Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Evaluation of Liquid and Bait Insecticides against the Dark Rover Ant (Brachymyrmex patagonicus)

Dark rover ants (Brachymyrmex patagonicus, Mayr) are an exotic ant species native to South America that has recently spread through the southern US. We evaluated the residual activity of three liquid insecticides (indoxacarb, fipronil and lambda-cyhalothrin) as potential barrier treatments against these ants. The factors we considered include the use of a porous or non-porous surface, a short or long exposure time and the changes in insecticide activity after treatment during a 90 day period. We also tested the effect of baits containing three different active ingredients (imidacloprid, sodium tetraborate and indoxacarb) on colony fragments of this species for a 15 day period. Both lambda-cyhalothrin® and indoxacarb® resulted in high levels of ant mortality up to 90 days after application. The results of exposure to fipronil® resembled those from the control treatment. Application of insecticides on a porous surface and the shorter exposure time generally resulted in greater ant survival. Of the baits tested, only the imidacloprid based one decreased ant survival significantly during the evaluation period. Within three days, the imidacloprid bait produced over 50% mortality which increased to over 95% by the end of the experiment. Results from the other two bait treatments were not significantly different from the control.
FIELD EFFICACY OF THE BG-SENTINEL COMPARED WITH CDC BACKPACK ASPIRATORS AND CO2-BAITED EVS TRAPS FOR COLLECTION OF ADULT AEDES AEGYPTI IN CAIRNS, QUEENSLAND, AUSTRALIA

ABSTRACT In this study, we compared the efficacy of the newly available BG-Sentinel with an established “gold standard,” the CDC Backpack Aspirator, and a CO2-baited EVS trap for the collection of Aedes aegypti (L.) in Cairns, Australia. BG-Sentinels collected significantly more (P = 0.017) female Ae. aegypti (mean per collection, 1.92 ± 0.39) than both the CDC Backpack Aspirator (1.00 ± 0.35) and the EVS trap (0.71 ± 0.27). Male-only and combined male-female Ae. aegypti collections for the BG-Sentinel and the CDC Backpack Aspirator were also greater than EVS trap collections. The CDC Backpack Aspirator and the BG-Sentinel captured proportionally fewer females compared with the EVS trap. The BG-Sentinel was the most Ae. aegypti-specific collection method. The CDC Backpack Aspirator collected proportionally more bloodfed Ae. aegypti than the other methods, which collected a greater proportion of nullipars. The data presented here will aid researchers in deciding what Ae. aegypti sampling device best suits their needs. BG-Sentinels and CDC Backpack Aspirators should be considered as alternatives to human-bait collections for Ae. aegypti sampling.
Assessing performance of single‐sample molecular genetic methods to estimate effective population size: empirical evidence from the endangered Gochu Asturcelta pig breed

Abstract Estimating effective population size (N e) using linkage disequilibrium (LD) information (N e( LD )) has the operational advantage of using a single sample. However, N e( LD ) estimates assume discrete generations and its performance are constrained by demographic issues. However, such concerns have received little empirical attention so far. The pedigree of the endangered Gochu Asturcelta pig breed includes individuals classified into discrete filial generations and individuals with generations overlap. Up to 780 individuals were typed with a set of 17 microsatellites. Performance of N e( LD ) was compared with N e estimates obtained using genealogical information, molecular coancestry (N e(M)) and a temporal (two‐sample) method (N e( JR )). Molecular‐based estimates of N e exceeded those obtained using pedigree data. Estimates of N e( LD ) for filial generations F3 and F4 (17.0 and 17.3, respectively) were lower and steadier than those obtained using yearly or biannual samplings. N e( LD ) estimated for samples including generations overlap could only be compared with those obtained for the discrete filial generations when sampling span approached a generation interval and demographic correction for bias was applied. Single‐sample N e(M) estimates were lower than their N e( LD ) counterparts. N e(M) estimates are likely to partially reflect the number of founders rather than population size. In any case, estimates of LD and molecular coancestry tend to covary and, therefore, N e(M) and N e( LD ) can hardly be considered independent. Demographically adjusted estimates of N e( JR ) and N e( LD ) took comparable values when: (1) the two samples used for the former were separated by one equivalent to discrete generations in the pedigree and (2) sampling span used for the latter approached a generation interval. Overall, the empirical evidence given in this study suggested that the advantage of using single‐sample methods to obtain molecular‐based estimates of N e is not clear in operational terms. Estimates of N e obtained using methods based in molecular information should be interpreted with caution.
Geldanamycin reduces necrotic and apoptotic injury due to oxygen-glucose deprivation in astrocytes

Abstract Recent data show that geldanamycin can protect the brain against stroke in vivo, and this may be due to induction of heat shock proteins. Our previous results show that heat shock protein 70 expression by retroviral transfection protects astrocytes from necrotic injury by combined oxygen-glucose deprivation, an in vitro model of ischemia. This study tested the ability of geldanamycin to protect astrocytes from either necrotic or apoptotic injury induced by oxygen-glucose deprivation. Astrocytes were pre-treated with 0.1 µg ml-1 geldanamycin in the medium 4, 8, or 16 h before as well as during oxygen-glucose deprivation. Increased protein levels of heat shock protein 70 were observed after 8 h pre-treatment with geldanamycin and increased further at 16 h pre-treatment, as detected by immunoblotting. Geldanamycin pre-treatment protected mature astrocytes from necrotic cell death and young astrocytes from apoptotic death. Geldanamycin protection of astrocytes against in vitro ischemia is likely due to upregulation of heat shock protein 70.
Community detection in general stochastic block models: fundamental limits and efficient recovery algorithms

New phase transition phenomena have recently been discovered for the stochastic block model, for the special case of two non-overlapping symmetric communities. This gives raise in particular to new algorithmic challenges driven by the thresholds. This paper investigates whether a general phenomenon takes place for multiple communities, without imposing symmetry. In the general stochastic block model $\text{SBM}(n,p,Q)$, $n$ vertices are split into $k$ communities of relative size $\{p_i\}_{i \in [k]}$, and vertices in community $i$ and $j$ connect independently with probability $\{Q_{i,j}\}_{i,j \in [k]}$. This paper investigates the partial and exact recovery of communities in the general SBM (in the constant and logarithmic degree regimes), and uses the generality of the results to tackle overlapping communities. The contributions of the paper are: (i) an explicit characterization of the recovery threshold in the general SBM in terms of a new divergence function $D_+$, which generalizes the Hellinger and Chernoff divergences, and which provides an operational meaning to a divergence function analog to the KL-divergence in the channel coding theorem, (ii) the development of an algorithm that recovers the communities all the way down to the optimal threshold and runs in quasi-linear time, showing that exact recovery has no information-theoretic to computational gap for multiple communities, in contrast to the conjectures made for detection with more than 4 communities; note that the algorithm is optimal both in terms of achieving the threshold and in having quasi-linear complexity, (iii) the development of an efficient algorithm that detects communities in the constant degree regime with an explicit accuracy bound that can be made arbitrarily close to 1 when a prescribed signal-to-noise ratio (defined in term of the spectrum of $\diag(p)Q$) tends to infinity.
Análise da dinâmica da paisagem no município de Formosa do Rio Preto (BA)

Este trabalho tem como objetivo descrever a evolucao do uso da Terra nomunicipio de Formosa do Rio Preto (BA) durante vinte anos(1988-2008). O municipioesta localizado no Oeste da Bahia, onde ha uma forte expansao da agricultura e doagronegocio, devido as condicoes ambientais favoraveis com terras planas e umaestacao chuvosa bem definida. Mudancas de uso do solo sao avaliadas pelo uso deimagens TM-Landsat e ALOS/PRISM.As imagens de sensoriamento remoto foramclassificadas em quatro classes: vegetacao natural, vegetacao alterada, agropecuaria earea urbana. A agropecuaria apresentou o maior crescimento, possuindo em 1988 cercade 6% da area do municipio e em 2008 atingiu 32%. As areas de agricultura avancam emum padrao continuo nao existindo no seu interior areas preservadas. Assim, analisetemporal forneceu informacoes importantes sobre a evolucao do padrao de uso do solono municipio de Formosa do Rio Preto (BA), considerando a sua relevância para oprocesso de desenvolvimento da fronteira agricola e conversao do Cerrado.
Comparative effectiveness of aflibercept for the treatment of patients with neovascular age-related macular degeneration

Wet age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is the most common reason for vision loss in the United States. Many treatments, such as laser therapy and photodynamic therapies, have been used but their efficacy is limited. Emerging anti-vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) therapies are now considered the standard of care. Anti-VEGF agents inhibit angiogenesis in the eye by suppressing abnormal blood vessel growth, leading to vision improvement. Ranibizumab and bevacizumab are two examples of anti-VEGF drugs that have been approved; both showed promise based on the visual acuity scale. Aflibercept, another new therapy known to trap VEGF and inhibit multiple growth factors, is promising not only because it can be taken bimonthly based on year 1 of the VIEW trials, but it can also be extended, as demonstrated in year 2 of the VIEW trials. Based on a cost–effect analysis, aflibercept is comparable to other leading therapies. This is a review of relevant clinical trials that have proven the non-inferiority and safety of aflibercept compared to the standard of care and its unique role in the current management of wet AMD.
Combining Classification and Clustering for Tweet Sentiment Analysis

The goal of sentiment analysis is to determine opinions, emotions, and attitudes presented in source material. In tweet sentiment analysis, opinions in messages can be typically categorized as positive or negative. To classify them, researchers have been using traditional classifiers like Naive Bayes, Maximum Entropy, and Support Vector Machines (SVM). In this paper, we show that a SVM classifier combined with a cluster ensemble can offer better classification accuracies than a stand-alone SVM. In our study, we employed an algorithm, named C3E-SL, capable to combine classifier and cluster ensembles. This algorithm can refine tweet classifications from additional information provided by clusterers, assuming that similar instances from the same clusters are more likely to share the same class label. The resulting classifier has shown to be competitive with the best results found so far in the literature, thereby suggesting that the studied approach is promising for tweet sentiment classification.
Exploring Isovist Fields: Space and Shape in Architectural and Urban Morphology

The space that can be seen from any vantage point is called an isovist and the set of such spaces forms a visual field whose extent defines different isovist fields based on different geometric properties. I suggest that our perceptions of moving within such fields might be related to these geometric properties. I begin with a formal representation of isovists and their fields, introducing simple geometric measures based on distance, area, perimeter, compactness, and convexity. I suggest a feasible computational scheme for measuring such fields, and illustrate how we can visualize their spatial and statistical properties by using maps and frequency distributions. I argue that the classification of fields based on these measures must be a prerequisite to the proper analysis of architectural and urban morphologies. To this end, I present two hypothetical examples based on simple geometries and three real examples based on London's Tate Gallery, Regent Street, and the centre of the English town of Wolverhampton. Although such morphologies can often be understood in terms of basic geometrical elements such as corridors, streets, rooms, and squares, isovist analysis suggests that visual fields have their own form which results from the interaction of geometry and movement. To illustrate how such analysis can be used, I outline methods of partitioning space, covering it with a small number of relatively independent isovists, and perceiving space by recording properties of the isovist fields associated with paths through that space.
Activated T Cells Resting Regulatory T Cells from + CD25+ CD4 Programmed Cell Death-1 Discriminates Regulated Compartmentalization of

More effective discrimination between CD4 (cid:1) CD25 (cid:1) regulatory T cells (Treg) and activated T cells would signiﬁcantly improve the current level of puriﬁcation of Treg and their therapeutic application. We observed that (cid:1) 90% of Treg (positive for the nuclear transcription factor Forkhead winged helix protein-3 and able to inhibit naive T cell proliferation) isolated from the spleens or lymph nodes of normal mice did not express signiﬁcant levels of the inhibitory receptor programmed cell death-1 (PD-1) on their surface, but retained PD-1 intracellularly. An identical phenotype was also identiﬁed for human CD4 (cid:1) CD25 high T cells isolated from peripheral blood of healthy volunteers. By contrast, activated T cells expressed high levels of surface PD-1 that paralleled up-regulation of CD25 during effector cell expansion. This distinction allowed us to isolate CD4 (cid:1) CD25 (cid:1) PD-1 (cid:2) T cells with suppressive activity from mice immunized with mature allogeneic dendritic cells. Although puriﬁcation was limited to resting Treg because TCR ligation induced up-regulation of surface PD-1, this strategy nevertheless represents a valuable step toward more deﬁnitive characterization of Treg and their improved puriﬁcation for therapeutic assessment. The Journal of Immunology, 2006, 176: 2808–2816.
Gastric function in dogs with naturally acquired gastric Helicobacter spp. infection.

The association of Helicobacter pylori with gastritis, peptic ulcers, and gastric neoplasia has led to fundamental changes in the understanding of gastric disease in humans. The relationship of Helicobacter spp. infection to gastric disease in dogs is unclear. The objective of this study was to determine if Helicobacter infection affects the gastric secretory axis of dogs. Eight Beagle dogs with naturally acquired Helicobacter spp. infection were studied before and after (4 and 29 days) the attempted eradication of Helicobacter spp. with a combination of amoxicillin, metronidazole, and famotidine (AMF). Six specific-pathogen-free, Helicobacter-free Beagle dogs served as controls. The electron microscopic appearance of spiral organisms in infected dogs indicated coinfection with Helicobacter felis- and H bizzozeronii-like organisms. Unstimulated gastric pH and fasting, postprandial, and bombesin-stimulated plasma gastrin were similar in both infected and uninfected dogs, although a trend (P = .09) toward higher meal-stimulated gastrin was observed in infected dogs at 60 minutes. Pentagastrin-stimulated maximal acid output (mmol HCI/kg0.75/hour) and titratable acidity (mmol HCl/mL) were similar in both infected and uninfected dogs, but gastric pH during maximal acid output was lower (P < .01) in uninfected dogs. Mild gastric inflammation was present in both infected and uninfected dogs. Gastric spiral organisms were undetectable in 6/8 infected dogs 4 days after AMF but had recurred in 8/8 dogs 29 days after AMF. Analysis of gastric DNA with Helicobacter-specific primers indicated persistence of Helicobacter DNA at 4 and 29 days after antibiotic therapy. Acid secretion, plasma gastrin, and mucosal inflammation were not affected by the transient suppression of Helicobacter spp. by AMF. These findings suggest that gastric secretory function in dogs is not markedly perturbed by naturally acquired Helicobacter spp. infection and that treatment with amoxicillin, metronidazole, and famotidine causes suppression rather than eradication of gastric Helicobacter spp. in dogs.
The Faint Afterglow and Host Galaxy of the Short-Hard GRB 060121

We present optical and X-ray observations of the afterglow and host galaxy of the short-hard GRB 060121. The faint R-band afterglow is seen to decline as t-0.66±0.09 while the X-ray falls as t-1.18±0.04, indicating the presence of the cooling break between the two frequencies. However, the R-band afterglow is very faint compared to the predicted extrapolation of the X-ray afterglow to the optical regime (specifically, βOX ~ 0.2), while the K-band is consistent with this extrapolation (βKX ~ 0.6), demonstrating suppression of the optical flux. Late-time HST observations place stringent limits on the afterglow R-band flux, implying a break in the R-band light curve. They also show that the burst occurred at the edge of a faint red galaxy, presumably the host, which most likely lies at a significantly higher redshift than the previous optically identified short-duration bursts. Several neighboring galaxies also have very red colors that are similarly suggestive of higher redshift. The least extreme explanation for the faintness and color of the burst is that it occurred at moderately high redshift and was significantly obscured; however, it is also possible that it lies at z > 4.5, in which case the faintness of the R-band afterglow could be attributed to the Lyman break. We discuss the implications that either scenario would have for the nature of the progenitors of short bursts.
Simple families of Thue inequalities

We use the hypergeometric method to solve three families of Thue inequalities of degree 3, 4 and 6, respectively, each of which is parametrized by an integral parameter. We obtain bounds for the solutions, which are astonishingly small compared to similar results which use estimates of linear forms in logarithms.
Variable Selection from Random Forests: Application to Gene Expression Data

The present invention is directed to an improved bearing construction of the ball bearing type which is particularly suitable for supporting drawer slides and the like for translatory movement. The bearing comprises a tire defining an outer bearing race, a stud defining an inner bearing race, a plurality of balls captured between the races, the device being characterized by the stud including an axially directed annular retainer surface, portions of which are deflected radially, which deflected portions provide a temporary connection precluding separation of the bearing elements. The annular surface, after deflection, defines a stop or locator surface against which a support bracket is biased in the final assembled position thereof, the corrugated or crown-like end surface formed as a result of deflection, providing a high frictional surface whereby augmented connection between the bearing and the support bracket is assured.
Effects of task orientation on subsequent source memory as revealed by functional MRI

Episodic memories are composed of various interrelated elements, including those specific to items of central interest and those pertaining to related features, such as the color, shape, size, spatial location, temporal order, and media or modalities of presentation. Memory about a core item (such as a word, object, or picture) is called item memory while memory about the context or related fea-tures of a core item is defined as source memory. What determines which sources within an episode are successfully remembered is of particular interest to researchers. Behavioral evidence suggests that the orientation of a memory task influences whether the related source of the item will be re-membered later. This study explored changes in the hippocampus and prefrontal cortex while par-ticipants completed two tasks: an item-oriented task and a source-oriented task. We used functional MRI to investigate the neural mechanisms by which task orientation influences source encoding. We found that subsequent source memory effects in the right prefrontal cortex and hippocampus were modulated by task orientation, whereas task orientation modulated item memory effects in the prefrontal cortex. These findings highlight the possibility that the hippocampus contributes to the intentional encoding of item-source associations, whereas the prefrontal cortex is biased toward processing information to which attention is directed.
Plasma Phospholipid Trans Fatty Acids, Fatal Ischemic Heart Disease, and Sudden Cardiac Death in Older Adults: The Cardiovascular Health Study

Background— Intake of trans fatty acids is associated with increased risk of coronary heart disease. Whether different classes of trans fatty acids show similar associations is unclear. We previously reported an association of sudden cardiac death with red cell membrane trans-18:2 but not trans-18:1 fatty acids. To extend these findings, we investigated the associations of plasma phospholipid trans fatty acids with fatal ischemic heart disease (IHD) and sudden cardiac death. Methods and Results— We conducted a case-control study nested in the Cardiovascular Health Study. We identified 214 cases of fatal IHD (fatal myocardial infarction and coronary heart disease death) between 1992 and 1998. We randomly selected 214 controls, matched to cases on demographics, prevalent cardiovascular disease, and timing of blood draw. Plasma phospholipid fatty acids were assessed in blood samples collected earlier. Higher levels of plasma phospholipid trans-18:2 fatty acids were associated with higher risk of fatal IHD (odds ratio [OR] for interquintile range 1.68, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.21 to 2.33) after adjustment for risk factors and trans-18:1 levels. Trans-18:1 levels above the 20th percentile were associated with lower risk (OR 0.34, 95% CI 0.18 to 0.63). In analyses limited to cases of sudden cardiac death (n=95), higher levels of trans-18:2 fatty acids were associated with higher risk (OR 2.34, 95% CI 1.27 to 4.31) and higher trans-18:1 with lower risk (OR 0.18, 95% CI 0.06 to 0.54). Conclusions— Higher levels of trans-18:2 and lower levels of trans-18:1 fatty acids are associated with higher risks of fatal IHD and sudden cardiac death. If confirmed, these findings suggest that current efforts at decreasing trans fatty acid intake in foods should take into consideration the trans-18:2 content.
A New Monthly Precipitation Climatology for the Global Land Areas for the Period 1951 to 2000

Globally gridded precipitation-data sets are an essential base for various applications in the geosciences and especially in climate research, as for instance global and regional studies on the hydrological cycle and on climate variability, verification and calibration of satellite based climate data or the evaluation of global circulation models (GCM’s). As all these applications require reliable high quality precipitation fields the underlying station data have to meet high demands concerning the quality of the observed precipitation data as well as the correctness of station meta data and also with respect to sufficient spatial station density and distribution. Concerning the use of globally gridded climate data for analyses of long-term climate variability it has to be ensured that station-data used for gridding are as continous and homogeneous as possible.