Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Preference of a native beetle for “exoticism,” characteristics that contribute to invasive success of Costelytra zealandica (Scarabaeidae: Melolonthinae)

Widespread replacement of native ecosystems by productive land sometimes results in the outbreak of a native species. In New Zealand, the introduction of exotic pastoral plants has resulted in diet alteration of the native coleopteran species, Costelytra zealandica (White) (Scarabaeidae) such that this insect has reached the status of pest. In contrast, C. brunneum (Broun), a congeneric species, has not developed such a relationship with these ‘novel’ host plants. This study investigated the feeding preferences and fitness performance of these two closely related scarab beetles to increase fundamental knowledge about the mechanisms responsible for the development of invasive characteristics in native insects. To this end, the feeding preference of third instar larvae of both Costelytra species was investigated using an olfactometer device, and the survival and larval growth of the invasive species C. zealandica were compared on native and exotic host plants. Costelytra zealandica, when sampled from exotic pastures, was unable to fully utilise its ancestral native host and showed higher feeding preference and performance on exotic plants. In contrast, C. zealandica sampled from native grasslands did not perform significantly better on either host and showed similar feeding preferences to C. brunneum, which exhibited no feeding preference. This study suggests the possibility of strong intraspecific variation in the ability of C. zealandica to exploit native or exotic plants, supporting the hypothesis that such ability underpins the existence of distinct host-races in this species.
Nucleation of Polypropylene Crystallization with Gold Nanoparticles. Part 2: Relation between Particle Morphology and Nucleation Activity

ABSTRACT The influence of gold nanoparticle morphology on nucleation of isotactic polypropylene (PP) crystallization was investigated. Previous experiments indicated certain nucleation activity of gold nanoparticles, varying with their size. In this work, eight types of gold micro/nanoparticles were used: vacuum-sputtered nanostructures (nanoparticles, nanoislands, and nanolayers), chemically prepared isometric gold nanocrystals (5, 20, and 100 nm diameters), and two types of gold microcrystals with well-developed crystal facets [with (100) and (111) facets, respectively]. To minimize the effect of particle agglomeration, we used our recently introduced sandwich method, in which the nucleating agent was deposited between thin PP films and the nucleation was evaluated by polarized light microscopy (PLM), X-ray scattering (WAXS), and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). The nucleation activity of Au particles in PP was lower than it might be expected from the previous studies and depended on their morphology. The nucleation activity of Au microcrystals with well-developed facets was higher than the activity of non-faceted Au nanocrystals.
SLiM 2: Flexible, Interactive Forward Genetic Simulations

Modern population genomic datasets hold immense promise for revealing the evolutionary processes operating in natural populations, but a crucial prerequisite for this goal is the ability to model realistic evolutionary scenarios and predict their expected patterns in genomic data. To that end, we present SLiM 2: an evolutionary simulation framework that combines a powerful, fast engine for forward population genetic simulations with the capability of modeling a wide variety of complex evolutionary scenarios. SLiM achieves this flexibility through scriptability, which provides control over most aspects of the simulated evolutionary scenarios with a simple R-like scripting language called Eidos. An example SLiM simulation is presented to illustrate the power of this approach. SLiM 2 also includes a graphical user interface for simulation construction, interactive runtime control, and dynamic visualization of simulation output, facilitating easy and fast model development with quick prototyping and visual debugging. We conclude with a performance comparison between SLiM and two other popular forward genetic simulation packages.
Recurrent administration of the nitric oxide donor, isosorbide dinitrate, induces a persistent cephalic cutaneous hypersensitivity: A model for migraine progression

Background A subgroup of migraineurs experience an increase in attack frequency leading to chronic migraine. Methods We assessed in rats the roles of dose and repeat administration of systemic isosorbide dinitrate (ISDN), a nitric oxide donor, on the occurrence and development of cephalic/face and extracephalic/hindpaw mechanical allodynia as a surrogate of migraine pain, and the effect of acute systemic sumatriptan and olcegepant and chronic systemic propranolol on these behavioral changes. Results A single high (H-ISDN) but not low (L-ISDN) dose of ISDN induces a reversible cephalic and extracephalic mechanical allodynia. However, with repeat administration, L-ISDN produces reversible cephalic but never extracephalic allodynia, whereas H-ISDN induces cephalic and extracephalic allodynia that are both potentiated. H-ISDN-induced cephalic allodynia thus gains persistency. Sumatriptan and olcegepant block single H-ISDN-induced behavioral changes, but only olcegepant reduces these acute changes when potentiated by repeat administration. Neither sumatriptan nor olcegepant prevent chronic cephalic hypersensitivity. Conversely, propranolol blocks repeat H-ISDN-induced chronic, but not acute, behavioral changes. Conclusions Repeated ISDN administration appears to be a naturalistic rat model for migraine progression, suitable for screening acute and preventive migraine therapies. It suggests frequent and severe migraine attacks associated with allodynia may be a risk factor for disease progression.
Cardio-respiratory and metabolic responses to different levels of compression during submaximal exercise

Objective The effects of knee-high socks that applied different levels of compression (0, 10, 20, 30 and 40 mmHg) on various cardio-respiratory and metabolic parameters during submaximal running were analysed. Methods Fifteen well-trained, male endurance athletes (age: 22.2 ± 1.3 years; peak oxygen uptake: 57.2 ± 4.0 mL/minute/kg) performed a ramp test to determine peak oxygen uptake. Thereafter, all athletes carried out five periods of submaximal running (at approximately 70% of peak oxygen uptake) with and without compression socks that applied the different levels of pressure. Cardiac output and index, stroke volume, arterio-venous difference in oxygen saturation, oxygen uptake, arterial oxygen saturation, heart rate and blood lactate were monitored before and during all of these tests. Results Cardiac output (P = 0.29) and index (P = 0.27), stroke volume (P = 0.50), arterio-venous difference in oxygen saturation (P = 0.11), oxygen uptake (P = 1.00), arterial oxygen saturation (P = 1.00), heart rate (P = 1.00) and arterial lactate concentration (P = 1.00) were unaffected by compression (effect sizes = 0.00–0.65). Conclusion This first evaluation of the potential effects of increasing levels of compression on cardio-respiratory and metabolic parameters during submaximal exercise revealed no effects whatsoever.
Langerhans cell histiocytosis (eosinophilic granuloma) of the skull mimicking nummular headache. Report of two cases

Background Nummular headache is a rare, recently described topographic headache defined by the circumscribed coin-shaped area of pain. It is classified as a primary headache. There is debate about whether it is due to a peripheral or central disturbance, and its relationship to migraine. Case reports We report two patients with presumed nummular headache secondary to Langerhans cell histiocytosis, both with resolution of their headaches after surgical resection. Conclusion Imaging in patients with clinical features of nummular headache is recommended, as this and other cases highlight that it may be symptomatic. There are no distinguishing clinical features to separate nummular headache from secondary mimics, and treatment of the underlying cause may be curative.
Ex vivo stimulation of murine dendritic cells by an exopolysaccharide from one of the anamorph of Cordyceps sinensis

Dendritic cells (DCs) play an important role in initiating antitumour immune response. Tumour progression usually induces defects in DC maturation and thus tumour‐bearing hosts exhibit immunosuppression and tumour escape. The previous studies showed that an exopolysaccharide (EPS) from a fungus, one anamorph of Cordyceps sinensis, inhibited tumour growth via activating immune response in the hosts. In view of the crucial actions of DCs in antitumour immunity, the present study aims to explore the effects of EPS on murine DCs. Murine DCs were derived from the bone marrow of C57BL/6 mice, and the effects of EPS on phenotype molecules and ingestion function of DCs were assayed using flow cytometry. Cytokine expressions of DCs were assayed by reverse transcriptase–PCR. Additionally, the level of phosphorylated signal transducers and activators of transcription 3 (p‐STAT3) of DCs was evaluated using Western blotting. The results showed that EPS promoted the levels of surface molecules MHC II, CD40, CD80 and CD86 of DCs and decreased their ingestion ability. The mRNA expressions of cytokines (IL‐12p40 and TNF‐α) and inducible nitric oxide synthase were up‐regulated by EPS. We also found that EPS significantly down‐regulated p‐STAT3 level of DCs. The results suggested that the promotion of DC's maturation and activation by EPS is probably related to the inhibition of STAT3 phosphorylation. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Rolling guidance normal filter for geometric processing

3D geometric features constitute rich details of polygonal meshes. Their analysis and editing can lead to vivid appearance of shapes and better understanding of the underlying geometry for shape processing and analysis. Traditional mesh smoothing techniques mainly focus on noise filtering and they cannot distinguish different scales of features well, even mixing them up. We present an efficient method to process different scale geometric features based on a novel rolling-guidance normal filter. Given a 3D mesh, our method iteratively applies a joint bilateral filter to face normals at a specified scale, which empirically smooths small-scale geometric features while preserving large-scale features. Our method recovers the mesh from the filtered face normals by a modified Poisson-based gradient deformation that yields better surface quality than existing methods. We demonstrate the effectiveness and superiority of our method on a series of geometry processing tasks, including geometry texture removal and enhancement, coating transfer, mesh segmentation and level-of-detail meshing.
Differentiation between Solitary Cerebral Metastasis and Astrocytoma on the Basis of Subventricular Zone Involvement on Magnetic Resonance Imaging

Purpose To determine the relationship between the subventricular zone (SVZ) and astrocytoma based on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and whether SVZ involvement can be used to distinguish solitary cerebral metastases (SCMs) from astrocytomas. Methods This retrospective study involved 154 patients with solitary low-grade astrocytoma (LGA), high-grade astrocytoma (HGA), and SCM, who underwent T1-weighted imaging (T1WI), Gd-DTPA–enhanced T1WI, and T2-weighted imaging (T2WI) or fluid-attenuated inversion recovery (FLAIR) T2WI. The spatial relationship between the tumor and SVZ was classified as “involvement” or “segregation” on contrast-enhanced T1WI for enhanced tumors and T2WI/FLAIR T2WI for non-enhanced tumors. Patient-based SVZ-contact rates were compared between the LGA, HGA, and SCM groups. The frequencies of involvement of various lateral ventricle regions by astrocytoma were compared. The correlation between SVZ involvement and tumor necrosis was analyzed. Results Patient-based SVZ-contact rates in SCM, LGA, and HGA were 24.1%, 68.8%, and 85.4%, respectively. Univariate analysis showed that the SVZ-contact rate was significantly different between SCM and astrocytoma (24.1% vs. 75.2% P < 0.001), also between LGA and HGA (68.1% vs. 85.4% P=0.037). After the tumor volume was adjusted as a covariate, SVZ-contact rates still differed between SCMs and astrocytomas (Odds ratio [OR]: 4.58, 95% Confidence interval [CI]: 1.65 to 12.8, P=0.004). Tumor volume differed between LGA and HGA (P< 0.001), and influenced the association between SVZ involvement and astrocytoma grade (P = 0.05). Among the lateral ventricle regions, the frontal horn was the most frequently involved by astrocytomas. SVZ-contact rates were higher in necrosis group compared with non-necrosis groups (83.9% vs. 50.0%, P < 0.001) among astrocytoma patients. Necrosis positively correlated with SVZ involvement in astrocytomas (rs = 0.342, P < 0.001), but did not correlate with SVZ involvement in SCMs (P = 0.193). Conclusions Compared to SCMs, solitary cerebral astrocytomas exhibited spatial proximity to the SVZ, which might distinguish the supratentorial astrocytomas from SCMs.
Treatment Outcomes Based on Patients’ Self‐Reported Measures after Receiving New Clasp or Precision Attachment‐Retained Removable Partial Dentures

PURPOSE To evaluate effects of a treatment taking into consideration esthetics, chewing, and oral health-related quality of life (OHRQoL) of two tooth replacement strategies for maxillary partially edentulous patients with clasp (C-RPD) and precision attachment (PA-RPD) retained removable partial dentures (RPD). MATERIALS AND METHODS The study included 150 patients (72 men, 78 women) who received maxillary RPDs; 88 patients received clasp and 62 patients received precision attachment retained RPDs. Patients completed three questionnaires before treatment and again 3 months after treatment: the Orofacial Esthetic Scale (OES), the Oral Health Impact Profile (OHIP-14), and the Chewing Function Questionnaire (CFQ). Statistical analysis comprised descriptive statistics, paired t-test, and two-factor ANOVA. RESULTS Both RPD treatments yielded better after-treatment summary scores when compared with the baseline scores (p < 0.01); however, better results were obtained in the PA-RPD group. Gender, as a single factor, did not yield significant effects; mutual interaction of retention type and gender yielded significant effects. The PA-RPD female group assessed esthetics, chewing function, and OHRQoL significantly better than males, and significantly worse than males in the C-RPD group. The covariate baseline scores yielded statistically significant effects; patients with worse pretreatment condition benefited more from both therapies. CONCLUSIONS Treatment outcomes were better in the PA-RPD group than the C-RPDs. Women showed greater concern for the treatment outcomes; their rates were significantly better than in male patients in the PA-RPD group; however, when their satisfaction was lower, their rates were significantly worse than in male patients (in the C-RPD group).
Erosion Wear Behavior of Polymer Composites: A Review

The solid particle erosion behavior of polymer composites has been reviewed. Attention is paid to the effects of testing variables (e.g., erodent type, impact angle, impact velocity) on the erosion wear rate. The occurring failure mechanisms are discussed. Various predictions and models proposed by different investigators to describe the erosion rate (ER) are listed. Implementation of design of experiments (DOE) and statistical techniques in analyzing the erosion behavior of composites is reviewed. Recent findings on erosion response of multi-component hybrid composites are also presented. Recommendations are given to solve some open questions related to hybrid polymer composites.
Fast Spectral Ranking for Similarity Search

Despite the success of deep learning on representing images for particular object retrieval, recent studies show that the learned representations still lie on manifolds in a high dimensional space. This makes the Euclidean nearest neighbor search biased for this task. Exploring the manifolds online remains expensive even if a nearest neighbor graph has been computed offline. This work introduces an explicit embedding reducing manifold search to Euclidean search followed by dot product similarity search. This is equivalent to linear graph filtering of a sparse signal in the frequency domain. To speed up online search, we compute an approximate Fourier basis of the graph offline. We improve the state of art on particular object retrieval datasets including the challenging Instre dataset containing small objects. At a scale of 105 images, the offline cost is only a few hours, while query time is comparable to standard similarity search.
Hydraulic conductivity of a dense prehydrated GCL. Impact of free swell and swelling pressure

Exposure to liquids with high electrolyte concentrations or high cation valence present in landfill leachates can cause significant increases in hydraulic conductivity of clays due to a reduction in the thickness of the double layer. Methods to prevent compression of the interlayer are: prehydration of the bentonite, compression with increasing the solids content and addition of polymers. The aim of this study is to evaluate the performance of a dense prehydrated GCL (DPH GCL) compressed during manufacturing and pre-hydrated with a polymeric solution. A series of hydraulic conductivity tests with deionised water, sea water and a 0.01 M CaCl 2 solution were performed on single sheet and overlapped DPH GCL samples. Free swell and swelling pressure tests have also been performed with this solutions and with a series of KCI and CaCl 2 solutions with a concentration varying from 0.001 M to 1 M. The overlapped samples were analysed in large scale laboratory permeameters at different effective stresses. In addition, swelling pressure tests on single sheet samples were conducted to analyse the swelling behaviour of the factory prehydrated GCL. The concomitant effect of prehydration, addition of polymeric compounds and densification increased the hydraulic performance of GCLs under aggressive conditions. The use of bentonite paste to seal the overlap in presence of seawater was shown to be crucial. The swelling pressure test may be proposed as an alternative to the swell index test to characterize the swelling behaviour of polymer prehydrated GCLs.
Neonatal EEG/Sleep State Analyses: A Complex Phenotype of Developmental Neural Plasticity

Computer analyses of EEG/sleep states can be used as physiologic biomarkers of developmental neural plasticity. Frequency- and time-dependent signal processing strategies of cerebral and noncerebral measures can help test current theories of neuronal network maturation in terms of segregation and integration of short-distance versus long-distance neuronal connections throughout the neuroaxis. Specific phenotypic expressions of adaptive or maladaptive neuronal connectivity are proposed based on comparisons of whole-brain EEG/sleep resting states between preterm and full-term cohorts when developmental outcome measures are applied. Combined use of neurophysiological datasets with neuroimaging and genetic methodologies define endophenotypes that will more accurately diagnose children at risk for developmental disorders, as well as design appropriate neuroprotective interventions for the individual’s age and disease progress.
Profile of ocular emergencies in a tertiary hospital from Northeast of Brazil

Purpose: To evaluate the profile of all the visits to the ophthalmic emergency service at a tertiary hospital in the city of Sobral, Ceará, northeast of Brazil. Methods: A survey was carried out of all patients attended at ophthalmology emergency service of the department of ophthalmology of Santa Casa of Sobral, during the period between may and october 2008. Data on patient’s age, sex, level of education, residential address, health insurance status, average distance to our service, time between the initial symptoms and first visit to the hospital, site of medical evaluation indication, diagnosis, and veracity of emergency indication. All these data were collected during interview and ophthalmological examination. Results: A total number of 1,024 patients were analyzed in the study. Mean and standard deviation to age was 31.5 ± 17.1 years (ranging from zero to 81). Sixty-five per cent of the patients were male and 35% female. Twenty-one per cent of the patients lived at least 50 kilometers away from the Santa Casa of Sobral. Ocular traumas (40.9%) of any nature were the most frequent occurrence, followed by infections (29%). About 45 % of cases were not considered as a true emergency and could be managed in primary or secondary health care centers. About the initial symptoms and first visit to the hospital, only 24% of the patients went to the ophthalmology emergency room on the same day in which their symptoms started. Conclusion: A great number of patients attended or treated at the ophthalmology emergency service of Santa Casa of Sobral presented with common ocular disorders of simple resolution. Therefore there is a failure in the primary and secondary health care to manage it. Certainly a considerable proportion of these patients had conditions which could have been diagnosed and treated in an ophthalmic outpatient clinic or by general practitioners.
Exploring the Phylogenetic Structure of Ecological Communities: An Example for Rain Forest Trees

Because of the correlation expected between the phylogenetic relatedness of two taxa and their net ecological similarity, a measure of the overall phylogenetic relatedness of a community of interacting organisms can be used to investigate the contemporary ecological processes that structure community composition. I describe two indices that use the number of nodes that separate taxa on a phylogeny as a measure of their phylogenetic relatedness. As an example of the use of these indices in community analysis, I compared the mean observed net relatedness of trees (≥10 cm diameter at breast height) in each of 28 plots (each 0.16 ha) in a Bornean rain forest with the net relatedness expected if species were drawn randomly from the species pool (of the 324 species in the 28 plots), using a supertree that I assembled from published sources. I found that the species in plots were more phylogenetically related than expected by chance, a result that was insensitive to various modifications to the basic methodology. I tentatively infer that variation in habitat among plots causes ecologically more similar species to co‐occur within plots. Finally, I suggest a range of applications for phylogenetic relatedness measures in community analysis.
Properties of (Low‐density polyethylene)/(natural rubber)/(water hyacinth fiber) composites: The effect of polyaniline

The effects of polyaniline (PANI)‐modified water hyacinth fiber on the properties of (low‐density polyethylene)/(natural rubber)/(water hyacinth fiber) (LDPE/NR/WHF) composites were studied. The composites were prepared by using a Brabender Plasticorder at 160oC and a rotor speed of 50 rpm for 6 minutes. LDPE/NR/WHFPANI composites exhibited higher tensile strength, Young's modulus, elongation at break, melting temperature, and electrical conductivity but lower molar sorption, capacitance, percentage crystallinity, and interparticle spacing than LDPE/NR/WHF composites. Scanning electron microscopy morphology showed a better interfacial adhesion of PANI‐modified water hyacinth fiber (WHFPANI) and the LDPE/NR phases than when unmodified WHF was used. J. VINYL ADDIT. TECHNOL. , 20:122–130, 2014. © 2014 Society of Plastics Engineers