Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Effectiveness of deet and permethrin, alone, and in a soap formulation as skin and clothing protectants against mosquitoes in Australia.

This note reports studies conducted in Australia to study the effectiveness of a new mosquito repellent formulation containing 20Vo N,N-diethyl-m-toluamide (deet) and 0.5Vo per methrin in a bar of soap. The active ingredients are not new. Deet has gained wide acceptance and is used in many countries throughout the world (Rutledge et al. 1978a). Its effects against many arthropod species have been studied, and these have shown it is effective against a number of insect genera (Rutledge et al. 1978b, Schreck 1977). More recently, the effectiveness of permethrin as a clothing impregnation or pressurized spray for personal protection against mosquitoes, ticks and biting flies has been demonstrated (Lindsay and McAndless 1978; Schreck et al. 1982, 1984, 1986). The soap formulation warranted study as it is cheap to produce; a 70 g block costing about $US 0.25, and encouraging results have been reported against mosquitoes in Malaysia (Yap 1986). Two field trials were conducted. An initial trial compared the effects of the soap containing deet and permethrin with th at of 95% deet alone on day-biting mosquitoes in a temperate salt marsh. A second trial compared the soap and deet formulation alone. and in combination with two clothing impregnations for personal protection against day-biting mosquitoes in a tropical rain forest. During this trial the effects of deet alone and the soap formulation on crepuscular mosquitoes was also compared. The first trial was conducted at Powells Creek Reserve, Homebush Bay, New South Wales in January 1986. The area is a salt marsh wetland with Salicornio sp. and mangrove being the main plant types present. Samples taken before and during this trial revealed the mosquito population was almost entirely (>99%) Aedes uigilax (Skuse). Six male volunteers were used during this trial. For the duration of the trial the volunteers wore Australian Army jungle greens, made of 100% cotton fabric, with trouser legs bloused and shirt sleeves rolled to the elbow. The Australian Army personal insect repellent
Genotoxic bioactivation of constituents of a diesel exhaust particle extract by the human lung

The ability of the human lung to catalyze genotoxic bioactivation of constituents of diesel exhaust particle (DEP) extract (DEPE) and the identity of the lung enzymes involved in the bioactivation were investigated using human lung tissues obtained from surgical resections. Genotoxicity was determined by lung S9‐catalyzed mutagenicity of DEPE constituents to Salmonella typhimurium TA98NR in the Ames test and by DEPE‐induced pneumocyte DNA damage response as determined by γH2Ax expression in ex vivo tissues. S9 was prepared from lung explants treated ex vivo with either DEPE to induce pulmonary enzymes (DEPE‐S9) or vehicle only (CON‐S9). TA98NR served as the tester strain for the purpose of enhancing and minimizing the contribution of lung S9 and Salmonella, respectively, to DEPE bioactivation. DEPE‐S9 was 2.2–fold more active than CON‐S9 or rat liver S9 in DEPE bioactivation and the bioactivation was inhibited 58, 45, 22, and 16% by α‐naphthoflavone, dicumarol, ketoconazole, and ticlopidine, respectively. Alveolar S9 was less active than bronchioalveolar S9 in DEPE bioactivation. DEPE and diesel exhaust particles (DEP) induced γ‐pH2Ax expression in pulmonary cells. Pulmonary CYP1A1 and NQO1 were induced by DEPE treatment, with the constitutive and induced CYP1A1 distributed throughout all peripheral lung regions, whereas NQO1 was limited in distribution to bronchiolar epithelium. The results show that the human lung is highly active in catalyzing genotoxic bioactivation of diesel emission constituents and that CYP1A and NQO1 play major roles in the reaction. The findings underscore the usefulness of human lung tissues in studies of the pneumotoxicity potential of chemicals to humans. Environ. Mol. Mutagen. 54:158–171, 2013. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Temperature effects on life history traits of two sympatric branchiopods from an ephemeral wetland

Temperature effects on organisms are of multiple scientific interests, such as for their life history performance and for the study of evolutionary strategies. We have cultured two sympatric branchiopod species from an ephemeral pond in northern Taiwan, Branchinella kugenumaensis and Eulimnadia braueriana, and compared their hatching rate, maturation time, sex ratio, growth of body length, survivorship, clutch size, net reproductive rate R0, generation time TG, and intrinsic rate of natural increase r in relation to temperature (15, 20, 25 and 30°C). We found that E. braueriana had a significantly higher temperature-dependent fecundity and intrinsic population growth pattern (R0 and r). In contrast, B. kugenumaensis reproduced much slower than E. braueriana with much lower R0 (90–100 folds less) and r (about 10 folds less) at 15, 20 and 25°C and with a double as long TG at 20 and 25°C. In addition, E. braueriana increased its chance of hermaphroditic sexual reproductive mode at higher temperature because of a significantly delayed maturation of males from hermaphrodites. In contrast, B. kugenumaensis showed no significant change in reproductive mode with temperature. This is the first study indicating a significant differentiation in life history parameters of two sympatric branchiopods mediated by temperature.
Racial disparities and socioeconomic status in men diagnosed with testicular germ cell tumors

Previous reports indicated that African‐American men with testicular germ cell tumors (TGCTs) have more aggressive tumor characteristics and less favorable outcomes than other men. The authors of this report evaluated the effects of race and socioeconomic status (SES) on stage distribution, overall mortality (OM), and cancer‐specific mortality (CSM) in men with TGCTs.
Reliable survival analysis based on the Dirichlet process

We present a robust Dirichlet process for estimating survival functions from samples with right‐censored data. It adopts a prior near‐ignorance approach to avoid almost any assumption about the distribution of the population lifetimes, as well as the need of eliciting an infinite dimensional parameter (in case of lack of prior information), as it happens with the usual Dirichlet process prior. We show how such model can be used to derive robust inferences from right‐censored lifetime data. Robustness is due to the identification of the decisions that are prior‐dependent, and can be interpreted as an analysis of sensitivity with respect to the hypothetical inclusion of fictitious new samples in the data. In particular, we derive a nonparametric estimator of the survival probability and a hypothesis test about the probability that the lifetime of an individual from one population is shorter than the lifetime of an individual from another. We evaluate these ideas on simulated data and on the Australian AIDS survival dataset. The methods are publicly available through an easy‐to‐use R package.
Sparseness constrained nonnegative matrix factorization for unsupervised 3D segmentation of multichannel images: demonstration on multispectral magnetic resonance image of the brain

A method is proposed for unsupervised 3D (volume) segmentation of registered multichannel medical images. To this end, multichannel image is treated as 4D tensor represented by a multilinear mixture model, i.e. the image is modeled as weighted linear combination of 3D intensity distributions of organs (tissues) present in the image. Interpretation of this model suggests that 3D segmentation of organs (tissues) can be implemented through sparseness constrained factorization of the nonnegative matrix obtained by mode-4 unfolding of the 4D image tensor. Sparseness constraint implies that only one organ (tissue) is dominantly present at each pixel or voxel element. The method is preliminary validated, in term of Dice's coefficient, on extraction of brain tumor from synthetic multispectral magnetic resonance image obtained from the TumorSim database.
Impact of postfire management on forest regeneration in a managed hemiboreal forest, Estonia

Fire is a significant agent for the development of boreal and hemiboreal forests, altering soil and light conditions, affecting seedbanks, and removing seed trees. Burned areas should be managed with care, as inappropriate techniques prolong the regeneration period and reduce the diversity and resilience of stands to disturbances. To study the effects of fire and postfire management on the successional changes in regeneration abundance, species composition and tree height sample plots were established in sandy pine forests in northwestern Estonia on areas burned 2 or 22 years ago. Five types of sample plots were established: (i) areas without fire damage, (ii) burned uncleared areas, (iii) burned forest areas cleared after forest fire, (iv) burned uncleared areas with live trees, and (v) burned uncleared areas with dead trees. Three main tree species common to hemiboreal forests were analyzed: Betula spp. , Pinus sylvestris L. , and Populus tremula L. Results showed that clearing burned areas after wildfire.
Pulmonary edema fluid antioxidants are depressed in acute lung injury

ObjectiveTo test the hypothesis that low concentrations of distal airspace water-soluble antioxidants are associated with acute lung injury. DesignProspective, cohort study. SettingMedical intensive care unit of two tertiary care hospitals. SubjectsSubjects were 29 patients with acute lung injury and 23 normal, healthy, volunteers. InterventionsNone. Measurements and Main ResultsPulmonary edema fluid from subjects with acute lung injury was aspirated immediately after intubation. Compared with the bronchoalveolar lavage from normal subjects (corrected for dilution using urea concentrations), undiluted edema fluid from acute lung injury subjects had significantly lower concentrations of the antioxidants urate (757 ± 232 &mgr;M vs. 328 ± 75 &mgr;M), glutathione (138 ± 25 &mgr;M vs. 7 ± 4 &mgr;M), and ascorbate (85 ± 21 &mgr;M vs. 27 ± 10 &mgr;M). ConclusionsAcute lung injury is associated with decreased concentrations of water-soluble antioxidants in the distal airspaces. In acute lung injury, the distal airspace antioxidants ascorbate, urate, and glutathione may play a role in attenuating lung injury.
TEMPORALITIES OF LATE CLASSIC TO POSTCLASSIC (ca. AD 600–1521) MAYA FIGURINES FROM CENTRAL PETÉN, GUATEMALA

Maya figurine styles from the Late Classic to Postclassic periods (ca. AD 600–1521) from central Petén, Guatemala undergo an abrupt change at the Terminal Classic-Postclassic transition (ca. AD 830–1000). Despite the intimate association of figurines with households, such shifts parallel those on stone monuments and decorated vessels, underscoring the role of figurines in processes of political upheaval. Documenting figurine chronologies over broad periods of time, however, tells us little about how people in the past may have experienced temporal changes. Thus, in concert with a focus on figurine chronologies, this article explores the temporalities of figurines as manifested through their discard, the simultaneous experience of old and new figurine styles, and tensions between personal and monumental time. Los estilos de las figurillas Mayas del centro de Petén, Guatemala, desde el Clásico tardío hasta el Posclásico (ca. 600–1521 dC), muestran un cambio abrupto en la transición entre el Clásico terminal y el Posclásico (830–1000 dC). A pesar de la estrecha asociación entre figurillas y espacios domésticos, tales cambios son análogos a los que ocurrieron en monumentos de piedra y vasijas polícromas, lo cual resalta el papel de las figurillas en los procesos de crisis política. Sin embargo, el registro cronológico de las figurillas durante largos períodos de tiempo nos ofrece pocas indicaciones sobre las experiencias individuales de dichos cambios temporales. Por lo tanto, en conjunto con un enfoque sobre la cronología de las figurillas, este artículo explora cómo se manifiestan las temporalidades de las mismas a través de las prácticas de descartar figurillas, la experiencia simultánea de viejos y nuevos estilos de figurillas y las tensiones entre tiempo personal y tiempo monumental.
The longitudinal relationship between depressive symptoms and disability for older adults: a population-based study.

BACKGROUND Although depressive symptoms in older adults are common, their relationship with disability and the influence of disability on the development of depressive symptoms over time is not well understood. This longitudinal study investigates the change trajectories of both depressive symptoms and disability, as well as their associations over time. METHODS Participants included 442 community-dwelling older adults living in Taiwan, aged 65 years or older, who completed six waves of survey interviews. Depression was scored with the Short Psychiatric Evaluation Schedule and disability with the instrumental and physical activities of daily living measure during each consecutive data collection wave. The autoregressive latent trajectory model and parallel latent growth curve modeling were adopted for analysis of the data. RESULTS The autoregressive latent trajectory model highlights that previous depressive symptoms (and disability) significantly contributed to the advancement of more severe depressive symptoms (and disability). This model also indicates that disability significantly contributed to the onset of depressive symptoms and vice versa. The parallel latent growth curve modeling highlights that the disability intercept had significant effects on the depressive symptoms intercept, as did the depressive symptoms on disability. Furthermore, the disability slope had significant effects on the slope of the depressive symptoms. CONCLUSIONS These findings demonstrate that disability is a stronger predictor of depressive symptoms than depressive symptoms are of disability. In addition, the prior existence of a health condition will lead to further deterioration of health conditions and that they often coexist.
Temporal Expression of Bim Limits the Development of Agonist-Selected Thymocytes and Skews Their TCRβ Repertoire

CD8αα TCRαβ+ intestinal intraepithelial lymphocytes play a critical role in promoting intestinal homeostasis, although mechanisms controlling their development and peripheral homeostasis remain unclear. In this study, we examined the spatiotemporal role of Bim in the thymic selection of CD8αα precursors and the fate of these cells in the periphery. We found that T cell–specific expression of Bim during early/cortical, but not late/medullary, thymic development controls the agonist selection of CD8αα precursors and limits their private TCRβ repertoire. During this process, agonist-selected double-positive cells lose CD4/8 coreceptor expression and masquerade as double-negative (DN) TCRαβhi thymocytes. Although these DN thymocytes fail to re-express coreceptors after OP9-DL1 culture, they eventually mature and accumulate in the spleen where TCR and IL-15/STAT5 signaling promotes their conversion to CD8αα cells and their expression of gut-homing receptors. Adoptive transfer of splenic DN cells gives rise to CD8αα cells in the gut, establishing their precursor relationship in vivo. Interestingly, Bim does not restrict the IL-15–driven maturation of CD8αα cells that is critical for intestinal homeostasis. Thus, we found a temporal and tissue-specific role for Bim in limiting thymic agonist selection of CD8αα precursors and their TCRβ repertoire, but not in the maintenance of CD8αα intraepithelial lymphocytes in the intestine.
A prospective study of wheezing in young children: The independent effects of cockroach exposure, breast‐feeding and allergic sensitization

The objective of this study was to evaluate risk factors for persistent wheezing in a group of 2–4‐year‐old children after an index‐wheezing episode in infancy. Eighty infants who had been seen at the Emergency Department for an episode of acute wheezing were followed for 2 yr in this prospective study. Caregivers completed a questionnaire, and children underwent clinical evaluation and skin prick testing 2 yr following the index‐wheezing episode. Detection of respiratory viruses and analysis of exposure to major indoor allergens were carried out at enrollment. Immunoglobin E antibodies were measured at the beginning of the study and at the end of follow‐up, using the CAP system. Logistic regression analysis was performed to identify factors associated with persistent wheezing. Seventy‐three children (44 boys) completed the study. After 2 yr, 38 (52%) reported three or more wheezing episodes in the past 12 months (persistent wheezers). Independent risk factors for persistence of wheezing were allergic sensitization and exposure to cockroach allergen in the kitchen. Breast‐feeding for at least 1 month was a protective factor. A strong association between allergic sensitization and persistence of wheezing was found in a group of very young children living in a subtropical area.
Patient adherence to prescribed therapies.

At least four factors are essential to the success of outpatient therapy: recognition of ill health; diagnosis of illness; planning of treatment; and the patient's adherence (or "compliance") to the therapeutic plan. While many of the diseases that currently plague the human species are preventable and/or treatable, successful prevention requires that the individual undertake the recommended preventive action; similarly, successful treatment often depends upon "the extent to which a person's behavior . coincides with medical or health advice. "' Unfortunately, data indicate that consid
Trans-arterial Chemo-Embolization in Treating Elderly Patients with Hepatocellular Carcinoma.

BACKGROUND This analysis was conducted to evaluate the efficacy and safety of Trans-arterial Chemo- Embolization (TACE) in treating Elderly patients with Hepatocellular Carcinoma (EHPC). METHODS Clinical studies evaluating the efficacy and safety of TACE on response and safety for patients with EHPC were identified by using a predefined search strategy. Pooled response rate of treatment were calculated. RESULTS In TACE based regimen, clinical studies which including patients with EHPC were considered eligible for the evaluation of response. And, in these TACE based treatments, pooled analysis suggested that, in all 288 patients whose response could be assessed, the pooled reponse rate was 29.5%(85/288) in TACE based treatment. The most commonly encountered TACE-related morbidity was liver function impairment. No grade III or IV renal or liver toxicity were observed. No treatment related death occurred in EHPC patients with TACE based treatments. CONCLUSION This evidence based analysis suggests that TACE based treatments are associated with mild response rate and accepted toxicities for treating patients with EHPC.
Automated sampling device for monitoring intracellular metabolite dynamics.

An automated sampling device coupled to a stirred tank reactor was developed for monitoring intracellular metabolite dynamics. Sample flasks fixed in transport magazines were moved by a step engine in a way that each sample flask was filled within 220 ms, resulting in a sampling rate of 4.5 s-1. Rapid inactivation of the metabolism was achieved by spraying the samples into 60% methanol at -50 degrees C. After centrifugation of the quenched cells at -20 degrees C the metabolites were extracted with perchloric acid and analyzed biochemically or with HPLC. The automated sampling device was applied for investigation of the intracellular metabolite dynamics of glycolysis in Escherichia coli after rapid glucose addition to a glucose-limited steady-state culture. For the first time oscillations of intracellular metabolite concentrations like glucose-6-phosphate, phosphoenolpyruvate, glyceraldehyde 3-phosphate, dihydroxyacetonphosphate, 3-phosphoglycerate, and pyruvate were quantified on a subseconds to seconds scale in E. coli. As an example, the kinetics of the decomposition of fructose 1, 6-bisphosphate to glyceraldehyde 3-phosphate and dihydroxyacetonphosphate were investigated by use of a well-known mechanistic kinetic model and the measured in vivo metabolite dynamics.
Effect of energy and lysine intake in gestation on sow performance.

Nutrient intake during gestation has an impact on gestation parameters and subsequent lactation performance. The objectives of this experiment were to determine the impact of feeding two levels of amino acids in gestation on sow BW changes in gestation and lactation, and litter size, and to evaluate a factorial method for determining daily energy requirements. At mating, 419 sows (Camborough 15; Pig Improvement Canada, Acme, AB) were assigned randomly within Parities 1, 2 or 3+ to a gestation diet containing either 0.44% (low lysine) or 0.55% (high lysine) total lysine and 3,100 kcal DE/kg; other indispensable amino acids were adjusted to lysine based on ideal protein ratios. Feed allowance in gestation was determined factorially using estimated DE requirements for maintenance, maternal gain, and conceptus growth. Sows were allowed free access to the lactation diet. Gestation BW gain from d 0 to 110 was affected by parity (61.2, 60.0, and 42.3 kg for Parity 1, 2, and 3+, respectively; P < 0.05) but not (P > 0.10) by gestation lysine level. Sow BW changes from d 0 of lactation to weaning were affected by parity (0.5, 6.8, and 5.8 kg for Parity 1, 2, and 3+, respectively; P < 0.01) and gestation BW gain (P < 0.01), but not by gestation lysine level (5.0 vs 3.8 kg for low and high lysine, respectively; P > 0.10). Total piglets born was affected by parity (11.5, 12.1, and 12.5, for Parity 1, 2, and 3+, respectively; P < 0.01) and increased with increasing sow BW gain (P < 0.05). Total piglets born alive (mean = 11.2) was increased with increasing sow BW gain (P < 0.05). Total litter weight born alive was affected by parity (15.9, 18.6, and 19.4 kg for Parities 1, 2, and 3+, respectively; P < 0.01) and gestation BW gain (P < 0.05). The model used to determine daily energy intake requirements resulted in an average BW gain of 10.6 kg above the targets set by the model. Total lysine intakes greater than 10.6 g/d in gestation did not improve sow productivity. Setting target weight gains in gestation and feeding to meet these targets may not always provide predictable results due to a number of factors that affect the energy requirement in the sow.