Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
TWO NEW SPECIES OF LITOMOSOIDES (NEMATODA: FILARIOIDEA) IN SIGMODONTINES (RODENTIA: MURIDAE) FROM RIO DE LA PLATA MARSHLAND, ARGENTINA

Two new species of coelomic filarioid belonging to Litomosoides are described from sigmodontine murids from the Rio de La Plata marshland, Argentina. Litomosoides bonaerensis n. sp. , a parasite of Oligoryzomys delticola, belongs to the carinii group and is close to L. silvai, which differs by the head and tail papillae, buccal capsule and cavity, area rugosa, and morphology of the microfilaria. Litomosoides oxymycteri n. sp. , from Oxymycterus rufus, belongs to the sigmodontis group. Differential diagnosis is based on the morphology of the buccal capsule, the head and tail papillae, and microfilaria. The ectoparasitic gamasid Ornithonyssus bacoti, in which several Litomosoides species develop, has been recovered from sigmodontines trapped in the study.
Relationship between oral health behaviors and general health behaviors in a Japanese adult population.

OBJECTIVE The aim of this study was to analyze the relationship between oral health behaviors and general health behaviors in adults. METHODS A total of 2,467 adults (1,208 men and 1,259 women aged 20-59 years) who consulted dentists in Chiba City were administered a questionnaire. RESULTS Women, older participants, and those living with family had better health behaviors than the other subjects studied. Additive indices for oral and general health behaviors were significantly correlated. Toothbrushing frequency was significantly correlated with five items of general health behavior (smoking, drinking, exercise, eating breakfast, and having medical check-ups). Having dental check-ups was significantly correlated with having medical check-ups. There was a negative correlation between dental flossing and drinking. CONCLUSIONS Of all oral health behaviors examined, toothbrushing frequency was the most predictive indicator of general health behavior.
Mining, Ranking and Recommending Entity Aspects

Entity queries constitute a large fraction of web search queries and most of these queries are in the form of an entity mention plus some context terms that represent an intent in the context of that entity. We refer to these entity-oriented search intents as entity aspects. Recognizing entity aspects in a query can improve various search applications such as providing direct answers, diversifying search results, and recommending queries. In this paper we focus on the tasks of identifying, ranking, and recommending entity aspects, and propose an approach that mines, clusters, and ranks such aspects from query logs. We perform large-scale experiments based on users' search sessions from actual query logs to evaluate the aspect ranking and recommendation tasks. In the aspect ranking task, we aim to satisfy most users' entity queries, and evaluate this task in a query-independent fashion. We find that entropy-based methods achieve the best performance compared to maximum likelihood and language modeling approaches. In the aspect recommendation task, we recommend other aspects related to the aspect currently being queried. We propose two approaches based on semantic relatedness and aspect transitions within user sessions and find that a combined approach gives the best performance. As an additional experiment, we utilize entity aspects for actual query recommendation and find that our approach improves the effectiveness of query recommendations built on top of the query-flow graph.
The tracking index: A generalized parameter for α-β and α-β-γ target trackers

Applying optimal filtering theory to the target tracking problem, the derived Tracking Index, a generalized parameter proportional to the ratio of the position uncertainty due to the target maneuverability to that due to the sensor measurement, is found to have a fundamental role in the optimal solution of the stochastic regulation tracking problem. Depending on the order of the tracking model, the Tracking Index solution yields a closed form, consistent set of generalized tracking gains, relationships, and performances.
Patterns of Area Sensitivity in Grassland‐Nesting Birds

Abstract: Between 1995 and 1997, we studied breeding birds in fragments of native tallgrass prairie in southwestern Missouri to determine the effect of habitat fragmentation on grassland bird populations. Data on density and nesting success collected in 13 prairie fragments of various sizes revealed three levels of area sensitivity. The most area‐sensitive species, Greater Prairie‐Chicken ( Tympanuchus cupido), was absent from small prairie fragments. An intermediate form of area sensitivity was apparent in only one species, Henslow's Sparrow (Ammodramus henslowii), which occurred in lower densities in small than in large prairie fragments. Based on census (i.e., distributional) data, only those two species were area‐sensitive (i.e., negatively affected by habitat fragmentation) in southwestern Missouri. A species can be sensitive not only on a distributional level, however, but also by having lower nesting success in small than in large prairie fragments. The Dickcissel ( Spiza americana) was the only species that was area‐sensitive on such a demographic level. These data indicate that we cannot rely solely on census data to describe the sensitivity of grassland‐nesting species to habitat fragmentation, but that we also need to investigate demographic data (e.g., nesting success). Whereas it has previously been shown that density measures of forest‐nesting birds do not reliably reflect nesting success in habitat fragments of various sizes, ours is the first study that describes this pattern for grassland‐nesting species.
Learning Measurement Models for Unobserved Variables

Observed associations in a database may be due in whole or part to variations in unrecorded ("latent") variables. Identifying such variables and their causal relationships with one another is a principal goal in many scientific and practical domains. Previous work shows that, given a partition of observed variables such that members of a class share only a single latent common cause, standard search algorithms for causal Bayes nets can infer structural relations between latent variables. We introduce an algorithm for discovering such partitions when they exist. Uniquely among available procedures, the algorithm is (asymptotically) correct under standard assumptions in causal Bayes net search algorithms, requires no prior knowledge of the number of latent variables, and does not depend on the mathematical form of the relationships among the latent variables. We evaluate the algorithm on a variety of simulated data sets.
The influence of duration of the distillation of fresh and dried flowers on the essential oil composition of lavandin cultivated in Republic of Macedonia

The main objective of this study was to analyze the essential oil composition of cultivated lavandin (Lavandula x intermedia Emeric ex Loisel., Lamiaceae) from Republic of Macedonia and to evaluate the influence of the drying time of plant material and the distillation duration on the oil composition. Four different essential oils were obtained by hydrodistillation in a Clevenger type apparatus from freshly harvested and air dried flowers of lavandin and varying in distillation time (30 min and 2 h). Fifty-six compounds were identified by GC/ FID/MS representing 96.57% to 98.23% of the total oil. Prevailing constituents in all tested oils were linalool, borneol and terpinene-4-ol, present in amounts from 35.23 to 42.24%, 12.28 to 16.68% and 4.44 to 5.62%, respectively. The content of 1,8-cineole varied from 3.99% to 8.42% while that of camphor was between 5.96% and 7.04%. Linalyl acetate was present in amounts from 1.26% to 3.21%. Unexpectedly, the duration of distillation insignificantly influenced the essential oil composition. Few differences, mainly in the content of borneol (13.71% and 16.68% in the oil from fresh and dried flowers, respectively) were recorded in the essential oils obtained by 30 minutes distillation, while the content of the other constituents was almost unchanged. However, the isolated essential oils of lavandin did not comply with the international standards requirements for the lavandin essential oil composition. Key wards: Lavandula intermedia, Lamiaceae, GC/FID/MS, duration of hydrodistillation, drying time * marija_karapandzova@ff.ukim. edu.mk Introduction Medicinally and commercially important Lavandula species are perennial shrubs growing in rocky and calcareous areas in Mediterranean basin. For commercial production of essential oil, three species are used: L. angustifolia Mill. (common or English lavender), L. latifolia Medik. (spike lavender) and L. angustifolia x L. latifolia (L. x intermedia Emeric ex Loisel.) known as lavandin. There are also several cultivars that are planted for commercial production of essential oils with similar features to lavandin, such as: Grappenhall, Provence, Grosso, Dutch Mill, Abrial and Seal (lavender production, http://www. nda. agric.za/docs/brochures/ essoilslavender.pdf). Lavender flowers and oil are often used in the households as an herbal remedy for nervous disturbance and flatulence while externally are used to cure nervous headache (Gamez et al., 1990), anxiety and mild depression (Lewis & Kowalski, 2002; Lenrner et al., 2005). The essential oil act with powerful antimicrobial properties (Sabara and Kunicka-Styczynska, 2009) and is useful in the treatment of burns, sunburns, scalds, bites, vaginal discharge and anal fissure (Shafaghat et al., 2012). It is also known as antioxidant (Economou et al., 1991), antispasmodic (Cavanagh and Wilkinson, 2002), aromatic, carminative, cholagoge, diuretic, nervine, sedative, stimulative, stomachic and tonic (Lis-Balchin and Hart, 1999; Gilani et al., 2000;
Metrics on Energy Efficiency for Cognitive Green Equipment Based on FPGA Platform

In order to efficiently manage the power consumption of communication devices, a management architecture is necessary to sense the working state of the equipment and the ambient environment. Therefore, it is important to properly select energy-efficient metrics that reflect the working environment. Then, on the basis of the metrics obtained, an optimal decision can be made and is followed by a reconfiguration action, the aim of which is to minimize the power dissipation while not compromising the performance. In this paper, we would like to introduce some useful metrics for a cognitive management architecture when it is implemented on a field-programmable gate array platform and the methods used to get them. We also study the use case of some of the metrics, and the results are useful in providing the necessary information for decision making. There is a tradeoff between the power consumption, the performance, and the resources. A decision maker has to choose an optimal solution according to the working environment.
Living‐donor liver transplantation for propionic acidemia

Kasahara M, Sakamoto S, Kanazawa H, Karaki C, Kakiuchi T, Shigeta T, Fukuda A, Kosaki R, Nakazawa A, Ishige M, Nagao M, Shigematsu Y, Yorifuji T, Naiki Y, Horikawa R. Living‐donor liver transplantation for propionic acidemia.
Evaluation of PVA/dextran/chitosan hydrogel for wound dressing

Developing a multiple functional wound dressing suitable for different stages of wound healing is important for patients with special wound such as burn or decubital ulcers. In this study, poly (vinyl alcohol) (PVA), dextran, and chitosan are integrated to produce ideal wound dressing where glutaraldehyde (GA) is used as the cross-linker. The result demonstrated that 6% PVA hydrogel with 0.25% chitosan was found to provide antimicrobial ability. The PVA/chitosan hydrogel combined with 4% dextran utilizing GA cross-linking also presents the high cell proliferation ability, which suggests that the hydrogel is potential as a wound dressing. In the following physical analyses, the addition of chitosan and dextran appeared to promote the thermostability, mechanical properties, water retention, and moisturizing ability in the PVA hydrogel. In conclusion, the PVA/chitosan/dextran hydrogel has promising potential such as high water content, antimicrobial property, and well cell proliferation, which can be applied to wound healing application.
Improving Rapid Unsupervised Speaker Adaptation Based On Hmm Sufficient Statistics

In real-time speech recognition applications, there is a need to implement a fast and reliable adaptation algorithm. We propose a method to reduce adaptation time of the unsupervised speaker adaptation based on HMM-sufficient statistics. We use only a single arbitrary utterance without transcriptions in selecting the N-best speakers' sufficient statistics created offline to provide data for adaptation to a target speaker. Further reduction of N-best implies a reduction in adaptation time. However, it degrades recognition performance due to insufficiency of data needed to robustly adapt the model. Linear interpolation of the global HMM-sufficient statistics offsets this negative effect and achieves a 50% reduction in adaptation time without compromising the recognition performance. We have reduced the adaptation time from 10 sec to 5 sec without degradation of the word accuracy. Furthermore, we compared our method with vocal tract length normalization (VTLN), maximum a posteriori (MAP) and maximum likelihood linear regression (MLLR). Moreover, we tested in office, car, crowd and booth noise environments in 10 dB, 15 dB, 20 dB and 25 dB SNRs
A rule-based framework for parameter estimation of robot dynamic models

An approach to parameter estimation of robot dynamic models, in particular inertial terms, using symbolic computations is presented. The approach makes use of a class of manipulator test motions whose definition is more general than in previous works. Methods for analyzing the symbolic structure of these test motions are presented and, in particular, an approach to motion determination providing good excitation of inertial parameters is introduced. An overall strategy for identifying all base inertial parameters of dynamic model is outlined. <<ETX>>
Positive Youth Development: Minority Male Participation in a Sport-Based Afterschool Program in an Urban Environment

Purpose As there is little research that investigates the experiences of minority boys participating in youth development programs (Fashola, 2003), the current research focused on a sport-based youth development program for early adolescent Black and Latino boys in Hartford, CT. Specifically, the present study explored (a) what attracted minority boys to participate in youth development programs, (b) what kept them involved, and (c) whether their involvement translated into positive developmental outcomes. Method The study used semistructured individual interviews to collect data from 8 participants and their parents. The research team deductively coded interviews in accordance with the a-priori framework of the Five Cs and Sixth C of youth development (i.e., competence, character, caring, confidence, connection, and contribution; Roth & Brooks-Gunn, 2003). In addition, interviews were deductively coded to investigate why participants became involved in the program and why they continued participation. Results Findings from the study indicated that participants became involved with the Sport Hartford Boys (SHB) program mainly due to its emphasis on sport-related activities. Moreover, findings related to the youths' continued involvement revealed their value for the SHB program as a safe place that kept them out of trouble and provided experiences that led to positive personal development. Furthermore, results indicated that participation in the program facilitated the development of each “C” of youth development. Conclusion By promoting positive relationships and providing opportunities for self-exploration in a safe and trusting environment, afterschool programs can cultivate positive youth development in minority boys, at least in the short term.
Potential serum biomarkers and metabonomic profiling of serum in ischemic stroke patients using UPLC/Q-TOF MS/MS

Background Stroke still has a high incidence with a tremendous public health burden and it is a leading cause of mortality and disability. However, biomarkers for early diagnosis are absent and the metabolic alterations associated with ischemic stroke are not clearly understood. The objectives of this case-control study are to identify serum biomarkers and explore the metabolic alterations of ischemic stroke. Methods Metabonomic analysis was performed using ultra-performance liquid chromatography quadrupole time-of-flight tandem mass spectrometry and multivariate statistical analysis was employed to study 60 patients with or without ischemic stroke (30 cases and 30 controls). Results Serum metabolic profiling identified a series of 12 metabolites with significant alterations, and the related metabolic pathways involved glycerophospholipid, sphingolipid, phospholipid, fat acid, acylcarnitine, heme, and purine metabolism. Subsequently, multiple logistic regression analyses of these metabolites showed uric acid, sphinganine and adrenoyl ethanolamide were potential biomarkers of ischemic stroke with an area under the receiver operating characteristic curve of 0.941. Conclusions These findings provide insights into the early diagnosis and potential pathophysiology of ischemic stroke.
Closed-loop neutron particle effects testing on a recoverable flight control computer

This work describes a single event upset (SEU) experiment performed at the Los Alamos National Laboratory. A closed-loop control system consisting of a recoverable flight control computer (FCC) and a Boeing 737 simulator was operated while the FCC was exposed to a neutron beam. The purpose of this test was to analyze the effects of neutron bombardment on avionics control systems operating at altitudes where the occurrence of neutron effects is 100 or more times more probable than at sea level. The neutron energy spectrum produced at the Los Alamos National Laboratory is similar in shape to the spectrum of atmospheric neutrons but much more (at flight altitudes up to a million times more) intense. The higher intensity results in accelerated life tests that are representative of the actual neutron radiation that a FCC may receive over a period of years.
Salbutamol with metered dose inhalers with spacers – an established emergency treatment for preschool wheeze

Aims: Metered dose inhalers (MDI) with spacers were implemented to treat preschool wheeze in the emergency room (ER) and hospital in 2006 in our children’s hospital. The implementation at day time happened successfully within 4 months, but not at night time. The objective of the present study was to check the treatment mode, hospitalization rate and length of hospital stay (LOS) 4 years later.
Roles of tyrosine kinases in the regulation of nitric oxide synthesis in murine liver cells: Modulation of NF‐κB activity by tyrosine kinases

Nitric oxide (NO) synthesis is upregulated during chronic hepatic inflammation. The present study characterized the mechanisms involved in the induction of NO production and inducible NO synthase (iNOS) messenger RNA (mRNA) expression in murine embryonic liver cell line, BNL CL.2 cells. No production by BNL CL.2 cells was induced by interferon‐r (IFN‐r) plus lipopolysaccharide (LPS). However, other inflammatory cytokines such as interleukin (IL)‐β, tumor necrosis factor α (TNF‐α), and IL‐6 had no additional effects on it. The stimulatory effects of IFN‐r and LPS were time‐ and dose‐dependent. NO secretion was inhibited by treatment with inducible NOS inhibitors such as NG‐monomethyl L‐arginine, NG‐amino‐L‐arginine, and diphenylene iodonium. iNOS mRNA was induced 3 hours after IFN‐r plus LPS treatment, and iNOS expression was maximal in the presence of IFN‐r and LPS. The protein tyrosine kinase inhibitors such as genistein and tyrphostin reduced IFN‐r plus LPS‐induced iNOS mRNA expression and NO production. In contrast, the inhibitors of protein kinase C, protein kinase A, and protein phosphatases did not affect iNOS expression induced by IFN‐r plus LPS. In addition, iNOS mRNA expression was completely blocked by treatment with tyrphostin. However, mRNA expression of an early response gene, JunB, and constitutively expressed genes β‐actin and GAPDH were not inhibited by tyrphostin. Furthermore, tyrphostin inhibited the promoter activation of iNOS gene induced by IFN‐γ plus LPS, and it also suppressed IFN‐γ plus LPS‐induced nuclear factor‐κ B‐binding activity but not AP‐1‐binding activity. These results suggest that NO production and iNOS mRNA expression in this cell line is dependent on protein tyrosine kinases but does not require protein kinase C, protein kinase A, or protein phosphatases.
Compressive failure of unidirectional NCF composites

With more people flying every year, new technologies are needed to reduce our impact on the environment. One option is to reduce the energy used in flight by introducing lighter materials such as carbon fibre reinforced polymers (CFRP). This type of material can be used in cold to moderately high temperature regions of the aero-engine and the current trend is to maximize its use. The current use of CFRP in aerospace is dominated by tape-based composites (pre-pregs), which are processed in an autoclave. This offers optimum performance but at high cost. The current research project is carried out in response to an industrial need of cost-effective CFRP components in load carrying parts of the engine. Composites based on dry textile reinforcements such non-crimp fabric (NCF) offers potential cost savings over tape-based pre-preg materials, with good mechanical properties in general. One problem with the textile composites is their relatively low strength in longitudinal compression. This is due to the higher degree of fibre waviness generated by the textile architecture. The aim with this research projects is to develop failure criteria and computational methods needed for reliable and efficient design of aero-engine components from textile composites. When longitudinally arranged fibres in a composite are wavy, local misalignments are generated with respect to the load axis. These induce shear stresses, critical to compressive failure. The sensitivity to fibre misalignments is generally well known. Yet, no systematic measurements have previously been conducted of its spatial distribution. Existing models for strength prediction consider fibre misalignment representations as either, a scalar value, periodic or random. Our approach is instead based on measurements of fibre misalignment with high accuracy and high spatial resolution in a large number of samples. Misalignment data has been used for statistically based direct assessments of compressive strength. The misalignment data has also been used to calibrate models for strength prediction and for numerical studies to increase understanding. The diversity in studied fibre misalignments are not generated by artificial means, but instead reflect upon the relevant material architecture and processing principles. Many studies on compressive failure seek to model or understand details on kink-band formation. We have instead maintained a clear focus on failure initiation, relevant to aero-engine components. We have addressed the extreme sensitivity of kink-band initiation to fibre misalignment angle that subsequently lead to compressive failure within a ply. We conclude that kink-band initiation in practical fibre composites is a coordinated kinematic event. It requires studies of regions with real (measured) spatial distributions of fibre misalignment angles. These studies are preferably conducted on 2D micrographs parallel to the kink-plane.