brain : application to two clinical studies : driving abilities under THC intoxication and early white matter changes in FXTAS

Les approches multimodales dans l'imagerie cérébrale non invasive sont de plus en plus considérées comme un outil indispensable pour la compréhension des différents aspects de la structure et de la fonction cérébrale. Grâce aux progrès des techniques d'acquisition des images de Resonance Magnetique et aux nouveaux outils pour le traitement des données, il est désormais possible de mesurer plusieurs paramètres sensibles aux différentes caractéristiques des tissues cérébraux. Ces progrès permettent, par exemple, d'étudier les substrats anatomiques qui sont à la base des processus cognitifs ou de discerner au niveau purement structurel les phénomènes dégénératifs et développementaux. Cette thèse met en évidence l'importance de l'utilisation d'une approche multimodale pour étudier les différents aspects de la dynamique cérébrale grâce à l'application de cette approche à deux études cliniques: l'évaluation structurelle et fonctionnelle des effets aigus du cannabis fumé chez des consommateurs réguliers et occasionnels, et l'évaluation de l'intégrité de la substance grise et blanche chez des jeunes porteurs de la prémutations du gène FMR1 à risque de développer le FXTAS (Fragile-X Tremor Ataxia Syndrome). Nous avons montré que chez les fumeurs occasionnels de cannabis, même à faible concentration du principal composant psychoactif (THC) dans le sang, la performance lors d'une tâche visuo-motrice est fortement diminuée, et qu'il y a des changements dans l'activité des trois réseaux cérébraux impliqués dans les processus cognitifs: le réseau de saillance, le réseau du contrôle exécutif, et le réseau actif par défaut (Default Mode). Les sujets ne sont pas en mesure de saisir les saillances dans l'environnement et de focaliser leur attention sur la tâche. L'augmentation de la réponse hémodynamique dans le cortex cingulaire antérieur suggère une augmentation de l'activité introspective. Une investigation des ef¬fets au niveau cérébral d'une exposition prolongée au cannabis, montre des changements persistants de la substance grise dans les régions associées à la mémoire et au traitement des émotions. Le niveau d'atrophie dans ces structures corrèle avec la consommation de cannabis au cours des trois mois précédant l'étude. Dans la deuxième étude, nous démontrons des altérations structurelles des décennies avant l'apparition du syndrome FXTAS chez des sujets jeunes, asymptomatiques, et porteurs de la prémutation du gène FMR1. Les modifications trouvées peuvent être liées à deux mécanismes différents. Les altérations dans le réseau moteur du cervelet et dans la fimbria de l'hippocampe, suggèrent un effet développemental de la prémutation. Elles incluent aussi une atrophie de la substance grise du lobule VI du cervelet et l'altération des propriétés tissulaires de la substance blanche des projections afférentes correspondantes aux pédoncules cérébelleux moyens. Les lésions diffuses de la substance blanche cérébrale peu¬vent être un marquer précoce du développement de la maladie, car elles sont liées à un phénomène dégénératif qui précède l'apparition des symptômes du FXTAS. - Multimodal brain imaging is becoming a leading tool for understanding different aspects of brain structure and function. Thanks to the advances in Magnetic Resonance imaging (MRI) acquisition schemes and data processing techniques, it is now possible to measure different parameters sensitive to different tissue characteristics. This allows for example to investigate anatomical substrates underlying cognitive processing, or to disentangle, at a pure structural level degeneration and developmental processes. This thesis highlights the importance of using a multimodal approach for investigating different aspects of brain dynamics by applying this approach to two clinical studies: functional and structural assessment of the acute effects of cannabis smoking in regular and occasional users, and grey and white matter assessment in young FMR1 premutation carriers at risk of developing FXTAS. We demonstrate that in occasional smokers cannabis smoking, even at low concentration of the main psychoactive component (THC) in the blood, strongly decrease subjects' performance on a visuo-motor tracking task, and globally alters the activity of the three brain networks involved in cognitive processing: the Salience, the Control Executive, and the Default Mode networks. Subjects are unable to capture saliences in the environment and to orient attention to the task; the increase in Hemodynamic Response in the Anterior Cingulate Cortex suggests an increase in self-oriented mental activity. A further investigation on long term exposure to cannabis, shows a persistent grey matter modification in brain regions associated with memory and affective processing. The degree of atrophy in these structures also correlates with the estimation of drug use in the three months prior the participation to the study. In the second study we demonstrate structural changes in young asymptomatic premutation carriers decades before the onset of FXTAS that might be related to two different mechanisms. Alteration of the cerebellar motor network and of the hippocampal fimbria/ fornix, may reflect a potential neurodevelopmental effect of the premutation. These include grey matter atrophy in lobule VI and modification of white matter tissue property in the corresponding afferent projections through the Middle Cerebellar Peduncles. Diffuse hemispheric white matter lesions that seem to appear closer to the onset of FXTAS and be related to a neurodegenerative phenomenon may mark the imminent onset of FXTAS.

Impact des maladies rhumatismales sur la population âgée en Suisse et sa consommation de soins

Les maladies rhumatismales sont fréquemment observées chez les personnes âgées et ont un impact considérable sur la qualité de vie des personnes en souffrant. Peu d'études suisses sur la situation épidémiologique et sur l'impact de ce type de maladies sur la consommation des services de santé existent. Cette thèse a pour but d'étudier les connaissances actuelles à partir de la littérature suisse et étrangère et d'établir un bilan en Suisse au moyen d'une enquête de population effectuée en 1997. Une revue systématique de littérature a été effectuée. En dépit d'une grande variété des approches méthodologiques rendant délicates les comparaisons géographiques et temporelles, la prévalence des maladies rhumatismales chez les personnes de 65 ans et plus semble être homogène entre pays et stable temporellement. particulièrement dès 1980. Celle-ci est élevée et augmente rapidement avec le très grand âge. De plus, les femmes sont plus fréquemment atteintes que les hommes. Notre revue montre que le recours aux soins ambulatoires (médecins, chiropraticiens, traitements ambulatoires des hôpitaux) lié aux maladies rhumatismales est important. L'impact de ces maladies sur les hospitalisations est, par contre, moins clairement établi. Les nouvelles générations de personnes en souffrant semblent avoir plus recours aux services de santé que les précédentes. Ces maladies sont aussi à l'origine d'une forte consommation d'anti-inflammatoires non-stéroïdiens avec comme conséquence une multitude de complications. En dépit de son efficacité et de son utilité, le recours à l'arthroplastie est sous- utilisé. Notre analyse se base sur une enquête réalisée auprès d'un échantillon représentatif des individus âgés de 15 ans et plus résidant de manière permanente en Suisse en 1997 : la prévalence des maladies rhumatismales en Suisse s'élève à 41 % chez les personnes âgées de 65 ans et plus, dont 48 % chez les femmes et 31 % chez les hommes. Ces prévalences sont inférieures à celles relevées dans la littérature probablement en raison de notre définition relativement restrictive des maladies rhumatismales. Ces dernières augmentent de 50 % le nombre attendu de consultations chez un médecin ou un chiropraticien et de 30 % le nombre attendu d'hospitalisations. Les personnes souffrantes ont. en outre, une probabilité de recours aux services de Soins à domicile 1,7 fois plus élevé que les autres. Aucun impact sur le nombre de traitements ambulatoires en milieu hospitalier n'a été trouvé. Nos résultats sont comparables à ceux relevés dans la littérature internationale et suisse, sauf pour les traitements ambulatoires des hôpitaux. En 1990, sur les 983'400 personnes de 65 ans et plus (recensement fédéral de la population de 1990), 403'200 personnes souffraient de maladies rhumatismales. Quelque 5'334'900 consultations chez un médecin ou un chiropraticien, 4'959'300 consultations chez un médecin et 216'800 hospitalisations étaient imputables aux personnes de 65 ans et plus toutes causes de consultations confondues, dont 1'008'000 consultations chez un médecin/chiropraticien, 927'300 chez un médecin et 98'500 hospitalisations imputables aux maladies rhumatismales. Selon ie scénario (( tendance )) des projections démographiques publiées par l'Office Fédéral de la Statistique. d'ici 2040, le nombre de personnes souffrant de maladies rhumatismales en Suisse risque d'augmenter de 80 % (en supposant que la prévalence reste stable), affectant 726'500 sur 1'772'000 personnes de 65 ans et plus. Cette augmentation est la conséquence de l'accroissement prévu de la population de 65 ans et plus dans la population générale. Le nombre global de consultatiordhospitalisations risque d'augmenter dans les mêmes proportions si le recours aux services de santé reste stable. En effet. en 2040, quelque 9'613'100 consultations chez un médecinichiropraticien, 8'936'200 consultations chez un médecin et 390'700 hospitalisations pourraient être imputables aux personnes de 65 ans et plus. dont 1'8 16'300 consultations chez un médecin/chiropraticien, 1'67 1'000 consultations chez un médecin et 1 90'600 hospitalisations en raison de maladies rhumatismales. Une légère diminution du nombre de personnes atteintes de maladies rhumatismales. ainsi que du recours aux services de santé engendré par ces maladies. est attendue dès 3040. Le nombre de personnes souffrant de maladies rhumatismales et le nombre de consultations/ hospitalisations associées risquant d'augmenter de façon considérable, il est nécessaire de freiner cette progression. Des mesures préventives primaires, secondaires ou tertiaires peuvent diminuer la prévalence des maladies rhumatismales et l'impact de celles-ci sur la consommation des services de santé.<br/><br/>Rheumatic diseases are frequently observed in elderly people and have an important impact on tlieir life qurlity. There are fe1.v Swiss stuciies on the epiciemio!ogica! situttien and on the impact of such diseases on the use of health services. This thesis aims at studying the current knowledge based on Swiss and international literature and at establishing the situation in Switzerland from a population survey conducted in 1997. A systeinatic literature review lias been carried out. Despite a large range of methods making a comparisoii diffcult, the prevalence of rheumatic diseases seems to be homogeneous in different countries and stable. especially since 1980. It is high and increases rapidly with age. Furthermore, \niorneil suffer more frequently thaii men. Our review shows that the use of ambulatory care linked to rheumatic diseases is important. On the contrary, the impact of such diseases on hospitalization is less clearly established. New generations seem to consult more. Rheumatic diseases are also at the origin of a strong consumptioii of non-steroidal anti- inflammatory drugs \vitIl potential severe consequences. Despite its effectiveness and efficiency, arthroplasty is underused. Our analysis is based 011 a survey of Swiss permanent residents aged 15 or more in 1997. Based on Our analysis, the prevalence of rheumatic diseases in Switzerland is 41 % for elderly people (48 96 for women and 31 % for men). Theses prevalences are smaller than those found in the literature because of our relatively strict definition of rheumatic diseases. The latter diseases increase of about 50 o/o the expected number of consultations (chiropractor included or not) and of about 30 960 the expected number of hospitalizations. The affected persons have a probability of home care use 1.7 times higlier than the others. No impact on the number of outpatient care provided by hospitals has been found. Our results are comparable to those found in the international and Swiss literature, except for hospital outpatient care. In 1990, of 983,400 perçons aged 65 and older, 403,200 persons suffered from rheumatic diseases. 5,334,900 consultations by a physician or a chiropractor, 4,959,300 consultations by a physician and 2 16,800 hospitalizations were attributed to the elderly whatever, the reason of consultation, of which 1,008,000 consultations by a physicianlchiropractor, 927,300 by a physician, and 98,500 hospitalizations are due to rheumatic diseases. According to the "tendance" scenario of demographic projections published by the Swiss Federal Office of Statistics, until 2040 the number of persons suffering from rheumatic diseases will increase of 80 % if the prevalence stays stable, affecting 736,500 of 1,772,000 perçons of 65 and older. This increase is due to the increase of the percentage of persons 65 and older in the population. The global number of consultationshospitalizations will increase similarly if the use of health services stays stable. In 2040, 9,613,l 00 consultations by a physiciaidchiropractor, 8,936,200 Consultations by a physician and 390,700 hospitalizations could be attributed to the persons aged 65 and older, of which 1,816,300 consultations by a physician, 1,671,000 consultations by a physician/chiropractor and 109,600 hospitalizations will be due to the rheumatic diseases. However a small decrease of the number of affected perçons and of the subsequent use of health services is expected after 2040. The number of affected elderly people and the volume of conçultations/hospitalizations are expected to increase and it ir necessx-y to slow down this progression. Preventive interventions, primary, secondary or tertiary, can decrease the prevalence of rheumatic diseases and the impaci on the consumption of health services.

European cancer mortality predictions for the year 2015 : does lung cancer have the highest death rate in EU women?

BACKGROUND: Cancer mortality statistics for 2015 were projected from the most recent available data for the European Union (EU) and its six more populous countries. Prostate cancer was analysed in detail. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Population and death certification data from stomach, colorectum, pancreas, lung, breast, uterus, prostate, leukaemias and total cancers were obtained from the World Health Organisation database and Eurostat. Figures were derived for the EU, France, Germany, Italy, Poland, Spain and the UK. Projected 2015 numbers of deaths by age group were obtained by linear regression on estimated numbers of deaths over the most recent time period identified by a joinpoint regression model. RESULTS: A total of 1 359 100 cancer deaths are predicted in the EU in 2015 (766 200 men and 592 900 women), corresponding to standardised death rates of 138.4/100 000 men and 83.9/100 000 women, falling 7.5% and 6%, respectively, since 2009. In men, predicted rates for the three major cancers (lung, colorectum and prostate) are lower than in 2009, falling 9%, 5% and 12%. Prostate cancer showed predicted falls of 14%, 17% and 9% in the 35-64, 65-74 and 75+ age groups. In women, breast and colorectal cancers had favourable trends (-10% and -8%), but predicted lung cancer rates rise 9% to 14.24/100 000 becoming the cancer with the highest rate, reaching and possibly overtaking breast cancer rates-though the total number of deaths remain higher for breast (90 800) than lung (87 500). Pancreatic cancer has a negative outlook in both sexes, rising 4% in men and 5% in women between 2009 and 2015. CONCLUSIONS: Cancer mortality predictions for 2015 confirm the overall favourable cancer mortality trend in the EU, translating to an overall 26% fall in men since its peak in 1988, and 21% in women, and the avoidance of over 325 000 deaths in 2015 compared with the peak rate.

Automatic target validation based on neuroscientific literature mining for tractography.

Target identification for tractography studies requires solid anatomical knowledge validated by an extensive literature review across species for each seed structure to be studied. Manual literature review to identify targets for a given seed region is tedious and potentially subjective. Therefore, complementary approaches would be useful. We propose to use text-mining models to automatically suggest potential targets from the neuroscientific literature, full-text articles and abstracts, so that they can be used for anatomical connection studies and more specifically for tractography. We applied text-mining models to three structures: two well-studied structures, since validated deep brain stimulation targets, the internal globus pallidus and the subthalamic nucleus and, the nucleus accumbens, an exploratory target for treating psychiatric disorders. We performed a systematic review of the literature to document the projections of the three selected structures and compared it with the targets proposed by text-mining models, both in rat and primate (including human). We ran probabilistic tractography on the nucleus accumbens and compared the output with the results of the text-mining models and literature review. Overall, text-mining the literature could find three times as many targets as two man-weeks of curation could. The overall efficiency of the text-mining against literature review in our study was 98% recall (at 36% precision), meaning that over all the targets for the three selected seeds, only one target has been missed by text-mining. We demonstrate that connectivity for a structure of interest can be extracted from a very large amount of publications and abstracts. We believe this tool will be useful in helping the neuroscience community to facilitate connectivity studies of particular brain regions. The text mining tools used for the study are part of the HBP Neuroinformatics Platform, publicly available at http://connectivity-brainer.rhcloud.com/.

Ultrastructural study of spermiogenesis and the spermatozoon of the proteocephalidean cestode Barsonella lafoni de Chambrier et al., 2009, a parasite of the catfish Clarias gariepinus (Burchell, 1822) (Siluriformes, Clariidae)

Spermiogenesis in the proteocephalidean cestode Barsonella lafoni de Chambrier et al., 2009 shows typical characteristics of the type I spermiogenesis. These include the formation of distal cytoplasmic protrusions forming the differentiation zones, lined by cortical microtubules and containing two centrioles. An electron-dense material is present in the apical region of the differentiation zone during the early stages of spermiogenesis. Each centriole is associated to a striated rootlet, being separated by an intercentriolar body. Two free and unequal flagella originate from the centrioles and develop on the lateral sides of the differentiation zone. A median cytoplasmic process is formed between the flagella. Later these flagella rotate, become parallel to the median cytoplasmic process and finally fuse proximodistally with the latter. It is interesting to note that both flagellar growth and rotation are asynchronous. Later, the nucleus enlarges and penetrates into the spermatid body. Finally, the ring of arching membranes is strangled and the young spermatozoon is detached from the residual cytoplasm. The mature spermatozoon presents two axonemes of the 9 +"1" trepaxonematan pattern, crested body, parallel nucleus and cortical microtubules, and glycogen granules. Thus, it corresponds to the type II spermatozoon, described in almost all Proteocephalidea. The anterior extremity of the gamete is characterized by the presence of an apical cone surrounded by the lateral projections of the crested body. An arc formed by some thick and parallel cortical microtubules appears at the level of the centriole. They surround the centriole and later the first axoneme. This arc of electron-dense microtubules disorganizes when the second axoneme appears, and then two parallel rows of thin cortical microtubules are observed. The posterior extremity of the male gamete exhibits some cortical microtubules. This type of posterior extremity has never been described in proteocephalidean cestodes. The ultrastructural features of the spermatozoon/spermiogenesis of the Proteocephalidea species are analyzed and compared.

Ultrastructural study of spermiogenesis and the spermatozoon of the proteocephalidean cestode Barsonella lafoni de Chambrier et al., 2009, a parasite of the catfish Clarias gariepinus (Burchell, 1822) (Siluriformes, Clariidae)

Spermiogenesis in the proteocephalidean cestode Barsonella lafoni de Chambrier et al., 2009 shows typical characteristics of the type I spermiogenesis. These include the formation of distal cytoplasmic protrusions forming the differentiation zones, lined by cortical microtubules and containing two centrioles. An electron-dense material is present in the apical region of the differentiation zone during the early stages of spermiogenesis. Each centriole is associated to a striated rootlet, being separated by an intercentriolar body. Two free and unequal flagella originate from the centrioles and develop on the lateral sides of the differentiation zone. A median cytoplasmic process is formed between the flagella. Later these flagella rotate, become parallel to the median cytoplasmic process and finally fuse proximodistally with the latter. It is interesting to note that both flagellar growth and rotation are asynchronous. Later, the nucleus enlarges and penetrates into the spermatid body. Finally, the ring of arching membranes is strangled and the young spermatozoon is detached from the residual cytoplasm. The mature spermatozoon presents two axonemes of the 9 +"1" trepaxonematan pattern, crested body, parallel nucleus and cortical microtubules, and glycogen granules. Thus, it corresponds to the type II spermatozoon, described in almost all Proteocephalidea. The anterior extremity of the gamete is characterized by the presence of an apical cone surrounded by the lateral projections of the crested body. An arc formed by some thick and parallel cortical microtubules appears at the level of the centriole. They surround the centriole and later the first axoneme. This arc of electron-dense microtubules disorganizes when the second axoneme appears, and then two parallel rows of thin cortical microtubules are observed. The posterior extremity of the male gamete exhibits some cortical microtubules. This type of posterior extremity has never been described in proteocephalidean cestodes. The ultrastructural features of the spermatozoon/spermiogenesis of the Proteocephalidea species are analyzed and compared.

Impact of model complexity on cross-temporal transferability in Maxent species distribution models: An assessment using paleobotanical data

Maximum entropy modeling (Maxent) is a widely used algorithm for predicting species distributions across space and time. Properly assessing the uncertainty in such predictions is non-trivial and requires validation with independent datasets. Notably, model complexity (number of model parameters) remains a major concern in relation to overfitting and, hence, transferability of Maxent models. An emerging approach is to validate the cross-temporal transferability of model predictions using paleoecological data. In this study, we assess the effect of model complexity on the performance of Maxent projections across time using two European plant species (Alnus giutinosa (L.) Gaertn. and Corylus avellana L) with an extensive late Quaternary fossil record in Spain as a study case. We fit 110 models with different levels of complexity under present time and tested model performance using AUC (area under the receiver operating characteristic curve) and AlCc (corrected Akaike Information Criterion) through the standard procedure of randomly partitioning current occurrence data. We then compared these results to an independent validation by projecting the models to mid-Holocene (6000 years before present) climatic conditions in Spain to assess their ability to predict fossil pollen presence-absence and abundance. We find that calibrating Maxent models with default settings result in the generation of overly complex models. While model performance increased with model complexity when predicting current distributions, it was higher with intermediate complexity when predicting mid-Holocene distributions. Hence, models of intermediate complexity resulted in the best trade-off to predict species distributions across time. Reliable temporal model transferability is especially relevant for forecasting species distributions under future climate change. Consequently, species-specific model tuning should be used to find the best modeling settings to control for complexity, notably with paleoecological data to independently validate model projections. For cross-temporal projections of species distributions for which paleoecological data is not available, models of intermediate complexity should be selected.