Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Adapting Agricultural Production Systems to Climate Change—What’s the Use of Models?

Climate change poses a challenge to agricultural production and its impacts vary depending on regional focus and on the type of production system. To avoid production losses and make use of emerging potentials, adaptations in agricultural management will inevitably be required. Adaptation responses can broadly be distinguished into (1) short-term incremental responses that farmers often choose autonomously in response to observed changes and based on local knowledge and experiences, and (2) long-term transformative responses that require strategic planning, and which are usually implemented at a larger spatial scale. Models can be used to support decision making at both response levels; thereby, different features of models prove more or less valuable depending on the type of adaptation response. This paper presents a systematic literature review on the state-of-the-art in modelling for adaptation planning in agricultural production systems, investigating the question of which model types can be distinguished and how these types differ in the way they support decision making in agricultural adaptation planning. Five types of models are distinguished: (1) empirical crop models; (2) regional suitability models; (3) biophysical models; (4) meta-models; and (5) decision models. The potential and limitations of these model types for providing decision-support to short- and long-term adaptation planning are discussed. The risk of maladaptation—adaptation that implies negative consequences either in the long term or in a wider context—is identified as a key challenge of adaptation planning that needs more attention. Maladaptation is not only a risk of decision making in the face of incomplete knowledge of future climate impacts on the agricultural production system; but it can also be a threat if the connectedness of the agroecosystem is not sufficiently acknowledged when management adaptations are implemented. Future research supporting climate change adaptation efforts should thus be based on integrated assessments of risk and vulnerabilities (considering climate variability and uncertainty). To secure adaptation success in the long term, frameworks for monitoring management adaptations and their consequences should be institutionalised.
The health plan choices of retirees under managed competition.

OBJECTIVE To investigate the effect of price on the health insurance decisions of Medicare-eligible retirees in a managed competition setting. DATA SOURCE The study is based on four years of administrative data from the University of California (UC) Retiree Health Benefits Program, which closely resembles the managed competition model upon which several leading Medicare reform proposals are based. STUDY DESIGN A change in UC's premium contribution policy between 1993 and 1994 created a unique natural experiment for investigating the effect of price on retirees' health insurance decisions. This study consists of two related analyses. First, I estimate the effect of changes in out-of-pocket premiums between 1993 and 1994 on the decision to switch plans during open enrollment. Second, using data from 1993 to 1996, I examine the extent to which rising premiums for fee-for-service Medigap coverage increased HMO enrollment among Medicare-eligible UC retirees. PRINCIPLE FINDINGS Price is a significant factor affecting the health plan decisions of Medicare-eligible UC retirees. However, these retirees are substantially less price sensitive than active UC employees and the non-elderly in other similar programs. This result is likely attributable to higher nonpecuniary switching costs facing older individuals. CONCLUSIONS Although it is not clear exactly how price sensitive enrollees must be in order to generate price competition among health plans, the behavioral differences between retirees and active employees suggest that caution should be taken in extrapolating from research on the non-elderly to the Medicare program.
Safety of pegylated interferon and ribavirin therapy for chronic hepatitis C in patients with sickle cell anemia.

AIM To evaluate the safety and efficacy of combined pegylated interferon and ribavirin for the treatment of chronic hepatitis C (HCV) in patients with sickle cell anemia (SCA). METHODS Fifty-two patients with SCA and HCV were treated over a period of 7 years from June 2002 to July 2009. Their medical records were reviewed for: age at treatment, sex, body mass index, Hb level at the start of therapy and on follow-up, hemoglobin electrophoresis, liver function tests, G6PD level, LDH, bilirubin, HCV-RNA viral load, HCV genotype, liver biopsy, duration of treatment, and side effects. All were treated with pegylated interferon and a standard dose of ribavirin. The treatment was continued for 24 wk for those with genotype 2 and 3 and for 48 wk for those with genotype 1 and 4. RESULTS Fifty-two patients (30 females and 22 males) were treated. Their mean age was 29.5 years (range 15-54 years). HCV genotype was determined in 48 and 15 had liver biopsy. Their mean pre-treatment HCV-RNA viral load was 986330 IU/mL (range 12762-3329282 IU/mL). The liver biopsy showed grade I in 6 and grade II in 9 and stage I in 13 and stage II in 2. Only 8 were receiving hydroxyurea at the time of treatment. All tolerated the treatment well and none experienced a decrease in their Hb which required blood transfusion pre, during or after therapy. There were no hematological side effects attributable to ribavirin at the usual recommended dose. Thirty-seven (71.2%) achieved SVR at 6 mo after the end of treatment. The remaining 15 were non-responders. Two of them showed an ETR but had a relapse. The remaining 13 had a relatively significant HCV-RNA viral load with a mean HCV-RNA viral load of 1829741.2 IU/mL (900000-3329282 IU/mL) and eight of them had HCV genotype 1, four had HCV genotype 4, and one had HCV genotype 5. CONCLUSION Patients with SCA and HCV can be treated with pegylated interferon and ribavirin at the usual recommended dose. This is even so in those who are not receiving hydroxyurea. The treatment is safe and effective and the response rate is comparable to those without SCA.
Perbedaan Biaya Riil Rumah Sakit dan Tarif INA-CBG untuk Kasus Katastropik dengan Penyakit Jantung Koroner pada Pasien Rawat Inap Peserta Jaminan Kesehatan Nasional di RSUZA

Latar Belakang : Tarif riil merupakan tarif yang digunakan rumah sakit berdasarkan jasa per pelayanan sesuai peraturan daerah. Sedangkan Indonesia Case Based Groups (INA-CBG) merupakan paket pembiayaan kesehatan berbasis kasus dengan mengelompokkan berbagai jenis pelayanan menjadi satu kesatuan. Terdapat perbedaan tarif riil dengan tarif INA-CBG pada pembayaran klaim Jaminan Kesehatan Nasional (JKN) untuk kasus katastropik. Tujuan penelitian ini adalah menganalisis perbedaan tarif riil dan tarif INA-CBG untuk kasus katastropik dengan penyakit jantung koroner. Metode: Penelitian ini bersifat deskriptif analitik dengan desain cross-sectional . Pengumpulan data dilakukan dengan studi dokumen dan check list . Populasi dalam penelitian ini adalah seluruh pasien rawat inap peserta JKN yang menderita penyakit jantung koroner yaitu sebanyak 100 orang. Sampel yang digunakan adalah proportional random sampling yang berjumlah 100 orang. Hasil: Ada perbedaan signifikan pada biaya riil rumah sakit dengan tarif INA-CBG yang ditunjukkan dengan nilai p - value 0,001. Selisih tarif rumah sakit dengan INA-CBG adalah sebesar Rp-532.954. 324,- atau -27% dari tarif INA-CBG. Kesimpulan: Rumah sakit diharapkan melakukan evaluasi kembali penghitungan biaya pelayanan untuk mencapai efisiensi yang tinggi dengan tetap memperhatikan mutu pelayanan di rumah sakit.
Lipopeptide Production in Pseudomonas sp. Strain DSS73 Is Regulated by Components of Sugar Beet Seed Exudate via the Gac Two-Component Regulatory System

ABSTRACT Pseudomonas sp. strain DSS73 isolated from the sugar beet rhizosphere produces the cyclic lipopeptide amphisin, which inhibits the growth of plant-pathogenic fungi. By Tn5::luxAB mutagenesis, we obtained two nonproducing mutant strains, DSS73-15C2 and DSS73-12H8. The gene interrupted by the transposon in strain DSS73-15C2 (amsY) encoded a protein with homology to peptide synthetases that was designated amphisin synthetase. DSS73-12H8 carried the transposon in a regulatory gene encoding a protein with homology to the sensor kinase GacS. Growth of strain DSS73-15C2 (amsY) was impaired during the transition to stationary phase in a minimal medium amended with an exudate of sugar beet seeds. This growth phenotype could be complemented by purified amphisin. Seed exudate further induced expression of bioluminescence from the amsY::luxAB reporter during the transition to stationary phase. This agreed with an increase in amphisin production by the DSS73 wild-type strain during early stationary phase. Amphisin synthesis in DSS73 was strictly dependent on GacS, and even induction by seed exudate depended on a functional gacS locus. Hence, a signal triggering the GacS/GacA two-component system appeared to be present in the seed exudate.
Urban-rural differentials in child undernutrition in Ethiopia

Empirical evidence on the impacts of household poverty and other socio-demographic factors regarding child undernutrition is essential in targeting resources appropriately to raise the health of the poor and most vulnerable groups. There is a paucity of such evidence in Ethiopia. The present study identified urban-rural differences in the magnitude and determinants of under-five child undernutrition in Ethiopia. Complete anthropometric data for 9,472 under-five children were obtained from the 2011 Ethiopian Demographic and Health Survey dataset. Undernutrition is measured by using underweight as the key outcome variable. The 2006 World Health Organization growth standards are used to calculate underweight. Bivariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses were done to see the strength of association. The magnitude of underweight was observed to be 32.7% [95%CI = (31.7, 33.6)] among rural children and 15.8% [95%CI = (15.1, 16.5)] among urban. Multivariate analyses showed that living in urban of Tigray and Somali regions, poor household wealth status and lack of toilet facility were the urban determinants of child underweight in Ethiopia, whereas living in rural of Gambela and Harari regions, child age of 2 and over, mother’s age at first birth being 18 and under, poor and medium household wealth status and child did not take drugs for intestinal parasites in the last six months were factors independently associated with child underweight in the rural of Ethiopia. In conclusion, the study highlighted that special attention needs to be given to policies aimed at reducing underweight based on the magnitude and nature of factors, such as poverty, early marriage, child age, anti-helmentic drugs, toilet facilities and regional characteristics. Key words: Children, Ethiopia, undernutrition.
There is no such a thing as a free cigarette; lining nests with discarded butts brings short‐term benefits, but causes toxic damage

Adaptation to human‐modified environments such as cities is poised to be a major component of natural history in the foreseeable future. Birds have been shown to adapt their vocalizations, use of nesting places and activity rhythms to the urban environments, and we have previously reported that some species, including the house finch (Carpodacus mexicanus), use cellulose from smoked cigarette butts as lining material and thus reduce the number of ectoparasites in their nests, probably because the nicotine repels arthropods. Nicotine is only one of hundreds of potentially harmful substances found in cigarette butts. Here, we investigated whether the presence of such chemicals is harmful for house finches adding cigarette butts to their nests. We found that hatching and fledging success and chick immune response were all positively correlated to the proportion of the nest that was made up of butts. However, the signs of genotoxicity in the blood cells also increased with the proportion of butt cellulose in the nests. Although we have not measured the effect of genotoxicity on post‐fledging survival and breeding success, it seems that bringing cigarette butts to the nest has negative consequences that may counterbalance the benefits of using them as ectoparasites repellents.
PUBLIC HEALTH AND THE URBAN GRAY SQUIRREL: MYCOLOGY

From 180 gray squirrels (Sciurus c. carolinesis), 942 isolates of fungi representing 19 genera were recovered upon culture of hair-skin scrapings and toenails. Of the isolates, 170 represented known human pathogens and 142, squirrel pathogens. A human infection of Trichophyton mentagrophytes was derived from handling the squirrels. Skin lesions of seven squirrels were attributable to T. mentagrophytes and Mucor sp.
Prospective Randomized Comparison of Closed Cooled‐Tip versus 8‐mm‐Tip Catheters for Radiofrequency Ablation of Typical Atrial Flutter

Cooled‐Tip vs 8‐mm‐Tip Ablation of Atrial Flutter. Introduction: Cooled‐tip and 8‐mm‐tip catheters have been found to be more effective than conventional 4‐mm‐tip catheters for radiofrequency (RF) ablation of common atrial flutter. The aim of this study was to compare the efficacy and safety of cooled‐tip and 8‐mm‐tip catheters for flutter ablation in a randomized, prospective study.
Occurrence and properties of the hyperpolarization-activated current If in ventricular myocytes from normotensive and hypertensive rats during aging.

BACKGROUND Cellular electrophysiological alterations may contribute to arrhythmogenesis in cardiac hypertrophy. An L-like current occurs in left ventricular myocytes (LVMs) isolated from the hypertrophied heart of old spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR). Factors that influence L occurrence during development of cardiac hypertrophy were studied by determining its presence, amplitude, characteristics, and beta-adrenoceptor modulation. METHODS AND RESULTS Patch-clamped LVMs from young (2 to 3 months old) or old (18 to 24 months old) normotensive Wistar-Kyoto rats (WKY) and SHR were used. A diastolic depolarization phase was present in old SHR. An If-like current occurred in > 90% of LVMs from old SHR and WKY and in approximately = 15% of LVMs from young rats (P < .05). Activation curves of If were similar in old rats, with the midpoint at -92.9 +/- 2.9 mV in WKY (n = 42) and -88.1 +/- 1.5 mV in SHR (n = 25); maximal specific conductance was 54.4 +/- 1.7 in SHR and 20.1 +/- 0.5 picosiemens/picofarad in WKY (P < .05). In WKY, If amplitude was linearly related to membrane capacitance, an index of cell size (r = .53, P < .001). This relation was absent in SHR, in which a significant positive correlation was found between the heart weight to body weight ratio and I(f) density. In both old WKY and old SHR, 0.1 mumol/L (-)-isoproterenol increased I(f) amplitude by shifting its activation curve toward more positive potentials. CONCLUSIONS In LVMs from both WKY and SHR, the occurrence of I(f) increases with aging. Density appears linearly related to the severity of cardiac hypertrophy and increases with beta-adrenoceptor stimulation, which suggests that I(f) may contribute to an increased propensity of the hypertrophied heart for arrhythmias.
The relationship between the clearance and the plasma concentration of inulin in normal man.

Shannon and Smith (1) found that in normal man, the rate of excretion of inulin was directly proportional to its concentration in plasma when the latter varied from 50 to 400 mg. per cent. Later Miller, Alving, and Rubin (2). extended these observations to plasma concentrations of inulin between 3 and 96 mg. per cent and reached similar conclusions. Both groups considered that this constituted important evidence that inulin clearance measured the rate of glomerular filtration. Recently, Ferguson, Olbrich, Robson, and Stewart (3) presented data showing that the rate of excretion of inulin was not directly proportional to its concentration in plasma, and that the clearance of inulin was dependent upon the concentration of this substance in plasma. In view of the significance generally attached to the clearance of inulin in renal physiological studies and in view of the critical importance of precise estimation of glomerular filtration rate, it was decided to reinvestigate this problem.
Attention please: No affective priming effects in a valent/neutral-categorisation task

Affective congruency effects in the evaluation task can be explained by either spreading of activation or response competition. Eliminating effects of response compatibility by using other tasks (semantic categorisation, naming task) typically also eliminates affective congruency effects. However, there is no need for processing the affective information of the stimuli in these tasks either, which could be necessary for an affectively mediated spreading of activation (Spruyt et al., 2007, 2009, 2012). We introduced a new task to further test this hypothesis. The valent/neutral-categorisation task does not confound affective congruency with response compatibility, but still requires a processing of the stimuli's valence. No affective congruency effect was obtained with this task in two experiments, disfavouring a conditional spreading activation account. On the other hand, a significant priming effect was found for associated word pairs in Experiment 1, providing evidence for the sensitivity of the task to detect spreading activation processes.
Long-term effects of crop rotation and fertilizers on weed community in spring barley

Integrated weed management programs require a clear understanding of the mechanisms influencing the establishment, growth, and reproduction of unwanted plants (weeds) in agro-ecosystems. This study evaluates the effect of long-term (95 years after the establishment of the site) crop rotation and chemical fertilizers on the weed community dynamics in spring barley at the Agricultural University of Timiriazev, Agricultural Site in Moscow. The weed community occurring on plots of spring barley (grown in crop rotation or continuous) was examined under nitrogen, potassium, phosphorus, NPK, and a control with no fertilizer treatments. Statistical analyses were conducted using analysis of variance (ANOVA) and principal component analysis (PCA). The results show that a) at the study sites, spring weeds are dominant components on agro-ecosystems; b) weed density, particularly of perennials, has significantly decreased under crop rotation; c) the combination of fertilizers (NPK) also decreased the weed density, d) weed density under separate N, P, and K applications was almost the same as that in the control plots. These results suggest that long-term crop rotation and NPK application can strongly affect and reduce weed density in spring barley.
Dominant inheritance of tooth malpositions and their association to hypodontia

Four kindreds with family‐specific malposition of cuspids were studied. Besides malposition of cuspids, the members also showed varying combinations of other anomalies: malposition, malformation or hypodontia of upper lateral incisors, second bicuspids and lower central incisors. The pedigrees provided convincing evidence for autosomal dominant transmission of the abnormalities studied. Their nature and location allow the assumption that they represent different expressions of one dominant gene causing a primary disturbance in the critical marginal area of the embryonic dental lamina.
Real-Time Underwater Object Detection Based on DC Resistivity Method

A new real-time underwater object detection method adopting geophysical direct-current resistivity techniques is proposed. Our final goals are real-time detection and tracking of small submarines in water depths less than 100 m, under acoustically noisy conditions. The main features of our method are as follows: a detection line, several kilometers long and semipermanently buried in the seabed, consisting of two current electrodes and multiple potential electrodes; fixed current electrode configurations for high-speed real-time detection of the target object; measurement of extremely low-level electric field signals, made possible by the shielding effect of the conductive seawater overburden; and signals from a moving object such as a submarine are extracted by differential data analysis because the target object passes through the detection area for only a short time compared with the long-term drift change of the electrical properties of seawater. We verify our method and confirm real-time detection feasibility through numerical and physical scale experiments. For this purpose, a dedicated instrument and a background data update algorithm are developed, and a differential data analysis method is used. The background data update algorithm is used for counteracting the time-varying electrical characteristics of seawater. The differential data analysis method is exploited to extract disturbed signals by objects from complex background data. Through numerical experiments, we find that the x-coordinate value of a target object corresponds to the position of a peak data point, and this result is consistent with 1:200 downscaled water tank experiments. We also confirm real-time detection feasibility using our instrument through an offshore experiment. We expect that our proposed method will complement conventional detection methods for harbor defense and surveillance systems in acoustically noisy environments.
Natural Field Orientation Concept: a Tutorial

Natural field orientation (NFO) is a technique for generating a rotating reference frame position for an induction machine which is aligned with the stator flux. The term "natural" is applied because there is an implicit tendency for the rotating frame to realign with the correct stator flux frame position if there is a perturbation away from this position. This paper presents a tutorial on the different forms of NFO and their various merits and deficiencies relative to each other. In addition it also examines the relationship between NFO and stator flux orientation (SFO). It briefly examines frame alignment stability issues in both NFO and SFO, highlighting the essential differences in the performance. Finally, a rotor flux NFO version is developed and compared to the stator flux oriented NFO. The discussions are backed up by simulation and experimental results where appropriate.
Tumor cells

[Graphic][1] Cdc2 (red) promotes migration by phosphorylating caldesmon (green) in membrane ruffles.Metastatic tumor cells are dangerous because they not only proliferate but also migrate and invade other tissues. On [page 817][2], Manes et al. reach the surprising conclusion that
Invasive group B streptococcal disease in Maryland nursing home residents.

Between 1991 and 1995, among 999 nonpregnant adult Maryland residents with group B Streptococcus (GBS) isolated from a normally sterile site, 84 resided in nursing homes (NHs). The age-adjusted annual incidence of GBS infection (per 100,000 population) among those > or = 65 years old was 72.3 for NH residents and 17.5 for community residents (relative risk, 4.1; P < 0.001). Thirty-four case patients resided in 11 NHs with > or = 2 cases; 1 NH had 8 case patients within 22 months. Six of 8 case patients from 3 NHs had serotype V GBS. Molecular subtyping of several isolates identified 2 case patients in 1 NH with identical subtype patterns. NH residents have a markedly higher incidence of invasive GBS than do community residents > or = 65 years old and may serve as a target group for immunization when GBS vaccines become available. Further evaluation of intra-NH transmission of GBS is warranted.