Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Efficacy of Amitraz Applied to White-Tailed Deer by the ‘4-Poster’ Topical Treatment Device in Controlling Free-Living Lone Star Ticks (Acari: Ixodidae)

Abstract White-tailed deer treated themselves with a commercial pour-on acaricide formulation containing 2% amitraz as they fed from an ARS-patented ‘4-poster’ topical treatment device. Whole kernel corn attracted deer to a single device placed in each of two deer-fenced pastures. In the treatment pasture, the rollers of the treatment device were charged with the acaricide, whereas the rollers of the device in the other pasture remained untreated. Deer were allowed to use the ‘4-posters’ during periods of tick activity beginning in early to midspring and lasting through late summer to early fall for three consecutive years. Pretreatment sampling of adults and nymphs with dry-ice traps and larval masses with flip cloths showed no significant differences in population indices between the two pastures; however, after the third year of treatment, control of nymphal and adult ticks in the treated pasture was 91.9 and 93.7%, respectively, when compared with the untreated pasture. Control of larval masses increased from 68.4% in year 1 to 96.4% in year 2, but declined to 88.0% in year 3, probably because of the presence of feral hogs. This study demonstrated that application of amitraz to white-tailed deer through free-choice interaction with a ‘4-poster’ device significantly reduced the abundance of free-living lone star ticks in a deer-fenced experimental pasture. Moreover, the yearly pattern of incremental increases in control and the final percentage control values for all three parasitic life stages in this topical application study were similar in magnitude to that observed in a previously conducted study in which the systemic acaricide ivermectin was used to reduce populations of free-living ticks by controlling ticks on deer.
On Solving Block-Structured Indefinite Linear Systems

We consider 2 × 2 block indefinite linear systems whose (2, 2) block is zero. Such systems arise in many applications. We discuss two techniques that are based on modifying the (1, 1) block in a way that makes the system easier to solve. The main part of the paper focuses on an augmented Lagrangian approach: a technique that modifies the (1,1) block without changing the system size. The choice of the parameter involved, the spectrum of the linear system, and its condition number are discussed, and some analytical observations are provided. A technique of deflating the (1,1) block is then introduced. Finally, numerical experiments that validate the analysis are presented.
Fair Market Ideology: Its Cognitive-motivational Underpinnings Its Cognitive-motivational Underpinnings

Public opinion research shows that most people espouse egalitarian ideals and acknowledge substantial income inequality in society, but they consistently perceive the economic system to be highly fair and legitimate. In an attempt to better understand this paradox by considering the cognitive and motivational bases of ideological support for the free market system, we draw on and integrate a number of social psychological theories suggesting that people want to believe that the systems and institutions that affect them are fair, legitimate, and justified. We have developed an instrument for measuring fair market ideology, and we have found in several samples that its endorsement is associated with self-deception, economic system justification, opposition to equality, power distance orientation, belief in a just world, political conservatism, right-wing authoritarianism, and scandal minimization. We also present evidence that people evince a system-justifying tendency to judge profitable companies to be more ethical than unprofitable companies. In addition, results from an experimental study we conducted in Hungary indicate that support for the free market system is strongest among people who score high in self-deception under conditions of system threat, suggesting the presence of a (nonrational) defensive motivation. Finally, we discuss several organizational and societal implications of the tendency to idealize market mechanisms and to view market-generated outcomes as inherently fair.
Developing Open-Source Software for Art Conservators

Art conservators now have access to a wide variety of digital imaging techniques to assist in examining and documenting physical works of art. Commonly used techniques include hyperspectral imaging, 3D scanning and medical CT imaging. However, most of the digital image data requires specialized software to view. The software is often associated with a particular type of acquisition device, and professional knowledge and experience is needed for each type of data. In addition, these software packages are often focused on particular applications (such as medicine or remote sensing) and are not designed to allow the free exploitation of these expensively acquired digital data. In this paper, we address two practical barriers in using the high-tech digital data in art conservation. First, there is the barrier of dealing with a wide variety of interfaces specialized for applications outside of art conservation. We provide an open-source software tool with a single intuitive user interface that can handle various types of 2/3D image data consistent with the needs of art conservation. Second, there is the barrier that previous software has been focused on a single data type. The software presented here is designed and structured to integrate various types of digital imaging data, including as yet unspecified data types, in an integrated environment. This provides conservators the free navigation of various imaging information and allows them to integrate the different types of imaging observations.
On-field performances of female and male field hockey players – A review

The main purpose of this study was to review a series of studies (N = 23) on on-field performances of female and male field hockey players. Studies were selected from a computerized search in electronic databases (SPORTDiscus, Google Scholar), as well as from a manual search. Among the main findings that emerged from the studies on female players were that (a) the mean distance covered during a game ranged between 5.5-6.6 km, (b) the individual playing time was approximately 48 min, and (c) the average heart rate (HR) was approximately 170 beats·min-1. For the male players, it was found that (a) the total distance covered per playing position for the duration of the game ranged from ∼5,820 m to ∼10,000 m, (b) the players spent most of the time and covered most of the distance while performing low-and moderate-intensity activities, and (c) the players’ HR was over 75% of HRmax for 90% of the game. Among the methodological and measurement concerns discussed in the article are: the variation in the selection of different locomotion categories, the lack of data on game results and opponent strength, and the presentation of data per individual player and/or per playing position.
3-D Channel Characteristics for Molecular Communications with an Absorbing Receiver

Within the domain of molecular communications, researchers mimic the techniques in nature to come up with alternative communication methods for collaborating nanomachines. This work investigates the channel transfer function for molecular communication via diffusion. In nature, information-carrying molecules are generally absorbed by the target node via receptors. Using the concentration function, without considering the absorption process, as the channel transfer function implicitly assumes that the receiver node does not affect the system. In this letter, we propose a solid analytical formulation and analyze the signal metrics (attenuation and propagation delay) for molecular communication via diffusion channel with an absorbing receiver in a 3-D environment. The proposed model and the formulation match well with the simulations without any normalization.
Beauty is in the ‘We’ of the Beholder: Greater Agreement on Facial Attractiveness among Close Relations

Scientific research on facial attractiveness has focused primarily on elucidating universal factors to which all raters respond consistently. However, recent work has shown that there is also substantial disagreement between raters, highlighting the importance of determining how attractiveness preferences vary among different individuals. We conducted a typical attractiveness ratings study, but took the unusual step of recruiting pairs of subjects who were spouses, siblings, or close friends. The agreement between pairs of affiliated friends, siblings, and spouses was significantly greater than between pairs of strangers drawn from the same race and culture, providing evidence that facial-attractiveness preferences are socially organized.
First trimester biochemical screening for Down's syndrome in singleton pregnancies conceived by assisted reproduction.

BACKGROUND Serum biochemical markers [free betahCG (fbetahCG); pregnancy-associated plasma protein-A (PAPP-A)] used in first trimester Down's syndrome screening have not been fully investigated in pregnancies achieved by assisted reproduction techniques. We present data on pregnancies conceived by all types of assisted reproduction techniques, including pregnancies following ovum donation (OD) and a large sample by ICSI. METHODS First trimester Down's syndrome screening was performed in 1054 normal singleton pregnancies: natural conception (n = 498), ovulation induction (OS, n = 97), IVF (n = 47), ICSI (n = 222) and OD (n = 190). RESULTS No differences in maternal levels of fbetahCG and PAPP-A, measured by the Kryptor system, appeared between naturally conceived pregnancies (n = 498) and those obtained with assisted reproduction techniques (n = 556). Several differences were apparent when comparing fbetahCG levels between different technologies but PAPP-A levels only differed between OS and IVF pregnancies (P < 0.05). In a further small study, no differences were observed using frozen embryos (n = 37), preimplantation genetic diagnosis (n = 53) or sperm from testicular biopsy (n = 21). CONCLUSIONS Data accumulated so far suggest that first trimester biochemical markers either do not need any adjustments (e.g. in pregnancies obtained after OS and ICSI), or have very little impact (e.g. IVF pregnancies) or no impact (e.g. OD pregnancies) on the false positive rates.
Turbo Decoding as an Instance of Pearl's "Belief Propagation" Algorithm

We describe the close connection between the now celebrated iterative turbo decoding algorithm of Berrou et al. (1993) and an algorithm that has been well known in the artificial intelligence community for a decade, but which is relatively unknown to information theorists: Pearl's (1982) belief propagation algorithm. We see that if Pearl's algorithm is applied to the "belief network" of a parallel concatenation of two or more codes, the turbo decoding algorithm immediately results. Unfortunately, however, this belief diagram has loops, and Pearl only proved that his algorithm works when there are no loops, so an explanation of the experimental performance of turbo decoding is still lacking. However, we also show that Pearl's algorithm can be used to routinely derive previously known iterative, but suboptimal, decoding algorithms for a number of other error-control systems, including Gallager's (1962) low-density parity-check codes, serially concatenated codes, and product codes. Thus, belief propagation provides a very attractive general methodology for devising low-complexity iterative decoding algorithms for hybrid coded systems.
An Architecture for Combined Test Data Compression and Abort-on-Fail Test

The low throughput at IC (integrated circuit) testing is mainly due to the increasing test data volume, which leads to high ATE (automatic test equipment) memory requirements and long test application times. In contrast to previous approaches that address either test data compression or abort-on-fail testing, we propose an architecture for combined test data compression and abort-on-fail testing. The architecture improves throughput through multi-site testing as the ATE memory requirement is constant and independent of the degree of multi-site testing. For flexibility in modifying the test data at any time, we make use of a test program for decompression; only test independent evaluation logic is added to the IC. Major advantages compared to MISR (multiple-input signature register) based schemes are that our scheme (1) allows abort-on-fail testing at clock-cycle granularity, (2) does not impact diagnostic capabilities, and (3) needs no special care for the handling of unknowns (X).
Worker Behavior Interpretation for Flexible Production

— This paper addresses the problem of recognizing and interpreting the behavior of human workers in industrial environments for the purpose of integrating humans in software controlled manufacturing environments. In this work we propose a generic concept in order to derive solutions for task-related manual production applications. Thus, we are able to use a versatile concept providing flexible components and being less restricted to a specific problem or application. We instantiate our concept in a spot welding scenario in which the behavior of a human worker is interpreted when performing a welding task with a hand welding gun. We acquire signals from inertial sensors, video cameras and triggers and recognize atomic actions by using pose data from a marker based video tracking system and movement data from inertial sensors. Recognized atomic actions are analyzed on a higher evaluation level by a finite state machine.
Short-circuit behavior of series-connected high-voltage IGBTs

In operation of series-connected IGBTs a voltage balancing is necessary, during short circuits it is even more important. Within this paper the behavior of series-connected IGBTs and diodes during the short-circuit type 2 and 3 is analyzed. The dv/dt during the short circuit is determined by one of two equivalent circuit capacitances. One is the plasma capacitance and the second one is the Miller capacitance. Depending on the gate-drive unit the dv/dt is intrinsic, when the gate current is sufficiently high, and the plasma capacitance determines the desaturation process during short circuit. Or the gate current controls via the Miller-capacitance feedback the dv/dt. The results are obtained with the help of measurement on 3.3 kV-IGBTs.
Linkages between Performance and Institutions in the Primary and Secondary Education Sector

The efficiency of schools diverges dramatically across countries in the OECD and can also vary markedly within countries. These differences in levels of efficiency can be traced to policy and institutional settings. As such, moving to best practice could boost educational attainment and reduce pressure on budgetary resources. This paper assesses empirically the relationship between institutional and policy settings and the efficiency of public spending on primary and secondary education across OECD countries. The analysis builds on two previous papers, which respectively developed OECD-area indicators of educational efficiency based on PISA score data and institutional indicators based on questionnaire responses. The results identify a number of institutional and policy settings that appear conducive to raising efficiency, as well as policies that appear to be detrimental to achieving higher levels of efficiency. Liens entre les indicateurs d'efficacite et les indicateurs institutionnels dans le secteur de l'enseignement primaire et secondaire L'efficacite des etablissements scolaires varie enormement dans les pays de la zone OCDE et peut aussi varier sensiblement a l'interieur d'un meme pays. Ces differences de niveaux d'efficience peuvent etre attribuees aux politiques publiques et aux structures institutionnelles. De ce fait, s'orienter vers les meilleures pratiques pourrait stimuler les performances des systemes scolaires. Cet article evalue de maniere empirique la relation entre les structures institutionnelles, les politiques gouvernementales et l'efficacite des depenses publiques consacrees a l'education primaire et secondaire dans les pays de l'OCDE. Cette analyse s'appuie sur deux precedentes etudes, l'une qui a elabore des indicateurs au niveau de la zone OCDE de l'efficacite des systemes educatifs a partir des scores PISA, l'autre des indicateurs des structures institutionnelles a partir des reponses a un questionnaire. Ceci conduit a identifier un certain nombre de structures institutionnelles et de politiques publiques qui semblent induire une efficience accrue, mais aussi des politiques qui semblent nuire a une amelioration des niveaux d'efficacite.
Inhibition of p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase decreases cardiomyocyte apoptosis and improves cardiac function after myocardial ischemia and reperfusion.

BACKGROUND Activation of p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) plays an important role in apoptotic cell death. The role of p38 MAPK in myocardial injury caused by ischemia/reperfusion, an extreme stress to the heart, is unknown. METHODS AND RESULTS Studies were performed with isolated, Langendorff-perfused rabbit hearts. Ischemia alone caused a moderate but transient increase in p38 MAPK activity (3.5-fold increase, P<0.05 versus basal). Ischemia followed by reperfusion further activated p38 MAPK, and the maximal level of activation (6.3-fold, P<0.01) was reached 10 minutes after reperfusion. Administration of SB 203580, a p38 MAPK inhibitor, decreased myocardial apoptosis (14.7+/-3.2% versus 30.6+/-3.5% in vehicle, P<0.01) and improved postischemic cardiac function. The cardioprotective effects of SB 203580 were closely related to its inhibition of p38 MAPK. Administering SB 203580 before ischemia and during reperfusion completely inhibited p38 MAPK activation and exerted the most cardioprotective effects. In contrast, administering SB 203580 10 minutes after reperfusion (a time point when maximal MAPK activation had already been achieved) failed to convey significant cardioprotection. Moreover, inhibition of p38 MAPK attenuated myocardial necrosis after a prolonged reperfusion. CONCLUSIONS These results demonstrate that p38 MAPK plays a pivotal role in the signal transduction pathway mediating postischemic myocardial apoptosis and that inhibiting p38 MAPK may attenuate reperfusion injury.
The effects of additional kinesio taping over exercise in the treatment of patellofemoral pain syndrome.

OBJECTIVE The purpose of this prospective, randomized, controlled study was to determine the effects of kinesio taping in the treatment of patients with patellofemoral pain syndrome (PFPS). METHODS Thirty-one women with PFPS (mean age: 44.88 years; range: 17 to 50 years) were randomly assigned to either a kinesio taping (KT) (n=15) or control (n=16) group. Both groups received the same muscle strengthening and soft tissue stretching exercises for six weeks and the KT group additionally received kinesio taping at four day intervals for six weeks. Visual analog scale was used to measure pain intensity. Tension of the iliotibial band/tensor fascia lata and hamstring muscles and the mediolateral location of the patella were measured before the treatment and at the end of the third and sixth week. The Anterior Knee Pain Scale / Kujala Scale was used for the analysis of functional performance. RESULTS Comparing pretreatment and 6th week values, significant improvements were found in pain, soft tissue flexibility and functional performance of both groups (p<0.05). However, patellar shift was unchanged (p>0.05). The KT group had significantly better hamstring flexibility than the control group at the end of three weeks (p<0.05). CONCLUSION The addition of kinesio taping to the conventional exercise program does not improve the results in patients with PFPS, other than a faster improvement in hamstring muscle flexibility.
The dynamic reorganization of the default-mode network during a visual classification task

The default-mode network has been reported to possess highly versatile and even contrasting functions but the underlying functioning mechanism remains elusive. In this study, we adopt a dynamic view of the default-mode network structure and hypothesize that it could potentially contribute to different functions through dynamic reorganization of its functional interaction pattern within and across network boundaries depending on the ongoing cognitive demands. With four experimental states and functional connectivity magnetic resonance imaging, we show that the default-mode network is characterized by within-network desynchronization and outside-network integration during the transition from resting state to an external visual classification task. Such default-mode network dynamics are task demand-dependent and return to their original status during the transition back to resting. More importantly, the degree of within-network desynchronization correlates with reaction time while the level of outside-network integration indexes task performance accuracy. Overall, the documented dynamic reorganization of the default-mode network and the significant behavioral correlations provide new insights into our understanding of this complex network and emphasize a dynamic view in future studies of its functioning mechanism.
Theory of melting of vortex lattice in high Tc superconductors

Theory of melting of the vortex lattice in type II superconductors in the framework of Ginzburg - Landau approach is presented. The melting line location is determined and magnetization and specific heat jumps along it are calculated. The magnetization of liquid is larger than that of solid by 1.8% irrespective of the melting temperature, while the specific heat jump is about 6% and decreases slowly with temperature. The magnetization curves agrees with experimental results on YBCO and Monte Carlo simulations.
Enzymatic Antioxidants: Next Phase of Pharmacological Effort to Fight Oxidative Stress?

The focus in the research of antioxidants is notably displaced in favour of research of enzyme derivatives. Extracellular superoxide dismutase (EC-SOD) is of the particular interest, as it demonstrates in vivo the protective action against development of atherosclerosis, hypertension, heart failure, diabetes mellitus. The reliable association of coronary artery disease with the decreased level of heparin-released EC-SOD was established in clinical researches. To base and develop antioxidant therapy, various SOD isozymes, catalase (CAT), the methods of experimental gene therapy, combined application of SOD- and CAT-activities are used. Covalent bienzyme SOD - CHS - CAT conjugate (where CHS - chondroitin sulphate) showed in the experimental trials its high efficacy as the antithrombotic agent. Pre-clinical research data approve the reliable option to gain for it the status of drug candidate. The trend to use the components of glycocalyx and extracellular matrix for target delivery of medical substances is evident. Development of new enzyme antioxidants for therapeutical destination is closely connected with becoming and progress of medical biotechnology, pharmaceutical industry, bioeconomy.