Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Forest and Rainfall Interactions in the Amazon Basin

Biosphere-atmosphere interactions in the Amazon region as seen from the point of view of rainfall production are presented in light of recent research results that focus not only on the natural environment but also on the effects of human intervention in the region through land use and land cover change and biomass burning activities. The effects of deforestation are seen as an initial enhancement of rainfall accumulation while the rate of deforestation is small and as deforestation progresses a warming trend and decrease in rainfall is expected. Aerosols from biomass burning act as a cooling agent at the surface and suppress rainfall from shallow clouds. For deep clouds the effect of aerosol increase is highly non-linear. The change in rainfall features in the Amazon Basin may have an impact on global climate through teleconnection.
Graph theory and the Jahn–Teller theorem

The Jahn–Teller (JT) theorem predicts spontaneous symmetry breaking and lifting of degeneracy in degenerate electronic states of (nonlinear) molecular and solid-state systems. In these cases, degeneracy is lifted by geometric distortion. Molecular problems are often modelled using spectral theory for weighted graphs, and the present paper turns this process around and reformulates the JT theorem for general vertex- and edge-weighted graphs themselves. If the eigenvectors and eigenvalues of a general graph are considered as orbitals and energy levels (respectively) to be occupied by electrons, then degeneracy of states can be resolved by a non-totally symmetric re-weighting of edges and, where necessary, vertices. This leads to the conjecture that whenever the spectrum of a graph contains a set of bonding or anti-bonding degenerate eigenvalues, the roots of the Hamiltonian matrix over this set will show a linear dependence on edge distortions, which has the effect of lifting the degeneracy. When the degenerate level is non-bonding, distortions of vertex weights have to be included to obtain a full resolution of the eigenspace of the degeneracy. Explicit treatments are given for examples of the octahedral graph, where the degeneracy to be lifted is forced by symmetry, and the phenalenyl graph, where the degeneracy is accidental in terms of the automorphism group.
Evaluation of carriers used in the test methods of the Association of Official Analytical Chemists

Revision of the official test method for the determination of the tuberculocidal activity of disinfectants is being undertaken. The current procedure lacks precision and accuracy and is not quantitative. Variability associated with carriers and the lack of temperature control were evaluated in this paper. The use of porcelain versus stainless steel carriers was also evaluated. When carriers of either type were contaminated with Mycobacterium bovis BCG, the number of organisms on the carriers varied by as much as 1.0 on the log10 scale. The average number of organisms attached to each porcelain carried was 1.10 x 10(5) CFU (range, 2.7 x 10(4) to 2.7 x 10(5) CFU), whereas the average number of organisms attached to each stainless steel carrier was 1.38 x 10(5) CFU (range, 2.9 x 10(4) to 4.0 x 10(5) CFU). The average number of cells attached to the carrier was directly proportional to the number of cells in the contaminating cell suspension. Variations in drying time did not alter the number of cells attached to the carrier. When porcelain carriers were placed in a test solution, the average number of organisms washed from the carriers was 55% of the total, with a range of 19 to 80%, whereas for stainless steel carriers, the average number was 82% of the total, with a range of 52 to 96%. Data for B. subtilis spores were similar to those for M. bovis BCG, suggesting that there may be similar problems with the Association of Official Analytical Chemists sporicidal test, which uses carriers. It was also found that the lack of an exacting temperature control could influence the outcome of the test. Changes in temperature as little as 1 degree C could influence the rate of killing of M. bovis BCG.
On the role of retrosplenial cortex in long‐lasting memory storage

The retrosplenial cortex (RSC) is involved in a range of cognitive functions. However, its precise involvement in memory processing is unknown. Pharmacological and behavioral experiments demonstrate that protein synthesis and c‐Fos expression in the anterior part of RSC (aRSC) are necessary late after training to maintain for many days a fear‐motivated memory. Long‐lasting memory storage is regulated by D1/D5 dopamine receptors in aRSC and depends on the functional interplay between dorsal hippocampus and aRSC. These results suggest that the RSC recapitulates some of the molecular events that occur in the hippocampus to maintain memory trace over time. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Who Goes Online for Suicide-Related Reasons?

BACKGROUND Although people who use the Internet for suicide-related reasons have been found to report significantly higher levels of suicidal ideation, little is known about the characteristics of these users. AIMS To examine the differences between suicidal people who use the Internet for suicide-related reasons and those who do not. METHOD Participants were 205 Australian citizens and permanent residents aged 18-24 years who had felt suicidal within the past year. Participants were recruited online through non-mental health-related websites and asked to complete an anonymous online survey. RESULTS In univariate analyses, suicide-related users reported significantly higher levels of social anxiety and lifetime and past year suicidal ideation than non-suicide-related users, as well as a higher likelihood of future suicide and overall higher risk for suicide. There were no differences on depressive symptoms and perceived social support. Both groups were unlikely to anticipate seeking help from any source and generally perceived similar barriers to offline help-seeking. Multivariate analyses showed that past year suicidal ideation and likelihood of future suicide significantly predicted suicide-related Internet use. CONCLUSIONS Individuals may choose to go online for alternative methods of coping when their suicidal feelings become more severe, demonstrating the need for more online suicide prevention efforts.
Preliminary Studies of the Effects of Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenator on the Disposition of Common Pediatric Drugs

There is an increased use of extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) in the last 15 years for critically ill neonates. While receiving ECMO therapy, the critically ill infant needs various medications. We performed an in vitro study to evaluate the potential effect of the membrane oxygenator on drug extraction. Two closed ECMO circuits were set up at rates of 320 ml/min. One circuit was new and the other was used clinically for 5 days. Morphine at 8 ng/ml, gentamicin 10 μg/ml, vancomycin 40 μg/ml, phenobarbital 20 μg/ml, and phenytoin 20 μg/ml were injected into the circuit at 1-h intervals. Blood samples were drawn from the circuit at 10, 30, 60, and 240 minutes after injection. In the new circuit, drugs were eliminated as follows: vancomycin 36%, gentamicin 10%, phenobarbital 17%, phenytoin 43%, morphine 36%. In the used system, levels fell to a much smaller extent: vancomycin 11%, phenobarbital 6%, gentamicin 0%, phenytoin 0%, and morphine 16%. In a child receiving 20 μg/kg/h infusion of morphine, steady-state concentrations of 68.2 ng/ml fell to 11.6 ng/ml after changing the membrane. Our data indicate that the ECMO is associated with lowering of the concentrations of commonly used medications and that this process may depend partially on how new the membrane is. Before these changes may lead to new dosing guidelines for small children receiving ECMO, more experiments with new and used systems are warranted, as well as with different types of ECMO.
Immunohistochemical study on distribution of endocrine cells in gastrointestinal tract of flower fish (Pseudophoxinus antalyae).

AIM To detect distribution and relative frequency of endocrine cells in gastrointestinal tract of flower fish (Pseudophoxinus antalyae). METHODS The intestinal tract of flower fish was divided into four portions from proximal to distal; the enlarged area after oesophagus and anterior, middle and posterior intestine. Immunohistochemical method using the peroxidase anti-peroxidase complex was employed. All antisera between four portions of flower fish were compared using ANOVA. RESULTS Eleven types of gut endocrine cells were determined; they were immunoreactive for calcitonin gene related peptide, substance P, vasoactive intestinal peptide, bombesin, somatostatin-14, secretin, TrkA, TrkB, TrkC, neurotensin, neuropeptide Y, which were found in almost all portions of the gastrointestinal tract. CONCLUSION The regional distribution and relative frequency of immunoreactive cells in the flower fish, Pseudophoxinus antalyae, are essentially similar to those of other fish.
Second-Look Surgery in Patients With Peritoneal Dissemination From Appendiceal Malignancy: Analysis of Prognostic Factors in 98 Patients

ObjectiveTo establish selection criteria for reoperation in patients with peritoneal dissemination from appendiceal malignancy. Summary Background DataThe outcome of patients with mucinous appendiceal neoplasms with peritoneal surface dissemination has changed as a result of a better understanding of the clinical and pathologic features of this disease. This knowledge, combined with aggressive strategies for the use of perioperative intraperitoneal chemotherapy and peritonectomy procedures, has resulted in long-term disease-free survival in many of these patients. However, some of the patients develop progressive disease, and a question regarding additional surgery is appropriate. A critical analysis of the results of second-look surgery should assist in the management of patients with recurrent peritoneal surface dissemination of an appendiceal neoplasm. MethodsThree hundred twenty-one patients with epithelial peritoneal surface malignancy of appendiceal origin underwent surgery during a 12-year period. Ninety-eight of these patients (30.5%) underwent a second-look procedure. A database of selected clinical features regarding these 98 patients was gathered from the clinical records. A critical statistical analysis of these clinical features and their prognostic impact was performed using survival as an endpoint. All patients were managed by a treatment regimen that used cytoreductive surgery and intraperitoneal chemotherapy. ResultsThe overall 5-year survival rate of these 98 patients was 73.6%. This compared favorably with a 68% survival rate of 223 patients who did not undergo reoperation. Survival based on the number of cytoreductive surgeries and the free interval between them showed no significant difference. Patients who had second-look surgery with bowel obstruction as a symptom and those in whom the amount of tumor was increased or minimally decreased at the first and second cytoreductions had a significantly inferior 5-year survival rate. A complete second cytoreduction was associated with an improved 5-year survival rate. ConclusionsFollow-up of patients treated for peritoneal dissemination from neoplasms of appendiceal origin is indicated. Selected patients in whom recurrence develops are candidates for repeat cytoreductive surgery plus intraperitoneal chemotherapy with curative intent.
Residual-Quantization Based Code Design for Compressing Noisy Sources With Arbitrary Decoder Side Information

This paper considers noisy Wyner-Ziv coding (WZC), in which a remote noisy source is compressed with side information at the decoder only. The decoder side information is not limited to being Gaussian, thus this noisy WZC problem cannot be transformed into the conventional one tailored for noiseless sources. A new coding structure, named the residual-quantization (RQ) based noisy WZC, is proposed to solve the problem. This scheme explicitly constructs the theoretical auxiliary random variable to facilitate optimal reconstruction of the noisy source. In this two-stage encoder, the noisy source is quantized twice and the quantization error (residue) of the first stage is the input of the second stage. By sending only the quantization index of the second stage to the decoder, the corresponding code rate can theoretically approach the noisy WZC bound. Moreover, the RQ-based noisy WZC is implemented using graph-based codes. The main challenge is that it is necessary to design a codebook that is simultaneously good for source and channel coding for the first stage quantization, since this quantization code also acts as a channel code at the decoder. This problem is solved by constructing a low-density parity check (LDPC) code with edge degrees optimized for channel coding, and enhancing its performance for source coding by using a modified reinforced belief-propagation quantization algorithm. Simulation results show that the noisy Wyner-Ziv bounds can be practically approached by our implementation. In addition, the proposed implementation offers more flexibility in the code rates compared with the existing practical designs, making it more suitable for emerging applications such as fronthaul compression.
Determinants of Farmers’ Agricultural Diversification: The Case of Cambodia

A Heckman sample selection approach is employed with the data on Cambodia Socio-Economic Survey CSES-2007 to explore price and non-price factors determining farmers’ crop diversification decision, and consequently affecting diversification intensity. "The findings suggest that high relative price discourages farmers from diversifying crops. " Irrigation, agricultural equipment ownership and farming expenditure have significantly positive effects on the decision, and sequentially increasing the intensity. Arable land size per household member, agricultural and transportation equipments have positive correlation with the diversification decision. Small scale of farming is a major hindrance to the decision, and consequently reducing the intensity. Land dispute, one of the main institutional matters in Cambodia, is found to have significantly negative marginal-effect on farmers’ decision on crop diversification.
Pathogenic potential and genotypic diversity of Campylobacter jejuni: a neglected food‐borne pathogen in Brazil

Purpose and methodology. Campylobacter jejuni is a major zoonotic pathogen that causes food‐borne gastroenteritis worldwide. However, there are only a few studies available that have molecularly characterized C. jejuni strains isolated in Brazil. The aim of this study was to genotype 111 C. jejuni strains isolated from sick humans (43), monkey faeces (19), chicken faeces (14), chicken meat (33) and sewage (2) between 1996 and 2016 in Brazil using flaA‐SVR (short variable region) sequencing and PFGE. Furthermore, the presence of 16 virulence genes was analysed by PCR. Results. Using PFGE and flaA‐SVR sequencing, the 111 C. jejuni strains studied were grouped into three and two clusters, respectively, and some strains of different origin presented a similarity of ≥80 %. In total, 35 flaA‐SVR alleles were detected. Alleles gt45, gt49 and gt57 were the most prevalent, in contrast with those frequently described in the PubMLST database. All 111 C. jejuni strains contained the genes flaA, flhA, cadF, docA, cdtA, cdtB, cdtC, iamA, ciaB, sodB, dnaJ, pldA, racR and csrA. The wlaN gene was detected in 11 strains (9.9 %), and the virB11 in just one strain (0.9 %). Conclusions. In conclusion, the pathogenic potential of the C. jejuni strains studied was highlighted by the high frequency of the majority of the virulence genes searched. The flaA‐SVR sequencing and PFGE results showed that some of the strains studied presented a high genotypic similarity, suggesting potential for transmission between animal sources and humans in this country. Altogether, the results characterize further C. jejuni isolates from Brazil, an important producer and exporter of chicken meat.
Association between 1195 G > A polymorphism of cyclooxygenase-2 gene with lung cancer risk : a meta-analysis

The studies on the relationship between the 1195G>A polymorphism of cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) gene and the risk of lung cancer development have shown conflicting results. A meta-analysis based on accumulated reports was carried out to clarify the relationship. PubMed and Embase databases were searched until January 2017 for the relative references with sufficient information to estimate odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs). We performed a meta-analysis of 2692 lung cancer cases and 3236 controls concerning 1195G>A polymorphism from 6 case-control studies. Compared with controls, the 1195G>A polymorphisms in COX-2 gene increased the lung cancer risk in whole population (GG versus AA: OR=1.235, 95% CI=1.045-1.459, p<0.05; GG+GA versus AA: OR=1.249, 95% CI=1.114-1.402, p<0.001), in Asian population (GG versus AA: OR=1.276, 95% CI=1.0731.518, p<0.01; GG+GA versus AA: OR=1.245, 95% CI=1.089-1.424, p<0.01) and in European population (GG+GA versus AA: OR=1.261, 95% CI=1.009-1.576, p<0.05). COX-2 1195G>A polymorphism was associated with an increased risk of lung cancer. To our knowledge, this is the first report to reveal the significant relationship between 1195G>A polymorphism and lung cancer risk with a meta-analysis.
Farmworker and nonfarmworker Latino immigrant men in North Carolina have high levels of specific pesticide urinary metabolites

ABSTRACT This article compares detections and concentrations of specific organophosphate (OP), bis-dithiocarbamate, and pyrethroid pesticide urinary metabolites among Latino male farmworkers and nonfarmworkers in North Carolina. Data are from interviews and urine samples collected in 2012 and 2013. Farmworkers and nonfarmworkers frequently had detections for OP and pyrethroid pesticide urinary metabolites. Detection of bis-dithiocarbamate urinary metabolites was less frequent, but substantial among the nonfarmworkers. The concentrations of organophosphate, bis-dithiocarbamate, and pyrethroid pesticide urinary metabolites were high for farmworkers and nonfarmworkers compared to National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey results. Pesticide urinary metabolite detection was not associated with occupation in nonfarmworkers. Research for reducing pesticide exposure among farmworkers remains important; research is also needed to determine pesticide exposure pathways among Latino nonfarmworkers.
Hepatic Effects from Subacute Exposure to Insecticides in Adult Male Wistar Rats

Pesticides are applied to grains during growth, post harvest, and storage, in order to prevent pest infestation that could damage the crops integrity and affect harvest. Recent studies have shown that insecticide residues are present in grains and other foodstuffs (wheat, corn, beans, and chickpeas) stored in Sonora, Mexico (Aldana et al, 2008). Concentrations of the most common insecticides such as DDT were detected to be within safe levels for consumption as established by the World Health Organization (Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations [FAO/WHO], 1999), although the use of some detected insecticides such as DDT and metabolites are no longer permitted in Mexico (CICOPLAFEST, 2004). Most grains are milled prior to human consumption. However, processing does not completely eliminate the insecticide (Pimentel & Casadei, 2000; Holland et al., 1994). In Mexico, residues of organochlorine (OC) insecticides are detected in adipose tissue, blood, and breast milk in populations living near agricultural fields. Studies document OC exposures in Comarca Lagunera, Mexico City, Puebla, Veracruz (RAPAM, 1997) and the Yaqui Valley in Sonora (Guillette et al., 1998). Such exposures are of great concern, especially since exposure to insecticides has been shown to alter lipid metabolism and produce liver damage in rats (Shakoori et al., 1998; Narayan et al., 1990; Videira et al., 2001; Aldana et al., 1998; Aldana et al., 2001). The objective of our study was to evaluate the potential hepatotoxic effects of insecticide exposure at these levels in rats, using serum biochemical indicators of hepatic damage (transaminases, cholesterol, triglycerides, total protein, and albumin), as well as light and electron microscopy to evaluate microstructure hepatic changes.
Seroprevalence of Theileria ovis in small ruminants in north-east Spain determined by the indirect fluorescent antibody test

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Secondary contact during adaptive radiation: a community matrix for Lake Malawi cichlids

We used a community of Lake Malawi rock‐dwelling cichlids to study secondary contact during adaptive radiation. Using abundance data from survey plots we constructed a matrix of pair‐wise interaction coefficients for males of 21 native and eight transplanted species. After controlling for the effects of habitat variation, correlations among residual male abundances suggest that coevolved species compete less than those brought into artificial secondary contact 30 years ago and that species with the same body colour compete more than those with different body colours. The latter result provides evidence that a trait related to reproductive isolation affects competitive interactions and the distribution of individuals throughout an entire community. Our results further suggest lake level fluctuations that divide and reconnect communities act to increase local (alpha), as well as total (gamma) diversity, in this adaptive radiation. The communities are not, however, unsaturated in the simplest sense; new species can enter a community, but they disproportionately reduce the abundance of original community members.